Christmas Eve Morning Transmission 2018

[AlexanderSAQ]

In the morning of Christmas Eve, December 24, we will try to start the old Alexanderson 200 kW transmitter, from 1924 and send out a Christmas message on VLF 17.2 kHz CW. The transmitter will be tuned up from around 08:30 (07:30 UTC) and a message* will be transmitted at 09:00 (08:00 UTC).

Guests are welcome to attend the transmission at the radio station in Grimeton from 08:00 local time. The Alexander association will arrange Coffee and Christmas cookies, free of charge. No entrance fee.

For those of you who can not attend, we will broadcast the event live from Grimeton,Sweden on our YouTube Channel.

QSL-reports on the SAQ transmission 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
SE-432 98 GRIMETON
S W E D E N

The SK6SAQ amateur radio station will be QRV on the following frequencies:
– 7.035 kHz CW or
– 14.035 kHz CW or
– 3.755 kHz SSB

Two stations will be on the air most of the time.

*The world heritage site Grimeton is a living cultural heritage. All transmissions with the long-wave transmitter SAQ are therefore preliminary and may be set at short notice.

Topic

[Geir Pettersen (LA9ET)]

Hello friends! Thanks for receiving the final report of the Christmas Morning sending 2018 per email from you. Your signal was received here in Horten / Norway loud and clear. I reported this to you per this web-page. Look further down on this page. Maybe I did the wrong way of reporting to you? … since I could not find my report in your final report 2018. Keep up all the good work. Best regards LA9ET / Geir, Horten, Norway

[Rob M0BOL]

Received the summary of the Christmas Eve 2018 reports, a little incomplete however, mine wasn’t included! I hope too many were not left out, otherwise we are left with an incomplete picture of coverage! Good transmission however, look forward to the next one!

[AlexanderSAQ]

Dear Rob,
I am sorry to hear that we may have missed your report.
Did you send us an Email or did you report via bureau or by mail?
Kind regards,
Fredrik / AlexanderSAQ

[Ferruccio IZ-1096-SWL]

A copy of my report sent by email, to share the passion with the other SWL…
I’m reporting from Italy to submite a reception report for the Christmas Eve SAQ Alexanderson alternator station.
I read the fascinating story of the transmitter on the SWLing blog.
As my current equipment doesn’t permit to reach the 17.2 Khz frequency, I used the Twente WebSdr receiver with the help of a Morse decoder for the message
Listening time: from 7:30 UTC to 8:45 UTC
Mode: CW
SINPO: 55444
Listening notes:
At 7:45 UTC the transmitter tuned in with the periodical message VVV VVV DE SAQ
At 8:00 UTC I was able to hear the full message (here I report what I received, with missing parts and my interpolation on the missing characters of received words):
DE S E THIS IS GRIMETON RADIO /SAQ IN (…) TRANSMISSION (…) ALTERNATOR JN A7.2 Z=WE WISH YOU ALL A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND AN HAPPY NEW YEAR = SIGNED : (…) WORLD HERITAGE AT GRIMETON AND THE ALEXANDER-GRIMETON VETERAN RADIOS (…) ASSOCIATION (…) PLEASE (…) OUR WEBSITE : http://WWW.ALEXANDER.N.SE (…) http://WWW.ALEXANDER.N.SE E=LE SAQ SAQ SAQ
Thank you to share this tranmission using this valuable piece of technology and radio history. Bravi!
My best wishes for Christmas and the New Year. I will check you nice and informative website for tne next transmissions.
73 and Best regards

Ferruccio
IZ-1096-SWL

[Alberto I2PHD]

Late report, but SAQ was received very strong in JN45sl with an unusual receiver, my ARM Radio project, based on the STM Discovery inexpensive evaluation board.
Detail, pictures and received audio here :
http://saq.weaksignals.com

73 Alberto I2PHD

[ken, sw scotland]

Good signals here again this year, and a nice recording on the following link for your interest.

