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To commemorate the UNESCO 50th anniversary, World Heritage Grimeton Radio Station has scheduled* SAQ to be on the air at 17:00 CET (16:00 UTC) on Wednesday, November 16th, 2022, to send out a peace message to the whole world, using the 200kW Alexanderson alternator from 1924, on 17.2 kHz CW.
Transmission schedule & YouTube Live stream
16:25 CET (15:25 UTC): Live stream on YouTube begins.
16:30 CET (16:30 UTC): Startup and tuning of the Alexanderson Alternator SAQ.
17:00 CET (16:00 UTC): Transmission of a message from SAQ.
Test Transmissions
There may be some test transmissions on Tuesday Nov. 15th or on Wednesday Nov. 16th. Details about the time for the tests will be published on our website, possibly with short notice. During the tests, SAQ will be on air shorter periods of time, when we will be carrying out some tests and measurements. Your comments are welcome to [email protected].
Today is Sunday July 4, 2021. Besides being Independence Day here in the States, it’s also Alexanderson Day in Sweden!
This morning, I discovered a video on the Grimeton Station YouTube channel: a recording of their live stream live stream starting around 08:30 UTC today.
In the video, you can watch the crew of the Grimeton station startup, tune, and transmit on their 1924 Alexanderson Alternator with the callsign SAQ. Their message is sent in CW on 17.2 kHz. The video is absolutely fascinating and I highly recommend watching it. The startup and tuning procedure are simply amazing. I can only imagine the dedication and resources it takes to keep this marvel of 1920s engineering fully functional today:
As an amateur astronomer & SWL enthusiast, I always find it interesting when both disciplines overlap. I came across an article on the Internet posted by sciencealert.com of such an overlap.
The Earth is surrounded by two radiation belts (Van Allen Belts). But something strange has been discovered. After NASA launched a space probe in 2017 – and after analyzing collected data – the two Van Allen belts have been pushed farther away from Earth by a third “area”. That area is a “man-made barrier” created by Very Low Frequency (VLF) radio communications.
Scientists postulate this new man-made VLF barrier, a form of man-made Space Weather, has pushed the two radiation belts farther from Earth. And as such, this has created a “protective bubble” from potentially dangerous solar discharges and their radiation streams.
Radio Waves: Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio
Because I keep my ear to the waves, as well as receive many tips from others who do the same, I find myself privy to radio-related stories that might interest SWLing Post readers. To that end: Welcome to the SWLing Post’sRadio Waves, a collection of links to interesting stories making waves in the world of radio. Enjoy!
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Mark Hist, Kris Partridge, John Palmer, and the Southgate ARC for the following tips:
Radio reporters to be axed by BBC and told to reapply for new roles Critics fear end of an era because of plans to make audio journalists work across media platforms
BBC radio voices have described and defined modern British history. Live reports from inside a British bomber over Germany during the second world war, or with the British troops invading Iraq in 2003, or more recently from the frontline of the parent boycott of a Birmingham school over LGBT lessons have also shaped the news agenda.
But now the BBC plans to axe all its national radio reporters and ask them to reapply for a smaller number of jobs as television, radio and digital reporters, rather than as dedicated audio journalists. Many fear it is not just the end of their careers but the premature end of an era for the BBC.
“Radio reporting is a different job. Of course, you can do both, but a report designed for television starts from a completely different place. Radio is also more agile and also a lot less expensive,” said one experienced broadcast journalist. “I am pretty sure most of us will not be given new TV roles. It seems sad to lose all that specific radio expertise.”
Among the well-known voices likely to be affected are Hugh Sykes, Andrew Bomford – who has just completed a long feature on the child protection process for Radio 4’s PM show – and the award-winning and idiosyncratic Becky Milligan, as well as a wider team of expert correspondents.[…]
A high-altitude balloon experiment, launched by Warsaw University of Technology, is planned to lift off September 12, carrying a VLF 210-m-long fully-airborne antenna system, transmitting on 14.2 kHz
14.2 kHz is the former frequency of the Babice Radio Station in Poland.
The project is delivering very important data for a doctoral dissertation – any and all feedback on the reception of the signal (reception location, SNR, bandwidth etc.) is extremely important; your help with the listening to the transmission would be invaluable!
The balloon will also be transmitting APRS on 144.800 MHz FM, callsign SP5AXL.
Invented for the first time in 2014, in 2020 it will finally be implemented – the idea of „restoring” the TRCN, but in the stratosphere, where there are no mechanical limitations at the height of the antennas, and the achieved range can be gigantic.
The launch of a stratospheric balloon from the Przasnysz-Sierakowo airport of the Warsaw University of Technology is planned for September 12, 2020, in order to perform atmospheric tests – measuring UV radiation, recording the cloudy surroundings with a high-speed camera and conducting an inductive experiment at 14.2 kHz using a special antenna system.
