AO-7
OSCAR 7 · amateur radio satellite, NORAD 7530
Heard todayAO-7 frequencies
| Uplink | Downlink | Beacon | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| 145.850-145.950 MHz | 29.400-29.500 MHz | — | USB linear |
| 145.850-145.950 MHz | 29.400-29.500 MHz | — | CW linear |
| 432.125-432.175 MHz | 145.925-145.975 MHz | — | USB linear inverting |
| — | — | 29.502 MHz | CW |
| — | — | 2304.100 MHz | CW |
| — | — | 435.100 MHz | CW |
| — | — | 145.9775 MHz | CW |
Nominal frequencies, without Doppler. The live map shifts them for your station during a pass. Frequencies: SatNOGS DB (modified: working amateur transmitters only, in MHz), CC BY-SA 4.0.
About AO-7
AO-7 (AMSAT-OSCAR 7) is the oldest amateur satellite still in use. It was launched on 15 November 1974 from Vandenberg and went silent in 1981 when its batteries short-circuited. On 21 June 2002 one of the shorted cells went open-circuit, and the satellite came back to life running straight from its solar panels. Since then it has worked whenever it is in sunlight, and stops in eclipse.
AO-7 has two linear transponders, and only one runs at a time: after an eclipse it may come up in either mode, and during long periods of continuous sunlight a 24-hour timer switches between Mode A and Mode B. Mode A takes uplink on 2 m (145.850–145.950 MHz) and transmits on 10 m (29.400–29.500 MHz), non-inverting. Mode B takes uplink on 70 cm (432.125–432.175 MHz) and transmits on 2 m (145.975–145.925 MHz), inverting. You can work SSB and CW through both.
Because the satellite runs directly from its solar panels with no working battery, the transponder sometimes sounds unstable or distorted. Use as little power as you need: a strong uplink takes the transponder's power away from everyone else. AO-7 is in a 1,450 km orbit, so passes are long and contacts across a continent are common.
Status
Active: amateurs reported hearing AO-7 on AMSAT 1 h ago.
From reports filed on AMSAT, last 30 days.
Orbit
| Type | Low Earth orbit |
|---|---|
| Altitude | 1440–1458 km |
| Inclination | 102.0° |
| Period | 114.9 min |
| TLE epoch | 2026-10-09 07:44 UTC |
Orbital elements: CelesTrak, checked every 3 hours.
Questions about AO-7
- What is the AO-7 uplink frequency?
- AO-7 listens on 145.850-145.950 MHz (USB linear), 145.850-145.950 MHz (CW linear) and 432.125-432.175 MHz (USB linear inverting).
- What is the AO-7 downlink frequency?
- AO-7 transmits on 29.400-29.500 MHz (USB linear), 29.400-29.500 MHz (CW linear) and 145.925-145.975 MHz (USB linear inverting).
- What is the AO-7 beacon frequency?
- The beacon is on 29.502 MHz, 2304.100 MHz, 435.100 MHz and 145.9775 MHz.
- Is AO-7 active?
- Active: amateurs reported hearing AO-7 on AMSAT 1 h ago.
- When does AO-7 pass over my location?
- Open AO-7 on the live map and enter your Maidenhead locator or use GPS: the tracker lists the passes of the next 24 hours with AOS, maximum elevation and LOS, and shifts the frequencies for Doppler.