Receiver was my trusty Perseus SDR, with about 500m of beverage cable….

well here is a link for SAQ reception in scotland….
.

some funny little carrier sounding thing at the end as though something else tuning up, or tx warble…,.

[Christopher Bowne]

After a couple of years without success (including sleeping through my alarm and missing it one year) I finally heard SAQs beautiful note direct on 17.2 kHz on Stonington Point CT this Christmas Eve. Solid copy at-93 dBm on a Wandell und Goltermann AT-611 Selective Level Meter at 400 Hz bandwidth. Antenna was an approximate 100 foot wire connected to my Tacoma 4X4 pickup’s HF mobile antenna feed point, laid on stones protecting the east side of the point from the ocean, about 10 feet from the salt water that surrounds the Point at the eastern end of the CT shoreline. The WuG was powered by a small 12V DC to 115 VAC inverter. Watched the streaming video on YouTube while listening. My fAvorite part of the video was hearing relays hammering in time to the keying accomponied by the flashing of arcing across the relaycontacts in the panels. What were the two small plank pieces of machinery they crew was operating early on the video? Oil and or cooling water pumps? After copying the massage I tried working SK6SAQ on 7035 kHz, but my 5 watts from a K1 Elecraft to a 40 meter Hamstick on the Tacoma could not break the pile up of EU stations.

Interesting to see the number of people using SDRs to copy. Talk about two ends of the electronic communication evolution timeline – SAQ being copied on SDRs!

Merry Christmas to all! Hopefully will have an SDR as well as the WuG on Stonington Point for a the next SAQ operation!

Chris, AJ1G
Stonington, CT USA

[AlexanderSAQ]

Dear Christopher,
Sorry for my late reply.
The small plank pieces seen on the live video stream are used to start the circulation pumps in the liquid resistors. There are two liquid resistors used as variable rotor resistance for the electric motor.

The liquid resistors consist of about 2 m high containers, in which electrodes made from stainless steel are dipped into the liquid consisting of water and sodium carbonate. The liquid level in the containers may be varied by “sluices” controlled from the control board (you can see the operator adjuating the liquid level several times during the startup phase). This regulates the resistance between steel electrodes and thus controlled the rotor resistance. The heat generated is cooled off in the liquor through a heat exchanger for cooling station facility. Read more about this and watch video (Swedish language) here:

The Alexanderson transmitter

Best regards,
Fredrik / AlexnderSAQ

[Mark]

Dear guys,

first of all : thank you for posting my QSL report with the telegraph picture at your front page !

XMAS morning I tried to receive your signal again and used a different receiver but again the telegraph
from W.Gurlt to write your message on a paper strip !
It worked again !
Signal was about -105 dBm, very clear and stable

My station :
antenna – 2 element beam for 7/10 MHz which works surprisingly well on VLF
attenuator 10 dB
up-converter to 10017.2 kHz
RX – FT1000MP with 500 Hz filter in the 1st and 2nd IF
homebrew AF detector for generating the pulses for the telegraph
telegraph : W.Gurlt, Berlin, 1880

Thank you very much for that successful operation – I’ve enjoyed it !

Regards,
Markus
DL1DSN

[FRANCESC SIBILA MAÑACH–EA3AER]

GOOD MORNING!
I regret the delay, but on these dates you always have to travel to see the family.
This year I was able to listen to your broadcast with an emblematic receiver VOLNA-K of the 50s of Soviet construction. For me it was a curious test, I was not sure if I could receive the broadcast.
My QTH is Galliners 20km north of Girona City. LOC JN12KD

Message:
CQ DE SAQ THIS GIMETON RADIO / SAQ IN A TRANSMISSION USING THE USING THE ALEXANDERSON 200KW ALTERNATOR ON 17,2 KHZ
WE WISH YOU ALL A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR
SIGNED THEWORLD HERITAGE AT GRIMETON AND THE ALEXANDER GRIMETON VETERAN RADIOS VAENNER ASOCIATON
FOR QSL INFO PLEASE READ OUR WEBSITE http://WWW.ALEXANDER.N.SE http://WWW.ALEXANDER.N.SE DE SAQ SAQ SAQ.

