[amsat-bb] re: AO-7 gone again? (mode B authorized)

[John Mock <kd6pag@xxxxxxx>]

    The July/August issue of the AMSAT Journal (page 25) is reporting that US 
    Amateurs are authorized to USA AO-7 Mode B (432MHz uplink 2m downlink). 
    There has been some speculation that operating in Mode B violated Amateur 
    Satellite Service and FCC rules because the uplink frequency is not in a 
    Amateur Satellite Service sub-band. But Past AMSAT President Perry Klein, 
    W3PK, located a Safety and Special Action Waiver from the FCC in the 
    AMSAT-NA archives. The waiver allows for AO-7 to operate in Mode B with an 
    uplink frequency of 432.125-432.175MHz. AO-7 was licensed as W3OHI and this
    license has been maintained without interruption by AMSAT-NA so the waiver 
    appears to still be in effect.

Thanks for the update!  I'm not surprised by this, after all, AO-7 operation
is only perhaps 5% of the day and generally using directiional antenna in a
mode that's weak-signal compatible (e.g. not FM).

    Is that suppose to explain why the amsat-na page still does not
    contain the Mode B information? Or did you just read half the
    post before engaging your answer?
       
The AMSAT AO-7 page does contain this information, it's the weekly satellite
report that currently does not.

    I don't understand why the Amsat bulletins continue to not include
    information on Mode B, especially considering the recently discovered
    exemption.

Don't forget that AMSAT-NA is a volunteer-based organization and it may be
just a matter that no one has gotten around to updating it and/or the person
maintaining it did not see the article in question and/or its relevance to
the Weekly Satellite Report.

Speaking of which, this page perpaps should also be updated to reflect the
information noted above:

       http://www.amsat.org/amsat/sats/n7hpr/ao7.html

This does give the frequencies for both modes of operation, but currently
suggests that "there are questions as to legality of Amateurs transmitting
to AO-7".  Maybe an additional clarification is in order there as well. 

		         -- KD6PAG
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