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Alexanderson alternator in the SAQ Grimeton VLF transmitter.
The annual transmission “Alexanderson Day” with the Alexanderson alternator on VLF 17.2 kHz with the call SAQ will take place Sunday, July 3rd, 2016 at 09:00 UTC (tuning up from after 08:30 UTC) and will be repeated at 12:00 UTC (tuning up from after 11:30 UTC).
Amateur Radio Station with the call “SK6SAQ” will be QRV on the following frequencies:
– 7.035 kHz CW or
– 14.035 kHz CW or
– 21.035 kHz CW or
– 3.755 kHz SSB
Two stations will be on the air most of the time.
QSL-reports to SAQ and SK6SAQ are kindly received via:
– E-mail to: [email protected]
– or via: SM bureau
– or direct by mail to: Alexander – Grimeton Veteranradios Vaenner,
Radiostationen
Grimeton 72
SE-432 98 GRIMETON
S W E D E N
Also read our website: www.alexander.n.se
The station will be open to visitors.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mike (K8RAT), who writes:
According to the SDRplay blog they will be hosting a series of Webinar events centered around the RSP and SDRuno. Starting this Saturday. http://sdrplay.com/blog.html
We will be hosting a series of Webinar events centred around the SDRplay RSP and SDRuno. These events will be streamed live, but will also be recorded and hosted on our website for those that are unable to attend.
The first event is scheduled for this Saturday (2nd July) at 16:00 UTC – we will give some background to SDRuno and explain it’s core functionality and what the future holds for its development. It will be fairly informal and interactive, we will try to answer as many questions as we can. We will try to stick to a timeframe of about 45 minutes to 1 hour maximum.
If you would like to contribute to the text chat discussion, you will need to signup with an account here: http://connectcast.tv/signup
If this proves to be of interest and value, we’ll schedule some more with special guests to go through specific real world use cases with the RSP and SDRuno
On Tuesday, 21 June 2016, the BBC World Service officially transmitted the 2016 BBC Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast–an international radio broadcast intended for a small group of scientists, technicians, and support staff who work for the British Antarctic Survey.
This is one of my favorite annual broadcasts, and I endeavor to listen every year. Once again, the SWLing Post called upon readers to make a short recording of the broadcast from their locale.
Below are the entries, roughly organized by continent and country/region, including reader’s photos if provided. I had planned to post these recordings by Sunday, but my travels interfered and I discovered an additional ten recordings in my inbox! (If I’ve somehow missed including your entry, please contact me; I’ll amend this post.)
So, without further ado….
The 2016 BBC Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast Recordings
Australia
SWL (Shortwave Listener):Rob Wagner Location: Mt Evelyn, Victoria, Australia Notes: [A] 12 minute video record of the broadcast that also demonstrates some tuning techniques and DSP facilities on the Yaesu FTDX3000. You can view the video below or by clicking here:
Paul’s Icom IC-7300 tuned to the BBC Midwinter broadcast.
SWL: Paul Philbrook Location: Adelaide, South Australia Notes: Here are a couple of recordings from this mornings broadcast. Just had a quick listen before heading off to work and recorded these two with the IC-7300. Radio: Icom IC-7300 Aerial: Multi-band loaded dipole. 5985 Khz strength 5 readable, 6035 Khz strength 8 good readability, 7360 Khz no copy.
Click here to download recording 1 and recording 2, or simply listen via the embedded players below:
New Zealand
SWL: Bryan Clark Location: Mangawhai, New Zealand Notes: Listening in New Zealand, reception was not as good as last year.
Here are short audio files of the 3 frequencies. I used an EWE antenna aimed southeast, that is across South America, for the best signals. Receiver is a WinRadio Excalibur Pro SDR.
SWL: Christoph Ratzer Location: Salzburg, Austria Notes: Here my complete recording for you. Received at my remote station http://remotedx.wordpress.com in Salzburg, WinRadio G33 Excalibur PRO, Delta loop antenna with Bonito ML052 amplifier.