I used an active antenna Miniwhip. I could receive your signal although a little weak, I suppose due to the propagation. The receiver does not have S-meter, but I pass a YouTube link where you can listen to how you received with this old receiver. It is a fragment made with my mobile phone: https://youtu.be/zboPH73D_bs

Thankful for your work and my best wishes on these dates.
Regards 73
Francesc Sibila EA3AER

[Thore Jönsson]

Tack för er sändning julafton 0900 2018. Jag sitter s.a.s. nästgårds och lyssnar. Har en mottagare byggd av en av era medarbetare. Mycket trevligt för en f.d. signalist vid I16 Halmstad.

Med vänliga hälsningar Thore Jönsson Halmstad.

[Bert PA1B]

Hello dear friends,
SAQ was 579 by ear, on my loop here in the Netherlands in JO22na
After I tuned my loop antenna to the signal of SAQ, I wanted to make room for a paper, to take up the message later.
When I moved my breadboard with the loop amplifier, the circuit went dead and did not come a live again, what ever I did.
At first I was very disapointed. But later I realized, that I received SAQ and could give a very good 579 report.
Thank you for the transmission.

[Wolfgang Sprodofsky DM2SP]

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen

I received your transmission on 24.12.2018 at 8 00 UTC with

RST 579

on my QTH Berlin-Tegel , locator JO62PN

my Equipment :

TRX YAESU FT-991 A

VLF-Conv. homemade (0…600)kHz —> (2000…2600)kHz with tubes

Ant magn.Loop diamtr. 55 cm with transformer

vy 73 es 55 mry xmas es hny 2019

Wolfgang Sprodofsky , DM2SP

in 13507 Berlin , Germany

[Aldo]

Thank you for SAQ Chistmas trasmission 2018-12-24, https://youtu.be/hDVEKKC0axo received here JN53ma with SPR1A and miniwip antenna.
73 de IW5EKR

[Stuart Truba]

Gentlemen
Thank you for setting up a Xmas Eve transmission of the vlf alternator,
very well copied here 50km NW of Montreal in Saint Lazare Quebec
Fn25wk

Receiver is a Kiwi SDR, 40M Delta loop, preamp and filters, specifically designed for vlf

signals were abt s5-s6 here

73’s
Stu ve2xx/ve2ne

[Nando]

Dear friends,

Thank,s for your activity with SAQ transmitter. Yesterday I have read the strong signal in the WEBSDR from TWENTE (Holand). At the moment I have not a receiver to listen this frequency at my shack in Spain.

73,s and happy Christmas day and new year 2019.

Nando

EA5AHN

[klubnl.pl]

SAQ received in Warsaw/Poland loc. KO02md:

https://klubnl.pl/wpr/en/index.php/2018/12/24/odbior-swiatecznej-transmisji-saq-na-17-2khz/

599+ signal as usual

VY 73,
KLUBNL.PL team

[Wim Ton]

Very good reception 599 in the north of Switzerland JN47CL. Using a PA0RDT active antenna with a vintage Telefunken ELK 639 receiver.

73 de Wim, HB9EZF

[Geir Pettersen (LA9ET)]

Hello from Norway, Horten! Nice to hear your Christmas message again at 17.2 kHz, this morning some time after 08:00 am (UTC). FT-897 + SA612/10 MHZ VLF up-converter + 15 meter longwire antenna. Me and Michelle heard your signals very well. RST 599. 73 / best wishes, merry Xmas and happy 2019 to all. Keep her running! 🙂 – LA9ET

[Erwin SA7ATK]

