AO-16 'Voice Mode' continues

The AO-16 Command Team invites radio amateurs to continue to use the voice mode of operations.

Mark, N8MH says, "The plan is to continue this mode of voice operations until further notice."

AO-16 has been in full sunlight (no eclipse periods at all) for several months. That is about to change later this month! Short eclipse periods will begin at the end of March and will increase steadily until early July--at which point the eclipse periods will increase to about 26 minutes each orbit. We'll have to watch this old bird and its batteries as the eclipse periods increase.

The S-band beacon is not operational at this time. The exact status of the S-band transmitter remains unknown.

The AO-16 Command Team has updated the weekly satellite report entry for this satellite:

AO-16 PACSAT
Catalog number: 20439
Launch Date: January 22, 1990

Status: TESTING - VOICE
Current Mode: V/U

Uplink:
145.900 MHz RESERVED
145.920 MHz FM VOICE
145.940 MHz RESERVED
145.960 MHz RESERVED

Downlink: 437.026 MHz USB VOICE

[1200-baud PSK-MBL Telemetry Only]

Mode-S Beacon: 2401.1428 MHz [No Future Operations Planed]

Mode and Antenna Polarization:
U: RC 437.050 MHz RHCP
PSK 437.026 MHz LHCP
V: Linear

Mark, N8MH