SAQ transmission on July 4th 2021 (NOT FOR QSL)

[AlexanderSAQ]

See here for details about the transmission event.

Topic

[Ricardo Sagarzazu]

Dear people,
I understand Is going to be a SAQ transmition on next 24 Oct.
Cand yo send details of transmission, like text to de transmited,time, speed, and the program in general for that day.
Thanks in advance
Ricardo

(From Bariloche, Argentina)

[AlexanderSAQ]

Dear Ricardo,
Yes, we are planning for a transmission on October 24th.
Startup of the transmitter will begin at 16.30 CET (14.30 UTC) and a message will be sent out at 17.00 CET ( 15.00 UTC)
The entire event can be followed live on our YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/f6cEm9A71g8

The text to be transmitted is not published in advance, but this year’s message is composed by the Swedish human rights lawyer and sustainability expert Ms. Parul Sharma.
Transmitted speed is usually close to 15 WPM.
You can read more about the entire event here: https://alexander.n.se/saq-grimeton-un-day-transmission-on-october-24th-2021/

Best of luck!
Regards,
Fredrik/AlexanderSAQ

[Wolfgang Sprodofsky]

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen

I have received your Transmission on 04.07.2021 at 9 UTC with RST 579 with slight QRN on 17,2kHz on my QTH 13507 Berlin , loc: JO62PN .
Also I received it at 12 UTC with the same result.

My Hardware for your Station:

Ant : End-Fed 24m grounded with many burried radials
VLF-Converter : (0…600)kHz —> (2000…2600)kHz with Tubes , Home-made
TRX : FT991A , Mode CW , BW: 100 Hz , Noise-Blanker on
Decoder-SW : CW-Get

vy 73 es 55 de Wolfgang , DM2SP

[Whitham Reeve]

Delayed response due to receiver system and spectra recorder at the remote Cohoe Radio Observatory in Alaska. Finally was able to retrieve the recordings on 9 July.

Reception was very weak due to over-the-North Pole and Greenland route of almost 7000 km. Signals were too weak to copy the CW (with 150 Hz filter) but were clearly visible in the spectra recorded by an SDRPlay SDRduo receiver,SDRuno software and 1.2 m diagonal square loop antenna.

I noted that the frequency was a little low – the spectra indicated 17.182 kHz most of the time with some drift. Some of the frequency error may be due to the receiver (I believe < 2 or 3 Hz). I did not see the frequency ever drift up to 17.200 kHz except occasionally rapid sweeps lasting a second or two.

Working now to narrow the receiver CW filter and will listen again to see if the audio can be decoded.

[AlexanderSAQ]

Dear Whitham,
Thanks for your feedback.
Yes, the frequency was a little low, around 17.180 KhZ.
We could not tune at 17.200 kHz without loosing motor power and we don’t have a clear idea of why this happened.
Propably it is some settings in the combination of idle rotor restance / key-down resistance, and correct tuning of the automatic speed control, that are incorrect.
We will do some more research on this after the summer break and can hopefully do some tests around the UN Day, October 24th.
Fredrik / AlexanderSAQ

[Mark]

Wanted to show a picture of my receiver here, hope there is a preview possible inside the post :

BR,
Mark

[AlexanderSAQ]

Dear Mark,
What a beautiful receiver!
Fantastic with the “SAQ – Radio” sign, as well.
Thanks for sharing this with us.
Fredrik / AlexanderSAQ

[Mark]

Hello SAQ Team,

managed to receive your signal near Dresden with a homemade battery tube receiver with old tubes. The concept is ~100 years old, from the book “Vacuum tubes in wireless communication”. Had some local noise and as the receiver has no filter, it was difficult. Finally , it worked out to get you !

Homemade Tube Receiver

Thanks to the team who managed to run both transmissions very well !

Markus

[Hugo Sneyers]

Hello …. good reception in Belgium. loop antenna, 2 tubes homemade receiver and morse writer.

73 … Hugo ON6HN

[Gerhard]

Hi,
loud and clear here in Austria. This time Hirschwang (Reichenau an der Rax).

We have to use some tricks to got it. Morning message were lost due noise from a DC/AC converter. During a ride on a nostalgic train, we (OE3WHU Wolfgang and OE3GKC Gerhard) develop an alternative idea and message at 14°° CET works out !!!

Try to listening for SAQ at UN day.

With best regards
Gerhard
(OE3GKC)

[M0WWA]

Thank you for another great broadcast transmission. Strong signal, 5-9, came through here in London.

73 de Juan, M0WWA

[ey4488]

Receiver in the Republic of Belarus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jmjnQo8y6Q

[Jean-Louis Rault]

SAQ was lound and clear this morning here near Paris, France, despite some SID ‘sudden ionopsheric disturbances) due to a very active sun this morning.
Congratulations to the SAQ Grimenton team !
Jean-Louis F6AGR

[Mike N7MSD]

Watched both YouTube broadcasts from work as I do third shift / grave yard. I am in northern Phoenix, Arizona, SW USA but the noise floor is hopelessly being too urbanized and near an industrial area.

Near the end of the 2nd TX I turned on the Utah Web SDR (www.sdrutah.org) on one of the Kiwi Rx and tried to listen but heard nothing. I *DID* hear NMC Exmouth, (North) Western Australia on 19.8 KHz booming in along with most of the other US VLF stations in that range. The antenna is a wire log-periodic conceptually similar to the one in your yard and not optimal at all for (V)LF work; its meant for 3-30 MHz but the site’s low noise floor (on the north side of the Great Salt Lake) makes 160m work okay.

I also tried the more local W7RNA Kiwi in Sedona around 200km north of me but it has a bad antenna, high local noise, and (I am pretty sure) a high pass filter so little was heard there.

Hopefully one day I can set up a decent receive system (low noise floor and good VLF antenna) to try to catch you guys here in the American SouthWest.

Oh, and I’m sure you know, it is our Independence Day here, so watching the sparklers in the relays was an additional fun bit of “fire works” 🙂

73’s and enjoy the mere 25C (it doesn’t get anywhere near that here at this time of year).

[HB3YIW]

Received the morning transmission in Bern / Switzerland. Video : https://youtu.be/c41uneHRrfc (Starts at 0:35).
Equipment : Belka-DX Receiver with an DIY Up-Converter to 10MHz. Antenna is a simply wire-loop (4 Meter).

[Sanyi, HA3PG]

Once again great signal, not a real challenge to receive. I used an RSP1A SDR receiver with simple SA612 upconverter to 10MHz (built last year fast in ugly dead-bug style on a piece of PCB and a shame but I haven’t installed into some box since). The antenna is my well working Miniwhip which is in daily use on higher frequencies but due to high coupling capacitors works fine in VLF. I might try to receive the afternoon transmission using a simple wire antenna. SAQ has a very strong signal from this distance in South Hungary.

Big thank you to the crew, please keep up your valuable work and maintain this fantastic old machine in good shape.

73… Sanyi, HA3PG

[Author]

Replies