LO-78 may or may not be active for Field Day. I will continue to monitor their Facebook page and will let the BB know if they turn it on (if they don't post a message themselves).
AO-73 should be available in sunlight, but that depends on the command stations switching it into continuous transponder mode on Friday evening. They normally send a message on Friday evening UK time to the BB that the command has been sent. Don't count on your Doppler software to work 100% out of the box on this one. Your transmit frequency will be 6.5+ kHz higher than it should be for Doppler correction alone.
AO-7 has been mode jumping as the solar angles at this point in it's orbit are not optimal for supplying full power to the satellite. With so many stations likely to be running way too much power this weekend, it seems likely that it will mode jump to Mode A or Mode D (transponders off), especially on ascending passes.
FO-29, VO-52, and SO-50 should all be working great!
73,
Paul, N8HM
On Wed, Jun 25, 2014 at 1:49 AM, Jim Reicher w0hv@sbcglobal.net wrote:
Thanks to all who responded to my query about tracking software. I have another question. I've been ignoring the reflector for a while, and I've lost track of the satellites that are currently usable for voice/cw contacts. After some research, I have the following in my list: AO7, FO29, SO50, VO52, AO73, LO78.
Am I missing any? Are the above birds (especially the newer ones) actually available? Thanks!
73 de W0HV, Jim in Raymore, MO _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb