ao-27 rejuvenated, back on the air (jan 22, 2007) -- amsat news service reports that ao-27 (eyesat-1) has again been recovered and returned to operation. launched in september 1993, ao-27 had been non-operational for some time. michael wyrick, n3uc, of the ao-27 command team told ans that after addressing problems with the microsat's afsk modem, ground controllers were able to upload operational software. the satellite has been sending telemetry, and the analog transponder has been turned on again. under the current schedule, ao-27 is on during ascending (south-to-north) passes at approximately 30 degrees north latitude, although it's impossible to say when the satellite will be operational for a given location. an initial 20 seconds of telemetry are followed by 5 minutes of analog repeater operation. ao-27 then transmits another 60 seconds of telemetry before shutting down. the satellite carries a mode v/u fm repeater with the uplink at 145.850 mhz and the downlink at 436.795 mhz. "please keep in mind that ao-27 is 13 years old and takes some work to keep going," wyrick advised users. ground controllers are seeking help in logging telemetry from ao-27. visit the logging ao-27 telemetry page for information.
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