SWL: Willy Andersen Location: Soeborg, Denmark Notes: Here is my recording from 7360kHz on June 21. 2016. Very strong and clean signal. Vy 73 de Willy, OZ4ZT
SWL: Philippe Location: L’Hôpital-Camfrout, France (few km south of Brest) Notes: Very good conditions here, good sound. Equipment: Yaesu FT817ND + V inverted antenna and Yaesu Vx7r + original antenna (little stick on the radio). On both radios, reception: 59 / 59+
SWL: Alan Location: County Kildare, Ireland Notes: 5,985 kHz Woofferton. Distance: 280km. Recorded from County Kildare, Ireland
with an Icom-718 and 20m Random wire on an Olympus vn-741pc.
SWL: Renato Feuli (IK0OZK) Location: Valentano, Italy Notes: Woofferton at 5.895 Khz AM
Time UTC 21.33
Signal Report R/S R5 S 9+15 Db Very Good signal and audio
Equipement:
RTX JRC 245 and Windom antenna
To Ascension at 7.360 Khz AM
Time UTC 21.33
Signal Report R/S R5 S 9+10 Db Very Good Signal and audio
Equipement:
Receiver JRC NRD 545 Dsp and Long-Wire antenna
To Dhabayya at 6.035 Khz AM
Time UTC 21.38
Signal Report R/S R3 S 4/5 Low Signal and many QRM and QSB
Equipement:
Receiver JRC NRD 91 and Long-Wire antenna
SWL: Joseph Location: Ponza island, Italy Notes: I am Joseph in Ponza island, Italy, with pleasure I send you a video of the Antarctic Midwinter 2016 recorded yesterday night with my old smartphone … great about the 5985 and 7360 frequencies, very poor reception on 6035, I used the 3 receivers Yaesu vr5000 connected on a discone antenna “Midland full band”, AOR ar 3030 and Kenwood R1000 on antenna “Mini Whip”.
SWL: Davide Borroni Location: Saronno, Italy Notes: 21 June 2016 at 2130-2200 UTC on 7360 KHZ AM. I listened to the BBC broadcast with SINPO 54444. I listened to beautiful music and talk. Thanks for show ! I used my R&S ESH3 (see above) with my magnetic loop 2 meter diameter antenna.
SWL: Andrea Borgnino Location: Rome, Italy Notes: BBC Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast 2016 – 5985 khz 21/6/2016 recorded in Roma Italy. Click here to listen on SoundCloud.
SWL: Jordan Heyburn Location: Northern Ireland Notes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9iLlg4sXUE
BBC World Service Special Broadcast to Antarctica 5985khz received in Northern Ireland using a SDR Play RSP & Wellbrook ALA1530LN Active Loop Antenna. Click here to view on YouTube.
Poland
SWL: Chris Ditrich Location: Poland Notes: Reception on 5985 kHz and 7360 kHz was very good 59 – 58, however reception on 6035 kHz was not that good, signal was there but not much readable
SWL: Dmitry Elagin Location: Saratov, Russia Notes: I accepted BBC Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast in Saratov, Russia. I made video record by means of my SDRPlay.
SWL: Chris Inwood Location: Conrwall, England Notes: [R]ecorded on 5.985 MHz. This frequency was by far the best quality. I was able to copy 7.365 here but there was slight QSB and some interference from an adjacent broadcaster HCJB. 6.035 was not heard at all neither was 9.720 MHz. Very best wishes and thanks, I always look forward to my email.
SWL: Mark Hirst Location: Basingstoke, Hampshire Notes: Thanks for alerting shortwave listeners to the British Antarctic Survey broadcast. It felt very poignant listening to a broadcast aimed at such a small number of people, with the voices of their loved ones being launched around the world.
I was able to record the broadcast from only 100 miles away from the Woofferton transmitter, so needless to say the quality and strength was very good. I imagine hearing that broadcast buried in the noise from far away with those happy birthday songs and best wishes must have been very emotional for its intended audience.
My recording location was Basingstoke, Hampshire in the UK – locator IO91LH 20HH
[Note that Mark also recorded the full 30 minute broadcast which you can download by clicking here.]
