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HP2DFA > AMSAT 20.09.90 08:35z 67 Lines 3436 Bytes #-13089 (0) @ WW
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Subj: * AO-7 Again Captures Attention Sep20
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*AMSAT News Service*
*ANS-263*
*September 20, 2026*
* AO-7 Again Captures Attention
AMSAT OSCAR 7, the amateur satellite launched in 1974 but operational yet
today, has once again gained the attention of the media. Historians and
fans of space lore have often focused on the story of AO-7, one of the
oldest â€ö if not *the* oldest â€ö satellite of any type to remain in operation
a half century after its commissioning. Yet another space journalist has
discovered the story and published an article about our venerable repeater
in the sky.
Lachlan Brown, Editor-in-Chief and a Co-Publisher of *Space Daily*, an
online technical news outlet that has published continuously since 1995,
posted a new article on September 17 that recounts the history of the
satellite. The full article is available at
https://spacedaily.com/t-ao-7-amateur-radio-satellite-returned-after-21-year...
.
As Brown notes, “AO-7 worked for more than six years, well beyond the
two-year design life commonly given for the mission. Then it went silent in
mid-1981.” As was typical of satellites designed and built in that era, the
bird had succumbed to a shorted battery pack.
Radio amateur Pat Gowen, G3IOR, happened to hear a CW transmission in June
of 2002 that was later confirmed to be the telemetry beacon of OSCAR 7.
Apparently the repeated cycles of heating and cooling satellites experience
when moving between sunlight and eclipse had cause the shorted batteries to
become an open circuit. This allowed the solar panels to supply current to
the satelliteâ€Ös electronics directly. Experiments proved that not only the
beacon, but also the transponders, could be operational.
AO-7 continues to be “semi-operational.” That is, when it is in sunlight
one or the other of its transponders becomes active. Control of the
satellite is limited, and overly strong signals on the uplink can create
power drains that cause the satellite to change modes, and could
potentially do more permanent damage.
An article in the recent, July/August 2026 issue of *The AMSAT Journal*,
written by Paul Stoetzer, N8HM, AMSAT Executive Vice President, documents
that mode timers and other basic functions of AO-7 continue to operate as
designed. It is only abuse by careless operators transmitting excessively
strong signals to the satellite that cause the mode changes that have been
observed. AMSAT members can access the *Journal* by logging into the Member
Portal on the AMSAT website, https://launch.amsat.org/.
The lengthy *Space Daily* retrospective is only one of a number of articles
celebrating AMSAT OSCAR 7 in recent years, particularly since the 50th
anniversary of its launch in 2024. The old bird continues to inspire the
awe of space fans, the interest of journalists, and the attention of radio
amateurs. With care and responsible operating, amateur will hopefully be
able to continue to enjoy the use of AO-7 for many years.
*[ANS thanks *Space Daily* and *The AMSAT Journal* for the above
information.]*
73 de Omar HP2DFA from Colon Panama. PMAIL: HP2DFA@HP2DFA.COL.PAN.CEAMEMAIL: HP2DFA@GMAIL.COM
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