The inductive system uses a modified long-wave transmitter (A1 emission, unkeyed) from the GLACiER project of the Warsaw University of Technology, implemented as part of the IGLUNA – a Habitat in Ice programme (ESA_Lab / Swiss Space Center). The power of the transmitter, due to the emission limits for this type of inductive devices, shall not exceed a few watts. The antenna system is a centrally fed (35: 1) dipole with capacitive (Hertzian) elements and a vertical axial coil. The electrical length is between 400 and 500 m, with a total system length of 210 m. The antenna is equipped with metalized radar reflectors.
The entire balloon mission will use 144.8 MHz (as SP5AXL) and 868 MHz (as part of the LoVo system) for navigation. Flight information will be available in advance in NOTAM (EPWW).
Planned balloon launch (even if the sky is full of ‘lead’ clouds) at 12.00 UTC (14.00 CEST, local time). The 14.2kHz experiment will be switched on on the ground, with the antenna initially folded in harmony. The predicted total flight time is 3 hours – around 13.30-14.00 UTC / 15.30-16.00 CEST it is planned to reach the maximum altitude of 30 km above sea level.
How can you help with the experiment? By recording as much as possible! Every parameter is valuable – from the spectrum / screenshot with the spectrum, to the EM field strengths, SNR and bandwidth, to the change of the EM field strength over time. The collected data can be sent to our e-mail address: [email protected]. On the day of launch, we plan to post updates on the launch, flight and the experiment itself via our Facebook page: facebook.com/radiostacjababice.
Stay tuned!
The annual transmission on Alexanderson Day with the Alexanderson Alternator on VLF 17.2 kHz with the call sign SAQ will take place Sunday, July 5th, 2020.
Two transmissions are scheduled as follows:
Startup and tuning at 10:30 (08:30 UTC) with a transmission of a message at 11:00 (09:00 UTC).
Startup and tuning at 13:30 (11:30 UTC) with a transmission of a message at 14:00 (12:00 UTC)
Watch both transmission events live on our YouTube Channel.
QSL-reports to SAQ (please no E-mails) are kindly received via:
Reception report form
or via: SM bureau
or direct by postal mail to:
Alexander Association
Radiostationen
Grimeton 72
SE-432 98 GRIMETON
S W E D E N
The Amateur Radio Station with the call “SK6SAQ” will be QRV on the following frequencies:
Due to the Corona pandemic, there will be no visitors to the radio station and there will be no visitor activities. Instead you can watch both transmission events live on our YouTube Channel. The association will try to carry out the two broadcasts to the world from the old Alexanderson alternator SAQ with minimal staffing in place.
World Heritage Grimeton Radio station and The Alexander Association
For further details, se grimeton.org or alexander.n.se
Grimeton Radio / SAQ Transmission on June 30th, 2019.
The annual transmission on “Alexanderson Day” with the Alexanderson alternator on VLF 17.2 kHz with the call SAQ will take place Sunday, June 30th, 2019.
Two transmissions are scheduled as follows:
Startup of tuning at 10:30 (08:30 UTC) with a transmission of a message at 11:00 (09:00 UTC).
Startup of tuning at 13:30 (11:30 UTC) with a transmission of a message at 14:00 (12:00 UTC)
Both transmission events will be broadcasted live on our YouTube Channel.
NEW! ONLINE RECEPTION REPORT FORM TO REPLACE E-MAIL REPORTS
We are introducing a new online SAQ reception report form to be used by listeners to report reception of any SAQ transmissions. We are kindly asking listeners not to send SAQ reception reports via E-mail.
Alexander Association
Radiostationen
Grimeton 72
SE-432 98 GRIMETON
S W E D E N
The Amateur Radio Station with the call “SK6SAQ” will be QRV on the following frequencies:
– 7.035 kHz CW or
– 14.035 kHz CW or
– 3.755 kHz SSB
QSL-reports to SK6SAQ are kindly received via:
– Email to [email protected]
– or via: SM bureau
– or direct by postal mail (see address above)Two stations will be on the air most of the time.
The station will be open to visitors between 10.00 am to 4.00 pm.
WELCOME!
World Heritage Grimeton Radio station and The Alexander Association
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ron, who notes that Hamcrafters appears to be planning a replacement for the Palomar VLF converter.
Here’s the product description:
The Hamcrafters VLF Converter is based on the original Palomar design and converts 10 KHz – 500 KHz to 4.010 to 4.5 MHz. This allows use of your HF Receiver or Transceiver and all its filters, noise blankers, DSP, and memories while tuning the VLF band. Modern HF radios have poor sensitivity in the VLF range (by design). Using this converter with a simple wire antenna will allow receiving of navigational beacons, time signals, and other VLF signals.
The Palomar is well-known among longwave DXers but hasn’t been in production for some time. Indeed, Ron adds, “The last two original Palomars went for $343 and $260 on eBay. Is there a demand? You bet!”