SWL: Dean Allison Location: Bedlington, Northumberland, England Notes: I have attached an audio file of the BBC transmission to Antarctica. My location is Bedlington, Northumberland, England, about 100 feet above sea level, using a Kenwood R5000 receiver and a 30 feet longwire antenna about 12 feet off the ground. This was the 5985 kHz transmission.
SWL: Jerry Rhys Location: Surrey, England Notes: Attached are two recordings of today’s BBC Antarctic Broadcast made between
2130 and 2150z. The first recording was made using AM mode with 8 kHz bandwidth on 5985 then 7360, followed by 6035. The second recording was made using SAM mode with 10 kHz bandwidth on 7360, 6035, and 5985.
The best signal was on 5985, 7360 was weak but readable, on 6035 I could detect a carrier and occasional modulation – on this frequency there was also interference from a digital transmission on 6037. Nothing heard on 9720.
I was using a RF Space SDR-IQ Receiver, and a Wellbrook ALA1530S Loop
Antenna installed in my loft. Many thanks for the SWLing Post, always an enjoyable read!
SWL: Alan (G4TMV) Location: northern England Notes: Reception of this special broadcast was excellent here in northern England on 5985 kHz. It was an enjoyable broadcast again, but Babcock weren’t wasting any electricity on it, it came on and went off again almost spot on 2130 and 2200!
SWL: Dom B Location: Newcastle Under Lyme, England Notes: I live streamed the midwinter broadcast on my Tecsun PL-380 from my location in Newcastle Under Lyme in the UK
SWL: Lawrence Beedle Location: Manchester, England Notes: Here is my recording of the mid winter broadcast by the BBC 21st June 2016. Tecsun PL660 telescopic aerial, indoors, sat at kitchen table in a house in Manchester, England, UK. 5985khz good reception. 6035 kHz not as strong, 7360 kHz no reception. Recorded on iPhone next to speaker on radio. 36 seconds.
SWL: David Mappin Location: Filey, England Notes: Just thought I would let you know how I got on with the BBC WS broadcast to Antarctica. I used my Icom IC-R75 receiver and a Wellbrook ALA1530 inside the house. 5985 kHz was very strong with me here on the east coast of the UK (NVIS propagation?). Nothing heard on 6035 or 9720 but a weak signal on 7360. Attached (above) is a photograph of my listening post. This is a link to a YouTube video of the start of the broadcast. My very best regards and thank you for your excellent website.
https://youtu.be/o-ReyWYJziM
A screenshot from Cap’s Elad FDM-S1 SDR.
SWL: Cap Location: N.W. Scotland Notes: Here is my attempt last night with SDR screenshot attached, Elad FDM-S1 with homebrew mini Mag Loop (<250mm dia) sitting on my bookcase. No doubt there will be better signals/recordings than mine as the signal was really strong from WOF and considering my setup is 100% indoors, it came out ok. External antennas don’t last here as I am by the sea and regular 100mph+ storms in the winter is too much hassle.
SWL: Richard Langley Location: New Brunswick Notes: Tecsun PL-880 receiver with a Tecsun AN-03L 7-metre wire antenna in AM mode with 5.0 kHz RF filtering at the back of my yard. The photo [of Richard’s outdoor portable listening post] was taken during some other recordings last year.
Click here to listen to Richard’s recording, or simply use the embedded player below:
SWL: Thomas Witherspoon Location: Saint-Anne-de-Beaupré, Québec Notes: I traveled to an RFI quite spot in the parking lot of the Basilica in St.-Anne-de-Beaupré, Québec. Click here to read a full post about my set-up and conditions. Note that I used a Sony ICF-SW55 receiver (above), perched on top of my vehicle and tuned to 7360 kHz.