Thank you for today`s SAQ – Christmas Transmission !
QTH : Tormestorp (JO66UC)
RST: 579
RX: ICOM IC-7700 + DD3ZE / VLF Converter
Ant: 80m Dipole
Remarks: Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year

73’s de Erwin SA7ATK

[Erwin SA7ATK]

Thank you for today`s SAQ – Christmas Transmission !
QTH : Tormestorp (JO66UC)
RST: 579
RX: ICOM IC-7700 + DD3ZE / VLF Converter
Ant: 80m Dipole
Remarks: Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year

Wolfgang DL8ABH

[Peter G3LTF]

Thank you for putting SAQ on the air. It was a real thrill to hear CW at 17.2kHz. Most of my radio is at the microwave end on EME but I built a PA0RDT mini-whip with a 680mm whip mounted 2m agl feeding through a MW band-stop filter into an SDR IQ running the Spectravue software in order to hear this unique station! I recorded the whole message and I believe the SNR to be about 17dB. My main problem was lines from the PC but with a narrow bandwidth 100Hz I got rid of the worst.
Best wishes to all for Christmas and 2019.
73 Peter G3LTF

[Steve Hemphill]

Gentlemen,
I wanted to acknowledge reception of your signal on 17.2 KHz. on 24-December. I heard the “CQ” between the hours of 8:02 and 8:04 UTC. My receiving equipment is a Watkins-Johnson 8711A receiver with an indoor wire loop antenna. Signal strength was approx. -110 dBm.
Thank you! It was a pleasure to finally hear your signal here in the United States!
Best Regards,
Steve Hemphill

[EA5FX]

My RX : Siemens 745 E
My Antenna: W3DZZ for 80/40 meters
599 with sizzling qrm
QTH: Burriana
Merry Xmas.
73 Fer, EA5FX

[Steve Sykes KD2OM]

Received the entire session here in upstate NY 349 I used a KiwiSDR and Harris RF-590A attached to a 350 foot beverage antenna. I have been trying to receive it since 1981. It is the first time I managed to record it as well as a screen capture.
Merry Christmas wishes to all involved.

73 Steve KD2OM

[Wolfgang Palme DL8ABH]

Thank you for today`s SAQ Christmas eve transmission well received in
QTH Barsinghausen/ Lower Saxony (JO42RH) by
RST: 529.
RX: The Grimeton Kit Receiver (original)
Ant: The Kit`s loop antenna
Remarks: This time reception was tried outdoors/ in open field
which led to slightly better readability than indoors.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all

Wolfgang DL8ABH

[DL6WAB]

Very good Signal (25db SNR) in JO41qc. Have a look at http://www.dl6wab.de/blog2018.html for Pictures, Audio and Text.

Merry Xmas to all SAQ Operators! Keep up the good work!

73 de Juergen
DL6WAB

[Marcel Bos]

Hello,

Very good cpy of SAQ on 17.2 khz 599!!
RX K3 with converter to 10Mhz. Ant. PA0RDT whip.

The old lady did it again!! Keep her alive.

Marcel
PA9M
JO32KH
Oldenzaal
Netherlands

[Gudmund Wannberg SM3BYA]

Excellent signals this morning in Bergsjö, JP81nx – SAQ a solid 16 dB above the background noise in 500 Hz BW, as received on a 1 m long E field probe hanging 10 cm off the wall… Among the best ever heard from Grimeton! Using a homemade upconverter (17.2 => 3467.2 kHz) into a Drake R-4C Thanks for the Xmas/NY greetings, good luck and a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to the whole team !

