A number of amateurs have reported that the FM repeater of AO-27 has been active for brief intervals in recent weeks.
When commanded on by control operators, the transponder is active for about two minutes before reverting to telemetry transmissions only.
Patrick Stoddard, WD9EWK, remarks that AO-27 wasn’t originally intended to be an FM satellite. It lacks the audio filtering normally seen with a n FM receiver, since its uplink receiver was going to be used for data.
With the lack of audio filtering on the uplink receiver, AO-27 was used for tests with D-Star radios.
The Wayback Machine has captures of the former ao27.org web site, detailing how those tests were done. Two radios were used for those D- Star QSOs, one for uplink and the other for downlink).
Many are hopeful that control stations will eventually be able to recover the satellite sufficiently to provide more regular operation.
In the meantime, if you hear the satellite active, make your contacts quickly!
Patrick Stoddard, WD9EWK/VA7EWK
AMSAT Board Member
Antenna
Best Antenna Practices
“Donald Clark, KB6QEW, is having some trouble with his SWR. But because of some issues in understanding his situation Dave will answer the best... Read more
Europes highest Amateu Radio Remote-Station
“The harsh winter of 2020/2021 has also left its mark on Europe’s highest amateur radio remote station on Rigi Scheidegg in the middle of... Read more
FX700 Vector Network Analyzer
Metropwr FX700 is a vector network analyzer 0.1/700 MHz used to measure all the parameters of an antenna. It has a large 4.3 “touch screen display and... Read more
How to Attach Radials to a Radial Plate
“Jeff, AC2AU has a straight-forward question, How exactly do I attach radials to a commercial vertical antenna? Dave will answer this question a... Read more
Comet HFJ-350M 160m-5m – Antenna Review
A pocket size antenna that covers all HF bands. Ideal for IC-705 COMET HFJ-350M TOY BOX 10-Band 1.8-50MHz portable Antenna with carrying pouch I... Read more
Digital Modes
JS8Call Overview and Settings 2021
JS8Call Overview and Settings 2021 Read more
FT8DMC 3rd Anniversary-Activity Days 2020
To commemorate our 3rd anniversary, special event stations will be on air during the FT8DMC Activity Days from 1. to 31. July 2020. All stations will... Read more
K1JT , JOE TAYLOR HINTS AT POSSIBLE NEW MODE!
In a post to the WSJT-X email group today, Joe Taylor K1JT hinted at some ongoing experimentation of a new digital mode with sub-modes. His post was a... Read more
WWSA GACW Contest Rules.
WWSA GACW I – Dates Second weekend of June of every year. From Saturday 15.00 UTC until Sunday 15.00 UTC. 24 hours period. II – Goal To co... Read more
News
SAQ in Sweden to Conduct Annual Alexanderson Day Transmission
SAQ, the call sign of the vintage Alexanderson alternator transmitter in Grimeton, Sweden, will conduct its annual Alexanderson Day transmission on Su... Read more
MIR-SAT1 CubeSat Expected to Deploy from the ISS on June 22
MIR-SAT1(Mauritius Imagery and Radiotelecommunication Satellite 1), the first amateur radio CubeSat from the Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius,... Read more
Minimum Age Novice- and Full-License in The Netherlands abolished
Today is an important day regarding youth and amateur radio in The Netherlands. To gain more young active radio hams, it is a must that this age... Read more
Family Comes First during Hurricane Preparation for Home and Station
The Atlantic hurricane season began on June 1 and continues through November 30, and two named storms have already shown up, although neither threaten... Read more
Ham Radio in Games
The Last of Us 2 – Abby Make Contact with the Fireflies Read more
App - Mobile
SDR Receiver for IOS version 1.2.1 has been released
SDR Receiver demodulates and plays AM and FM signals received by an RTL-SDR, Airspy HF+ or SDRplay radio. Requires a radio and a host comput... Read more
STARWAVES DRM SoftRadio App for Android now available!
The STARWAVES DRM SoftRadio allows you to conveniently enjoy any DRM live radio broadcast on your Android smartphone or tablet. No Internet connection... Read more
MagicSDR – A NEW ANDROID AND IOS RTL_TCP CLIENT
MagicSDR makes it possible to interactively explore RF spectrum using panadapter and waterfall visualization, demodulate and play AM, SSB, CW, NFM, WF... Read more
SmartSDR for iOS v3.9.12 Now Available
Marcus, DL8MRE announces that release of SmartSDR for iOS v3.9.12 is now available for download or update from the Apple App Store. SmartSDR is a full... Read more
SignalID – Automatic Radio Signal Identification for Android
There’s an incredible amount of radio signals. It’s impossible to know them all, let alone recognize them. So why not get help from Signal... Read more
![Handheld Transceivers [ ARRL PODCAST ]](https://qrznow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/maxresdefault-1-2-265x168.jpg)
