CW Club

PA3CLQ's Leuke Linken Nr. 367

Grimeton Radio/SAQ transmission Christmas Eve Wednesday December 24th, 2014

There will be a transmission with the Alexanderson 200 kW alternator on VLF 17.2 kHz from Grimeton Radio/SAQ

The message transmission will take place at 08:00 UTC (09:00 local time).

The transmitter will be tuned up from around 07:30 UTC (08:30 local time).

There will be activity on amateur radio frequencies with the call SK6SAQ on any of following frequencies:

- 3,755 SSB

- 7,035 CW

- 14,215 SSB

- 14,035 CW

QSL- reports on SK6SAQ are kindly received:

- via SM bureau or direct to Grimeton Radio

QSL-reports on SAQ are kindly received via:

- E-mail to: info@alexander.n.se

- or via SM bureau

- or direct by mail to:

Alexander - Grimeton Veteranradios Vaenner,

Radiostationen, Grimeton 72

S-432 98 GRIMETON

S W E D E N

The radio station will be open to visitors.

No entrance fee.

Also read our website: www.alexander.n.se

Yours Lars Kalland SM6NM

REM :

To receive this station without a VLF receiver go to:

http://www.websdr.org/

Choose:

websdr.pa3weg.nl at Delfi-C3 groundstation at:

http://websdr.pa3weg.nl/

For receiving CW stations on 17,2 KHz and/off 500 KHz

REM :

Another possibility to receive SAQ transmission without a radioreceiver is with SAQrx:

https://sites.google.com/site/sm6lkm/saqrx

SAQrx VLF Receiver is a soundcard based USB (Upper SideBand) receiver covering 0-22 kHz.

The filter bandwidth is selectable in three steps, 300, 1000 and 2400 Hz.

You can use a longwire and a counter poise and a 1 : 1 LF transformer (LFT) to avoid static charge on the LINE-input of the soundcard in your PC.

On the secundair site of the LFT two anti parallel diode to avoid high voltage on the LINE-input of the souncard of the PC.

73, Jan P. PA3CLQ

REM :

Continuous Wave, which was different than the first type of radio which was spark which was Damped Waves, called Type B Modulation, while Continuous Wave was called CW modulation, or type A1 modulation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damped_wave

So we celebrate a bit of history with the first CW transmitter, the Alexanderson Alternator.

I asked Lars Kålland, SM6NM who runs the Grimeton Radio / SAQ transmissions from the last remaining operational Alexanderson Alternator for a recording of the last transmission from SAQ.

He gave me one and I'd like to share it with you.

Story at:

http://www.grimeton.info/grimeton_radio_station.html

Nice photos are at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cablefreak/3216881055/

Recording of SAQ is here:

http://archive.org/details/GrimetonRadioSaq201306300900UtcBroadcast

Better pictures are here, scroll DOWN.

http://www.flickriver.com/places/Sweden/Halland/Grimeton/search/

73, David N1EA

NOAA = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration at:

http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/

WM7D's Solar Resource Page at:

http://www.wm7d.net/hamradio/solar/

Also nice

http://www.hamqsl.com/solar101pic.php

http://dx.qsl.net/propagation/propagation.html

73, Terry, W1TR and Richard Hill NU6T

REM :

Late again

ftp://ftp.swpc.noaa.gov/pub/latest/wwv.txt

73, David VA3MJR

Carrier on 40 & humor.

Is it just at my QTH here in central ARK but has anyone noticed on 7.040 there appears a steady carrier from time to time that stays on quite a few minutes and never ID's

tom@k4viz.com

REM :

Tom, those are "digital" signals.

They took over the old QRP freq of 7040

I don't know which digital system but there's almost always what appears to be a carrier.

Frustrating for the old QRP crystal gang!
Tony, W4FOA

REM :

Yes, that is why the ARCI QRP club changed their recommendation for a 40 M QRP "watering hole" to 7030 KHz.
7040 KHz is also the RTTY hangout.
That also makes the frequency the same as the rest of the world is using.
73, Rick Dettinger K7MW
REM :

WSPR basically is for propagation and the vast majority of WSPR stations are running 1W.

Wes W1LIC

REM :

WSPR,

There are several automated (no control operator) stations here that replay to any activity on 7.040 (7.038).

The station doesn't seem to know cw form psk from rtty from WSPR.

It just answers when it hears a signal.

There are several call signs operating there.

If you send a cq, it answers WSPR mode.

It sounds like a carrier.

Constant S9 here in NC

Randy_KB4QQJ

REM :

Thanks for the insight Randy.

It seems like an unattended mode that doesn't know cw from psk or rtty or whatever would be better served if they assigned them a freq way up the band where they would be less obtrusive.

I'm sure there is a reason for WSPR.

And I'm sure there is a reason for mosquitoes and gnats, etc.....too.
I still haunt 7040 for my QRP activities, so I just dodge the obnoxious carriers.
72, Tony W4FOA
REM :

The WSPR frequencies are at 7040 but only span a hundred or so Hz.
WSPR transmissions are not 2-way interactive so will not respond to activity on the frequency.

The individual transmissions are 110.6 seconds duration separated by longer random periods.

They are typically QRP (The "WS" stands for weak signal), often well below the noise level.
It's actually quite a fun system and very useful for antenna testing.
You can make thousands of "QSOs" over the course of days.

I used it to compare my compromise indoor antenna to the outdoor one that I was going to take down.
73, Drew AF2Z

REM :

About WSPR, pronounced: Whisper.

WSPR 2.0 User’s Guide

http://www.physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/WSPR_2.0_User.pdf

Joe Taylor, K1JT

WSPR 2.1: Supplement to User’s Guide

Last updated: October 7, 2010

http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/WSPR_2.1_Supplement.pdf

Joe Taylor, K1JT

Accurate Frequency Measurements with your WSPR Setup

http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/FMT_User.pdf