[Hans]

Thank you for the wishes for Christmas and for the year 2019.
The program was recorded in Ketzin with S1 with QSB, but readable.
Vy 73
Hans
DM3SWD

[Werner Mothes]

I have received the SAQ Transmission today well and clearly.
Active Stealth Antenna (by Pierluigi Poggi IW4BLG), Laptop PC (SM6LKM_JohanBodin)
QTH: Germany, Saxony, Rossau
73 and Merry Christmas de Werner

[Fortunato bonnici]

This morning in Malta SAQ signal was extremely strong 598 solid copy.
homemade converter RX= icom 7610 Ant= long wire in the country side
NW of the island name Wied Rini. Malta.
73’s
9h1es

[Jaap Last]

Very good signals here in Holland (NE) in JO33JB. Never heard the signals so loud. I think propagation was very good this time. We were in the field far from buildings etc.. 30 dB above the noise on a miniwhip at 4 mtrs, 38 dB above noise on a large loop with a diameter of 35 mtr, hanging at 2-3 mtrs high with a little OP27 amplifier.

’73 de Jaap PA0T, Nap PA1NG and Erik PA1ET

[Jari]

SAQ received 599 as usual with both SAQ-soundcard and LF-converter+IC-756pro3.
Signal was excellent s9 in Hämeenlinna/Finland. Antenna 160m OCFD center wire.

Merry Xmas to all!
Jari OH3UW

[Wolfgang]

hrd SAQ 579 nr Detmold/NRW JO41JW. Nice Sigs started at 0745 UTC. Active Whip es ( vy short ) LW, VLF-Konverter up to 10 Mhz and old fully analog DC- Century-22 frm TT. Powerd all with a 12 Volt Accu.
Merry X-Mas de Wolf DL2YBF

[Eilert, DL9BDM]

Thank you for the transmission today! Received here in the northwestern part of Germany with an SSB LAN-SDR, signal strenght was about -110 dBm (S 4 – 5). Your message was easy and complete readable (R5). My antenna is a 27 wire L configuration about 8 Meters above ground, not tuned to VLF. I used in this configuration a homemade converter with S042P IC, wich converts the signal to the 10 MHz range.

Also my Siemens E311 with the SO42P converter give a very good reception (RST 559) of your transmission today (in interaction with the converter an the vertical above).

Test transmission starts ca. 7.35 UTC with “VVV de SAQ SAQ SAQ” etc. XMAS-Message follows at 8.00 to 8.04 UTC.

73 & have a nice day!

[M0WWA]

Excellent 599 signal reception in London of SAQ Christmas Eve Morning Transmission 24/12/2018

Antenna: Switchig between long wire and whip antenna.

RX: FlexRadio 1500; Heros Technology VLF Up-Converter to 4-4.5 MHz; App PowerSDR

Video clip on editing process later will be upload to my website.

Merry Christmas,

Juan, M0WWA

[Hans v Alphen PA0EHG]

Hello,

Nice signal from your Christmas transmission this morning. Report 599.
My system a Perseus SDR receiver and home build mini Whip antenna. I am located in Haselunne JO32sq.
I have a MP3 recording on my website at pa0ehg.com

Wish you all Merry Xmas and a wunderfull new year.

Thanks for this nice event. Keep up the good work and hope to copy your signals again.

Hans DL/PA0EHG

[Holger, DL1BLE]

Hi,
Heard SAQ with 599, rig: mini whip antenna, VLF converter, IC7600
loc.: JO43KB
mni tks! pls keep the alternator running!
Holger

[Bart Lee]

Null result San Francisco California USA. Wonderful that SAQ still operates! 73 es MX de Bart Lee, K6VK

[Alexander Hahn]

SAQ transmission was heard at Karlsruhe JN49ea RST 549, very clear signal.

RX1: RFspace SDRIQ and Grahn GS-5SE indoor active magnetic antenna, attenuator -40dB
Software: CWskimmer I/Q recorder
RX2: WinRadio G305 and homebuilt magnetic loop on 28″ bicycle rim, also indoor, attenuator -20dB
Software: WinRadio advanced recorder, CWskimmer I/Q recorder, CWget

Vy 73 and merry xmas from Karlsruhe/Germany
Alex – DH2ID

[Ingolf, SM6FHZ]

Tnx for this years transmission. 20 dB above the noise in JO67AQ on a 8 m E-field probe and a AFEDRI SDR. Cu next X-mas.
73 / Ingolf, SM6FHZ

