Hi Sebastian!
Is there a problem with AO-27? Lately it seems that the bird is turned on for less than 10 minutes, then is turned off for over an hour. In the last several days, it seems that whenever there is a pass over the USA, it's off.
Just wondering if this is normal, or if there are problems.
AO-27 has apparently been off since last weekend. I worked a pass Friday afternoon, but since then there has been no reported activity. The http://oscar.dcarr.org/ web site appears to confirm that.
For at least the past few years, AO-27 would only be on for a portion of the daylight passes (moving from south to north) over the Northern Hemisphere. For most of the past 19 or 20 months, it would be on for 7 minutes at a time as the satellite crosses 29 degrees North latitude (approximately).
The AO-27 operating schedule is available from the http://www.ao27.org/ web site, but in recent months it appears that the web site schedule would be off by 7 or 8 minutes from the satellite's onboard schedule. There is a Java-based program that will show the satellite's schedule, and that has been more in line with the onboard schedule. If you went by the schedule from the AO-27 web site when the satellite was operational in the last few weeks, you might have heard the last minute or less of the 7-minute repeater time.
With the satellite off for the moment, there has been no update of the AO-27 web site or messages from any of the AO-27 command stations as to whether or not the satellite can be returned to operation. Last time this happened, in late 2006 and early 2007, it took a few months to get things working again.
BTW thanks for the VO-52 QSO last Friday. You were the first station I worked from the convention I attended. My QSL card is on its way.
73!
Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/