SWL: Dan Hawkins Location: Davis, California Notes:Here is my YouTube video. I’m using both the Sangean and Hammarlund receivers to hunt down the BBC Midwinter Antarctic Broadcast. Probably a somewhat different result than on most of the videos, but probably typical of West Coast propagation at these frequencies and times.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKm4G3vN-rg
SWL: Nace Magner Location: Bowling Green, Kentucky Notes: Please find attached a video of my reception of the BBC broadcast. Unfortunately, a thunderstorm passed through about 10 minutes prior to the video and the audio is dominated by lightning-related crashes. However, the BBC signal can be heard periodically. My location was on a university campus in Bowling Green, Kentucky, which is about 50 miles north of Nashville, Tennessee. I received the signal using a Tecsun PL-660 and its whip antenna. I enjoy the SWLing site. Best regards, Nace Magner (KW4LY)
Once again, many thanks to all of you who submitted your recordings of the BBC Midwinter Broadcast! We’ll be sharing this post with both the British Antarctic Survey and the BBC World Service. And to all of you, from the SWLing Post: Happy Midwinter! Happy Summer/Winter Solstice!
This announcement for World Amateur Radio Day was posted on the IARU website along with links for clubs (or individuals) to download flyers and posters to promote the event.
World Amateur Radio Day
Every April 18, radio amateurs worldwide take to the airwaves in celebration of World Amateur Radio Day. It was on that day in 1925 that the International Amateur Radio Union was formed in Paris.
Amateur Radio experimenters were the first to discover that the short wave spectrum — far from being a wasteland — could support worldwide propagation. In the rush to use these shorter wavelengths, Amateur Radio was “in grave danger of being pushed aside,” the IARU’s history has noted. Amateur Radio pioneers met in Paris in 1925 and created the IARU to support Amateur Radio worldwide.
Just two years later, at the International Radiotelegraph Conference, Amateur Radio gained the allocations still recognized today — 160, 80, 40, 20, and 10 meters. Since its founding, the IARU has worked tirelessly to defend and expand the frequency allocations for Amateur Radio. Thanks to the support of enlightened administrations in every part of the globe, radio amateurs are now able to experiment and communicate in frequency bands strategically located throughout the radio spectrum. From the 25 countries that formed the IARU in 1925, the IARU has grown to include 160 member-societies in three regions. IARU Region 1 includes Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Northern Asia. Region 2 covers the Americas, and Region 3 is comprised of Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific island nations, and most of Asia. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has recognized the IARU as representing the interests of Amateur Radio.
Today, Amateur Radio is more popular than ever, with over 3,000,000 licensed operators!
The full article and a list of several amateur-radio related activities may be found here.
“High Performance RX Antennas for a Small Lot” will be the topic of a free webinar by Jose “JC” Carlos, N4IS, and sponsored by the World Wide Radio Operators Foundation (WWROF).
Carlos will explore basic concepts of receiving antennas and share his experiences with low-band receiving antennas on a small lot, including the Waller Flag.
The webinar will take place on March 4 at 0200 UTC (the evening of Thursday, March 3, in US time zones). It will run for about 1 hour.
To celebrate 37th anniversary of Iranian Islamic revolution, the first Iranian ham contest is going to be held on February 1st, 2016 and will last for 10 days.
Objective: To encourage and increase contacts (especially DX ones) with Iranian radio amateurs.
Dates:
Contest Period: 10 days (Feb 01, 00:00 UTC – Feb 11, 23:59 UTC)
All modes (CW, SSB, RTTY) can be used on this period.
Bands:
40, 20, 15 and 10 meters
Note: On 20m, the upper limit is 14.250 MHZ
Contact information:
For contest information and any sort of inquiries contact [email protected]
Certificates:
Certificates will be awarded to:
1- Top single operator (at least 30 contacts on all modes)
2- Top CW operator
3- Top SSB operator
4- Top RTTY operator
5- Any operator who contacts at least 3 Iranian hams
Getting QSL card:
If you need the printed certificate, you should send 5USD (or equivalent in your currency) to this address: “P.O. Box 14185-736 , Tehran, Iran”
Please use registered mail to make sure it delivers without problems.
WebMoney and Bitcoin are also accepted. (Contact us for more information)
Misc:
Iranian amateurs will use “/contest” at the end of their call sign for this contest.
The deadline for contacting us for certificate is 3 months after the contest.
