Hello All,

I heard something interesting earlier today while monitoring an AO-7 pass above my QTH at around 23:30Z. The mode B (U/V) transponder basically went dead, and I heard a very odd buzzing sound in about the centre of the passband, with no activity anywhere else in the passband. Not a typical FMing sound, but something more akin to auroral buzzing, like on 6 metres. We have had some great visible auroral shows at my latitude lately (57 degrees north), and I wonder if the solar wind causing the aurora may have had an effect on old AO-7. Did anyone else hear this? Any thoughts on what was happening? I see from the live Oscar update web page that Russian Hams reported normal mode B operation subsequent to my observations.

As an aside, after repair of an intermittent in the UHF finals of my ICOM 820H and replacement of the N connector, I am fully QRV again on the birds, and look forward to giving out grid DO16 when able.

73 to all,

Randy, VE6RGU