[Tim]

Thanks for the transmission this morning, 459 into IO70ic, Helston, SW U.K.
HB upconverter to IC7610, antenna Marconi T

73 and Seasons Greetings

[Kormos YU7AE]

Hello,
today received SAQ transmission loud and clear, RX is YAESU FT-817nd 300Hz CW filter, Datong VLF converter (28MHz IF), antenna is PA0RDT mini-whip at 4m fishing pole from balcony, signal was S-8 on RX (on ear is clear S9 :-). My location is on Fruska gora mt. 516m asl near Novi Sad, WW loc JN95WD.

Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year to all….

73 from YU7AE op.Kare

[Andrea]

Nice RX in JN55XI RST 555, my condition Spectrum Lab with quad loop. Merry Chrystmas and Happy New Year. All the best! 73 de IW3IAB

[Jochen Weigel]

Universal-Pegelmesser 200Hz – 2,1MHz MV61 T Antenne

[SM4UKU]

Transmission well recieved in Årjäng, Sweden.

Rx: Kiwi SDR
Antenna: Longwire 300 meters directly on the ground
Report: 599

73
Jan

[Paolo Serravalle]

QTC received (559)= merry Christmas and happy new year to you too = 73 de I1IMA, Paolo (16166 Genova – Italy – JN44MJ)

[DL2JMB]

Excellent reception with 5-turn indoor loop 1m2 directly connected to receivers
Collins R-389, HF bandwith 100Hz, audio Sharp, noise limiter ON, and
Selective Voltmeter Wandel+Goltermann SPM-12, bandwith 25 Hz.
It’s always pleasure to hear you again.
Thank you very much.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year !

[Ulf Schneider]

Xmas Transmission clear and strong S5 received without any noise al all IF BW (50Hz; 250Hz and 700Hz). Frequency stable enough for 50Hz BW!
Antenna 50m long wire (unmatched); receiver EKD 300 RFT. Location Waldheim middle of Saxonia Germany Locator JO61MB

73` mXmas

Ulf Schneider DL3KS

[Ulf Hansson]

Can hear SAQ 55 in JO65TK , Ystad Sweden.

Active E antenna and Palomar VLF Converter
73 de SM7EGM

[Rob M0BOL]

Nice clear copy in Blackpool n/w England Icom IC-7200 home brew up converter and PA0RDT type antenna

[Helmut]

Marry Christmas from Graz Austria JN77RA . Raport for SAQ 577
OE6IEG

[Dr. Jim Cowburn G7NKS]

TNx fer message 599 here in IO92ub. Elad FDM duo SDR with inverted L Jim G7NKS

[Martin Schmid]

Can hear SAQ clearly near Karlsruhe / Germany (signal S5 or -95 dBm) an active loop aerial with Perseus receiver.
Wonderful quality signal from this historic station. Congratulations for all involved !

Best 73 es 55

DL7BCA / HB9BCA

[DL6OW]

No receive yet, is the transmitter running?
73 de DL6OW

[IK1NAF]

We are happy to try receive SAQ
Merry Xmas to all staff !
’73 IK1NAF

[Eilert, DL9BDM]

Thank you for the transmission today! Received here in the northwestern part of Germany with an SSB LAN-SDR, signal strenght was about -110 dBm (S 4 – 5). Your message was complete readable (R5). My antenna is a 27 wire L configuration about 8 Meters above ground, not tuned to VLF. I used in this configuration a homemade converter with SO42P IC, wich converts the signal to the 10 MHz range.

Also my Siemens E311 with the SO42P converter give a good reception (RST 559) of your transmission today (in interaction with the converter an the vertical above).

Test transmission starts ca. 7.35 UTC with “VVV de SAQ SAQ SAQ” etc. XMAS-Message follows at 8.00 to 8.04 UTC.

73 & have a nice day!

[Author]

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