-----Original Message-----

From: James Duffey jamesduffey@comcast.net

I based my comments on the AMSAT Satellite Summary of AMSAT Oscar AO-7 located on the AMSAT website. See:

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

Which contains the following two paragraphs:

"*Note: Due to changes in Amateur Service and Amateur Satellite Service there are questions as to legality of Amateurs transmitting to AO-7. The uplink frequency predates the WARC '79 allocation of 435-438 MHz by the ITU for the Amateur Satellite Service and places the uplink in 70cm weak signal segment.'

"Potential users should realize that when they are uplinking to a satellite, they are no longer operating in the Amateur Service but instead operating in the Amateur Satellite Service. Thus they are subject to Amateur Satellite Service rules. Therefore uplinking to AO-7 is possibly illegal since the Amateur Satellite Service is not permitted at 432.1 MHz. Also, since the IARU bandplan has the 432.1 MHz range earmarked as "weak signal" in all three Regions, it would appear that all users trying to access the uplink are also outside the Amateur Satellite Service rules and regulations."

The AMSAT web page is a prominent return when one searches for Oscar 7 on Google. Thanks for pointing out that these statements >are incorrect, or at the very least, overcautious.

Those pages are leftovers from the previous version of the website, and the only way you can get to them is via Google. I have asked Gould and Rick to take them down as you are not the first to point to them as sources of outdated information.

...

As it is an uplink, there is absolutely no ill effect AO-7 can have on terrestrial 432 operations.

I agree for the most part, AO-7 uplink on 70cm will in general have little effect on 432 operations. But to say it has absolutely >no ill effect is hyperbole.

Until you can point to this actually happening, I don't think it's hyperbole at all. I've been around a contest or two (check September's limited rover scores) and I've never had a qso above 432.120. Terrestrial SSB users would even be on the wrong sideband from the sat users. The FCC says it's OK, I'm not going to worry about it until it's a problem. I'll leave it at that, and we can agree to disagree perhaps.

73, Drew KO4MA