Traditional Christmas Eve Transmission December 24th, 2015 @ 08:00 UTC

[AlexanderSAQ]

It is now 10 years since our first Christmas Eve transmissions started.

There will be, as earlier, a transmission with the Alexanderson alternator on VLF 17.2 kHz CW from Grimeton Radio/SAQ in the very early morning on Christmas Eve, Thursday, December 24th 2015.
A message will be transmitted at 08:00 UTC. The transmitter will be tuned up from around 07:30 UTC.

There will be no activity on amateur radio frequencies with the call SK6SAQ this time because the radio room is redecorated and cannot be used.

QSL-reports on SAQ transmission are kindly received:
– 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

Also read our web site: https://www.alexander.n.se

The radiostation will be open to visitors.

WELCOME!

Yours
SM6NM/Lars

Topic

[Michael Krauss]

Hello SAQ, hello Lars,

I`m very happy to be able to give you a very good QSL.
Signal was very strong here in Westerheim JN48TM ( S9+25dB (calibrated)) and
SNR was i think infinite – i heard SAQ and nothing else 🙂
So it is definitely a 599 report.
RX was a slightly modified AR7030 feeded by an active whip antenna.

– over 90 years SAQ, 10 years christmas transmission – keep this wonderful maschine alive ! –

best regards
micha, DC1MAK

[Waldemar]

599 in central Poland. Low bands dipole and integrated sound card (realtek ALC221). Best wishes to ALL – VY 73 and HNY! de SP3UR
My video: https://youtu.be/TPIlqSjLDXs

[OE6IEG]

Hello Operators:
My report from JN77ra (near Graz) was 488 plus 10dB with a manmade noise of 59 plus 5 dB. I am using 43 meter wire antenna with a loading coil, a 10 MHz up converter
(SO42p) to my YaesuFT102 with 600 Hz CW filter. Thank you for your efforts and i hope i can receive the SAQ soon.
Helmut, OE6IEG Austria, Graz

[Wim HB9EZF]

Good reception ,RST486, in JN47CL, Riniken , north of Switzerland. The tone was a bit harsh, but that was also the case on the youtube video of the transmission.
I use a PA0RDT active antenne 6 m high on the roof, with a Telefunken ELK639 receiver.
73s, merry Christmas and a happy new year, de Wim HB9EZF

[Pierluigi]

GM to everybody and Merry Xmas!
Very good conditions yesterday on VLF, SAQ was almost 40dB out of noise! Clearly audible the residual carrier with key-up!
All the details here: http://iw4blg.info/2015/12/25/saq-24dic-2015/

Gud Jul!!!!

[Radu / YO8SXX]

from YO8SXX – amateur radio
qth SUCEAVA-ROMANIA, loc. KN37CQ
Reception Report

Date: 24.12.2015
Frequency: 17,2 KHz
Mode: CW
CALL: SAQ Grimeton Sweden
UTC: start time – (tune up transmitter) 07:40
start time – (message) 08:00
end time – 08:07
Signal report: 559 / 569, slight QSB, no QRN, no QRM very clear band

Message received:

***********************************************************************************
vvv vvv vvv de saq saq saq……cq cq cq de saq saq saq =
this is grimeton radio/saq in a transmission using the alexanderson 200 ii 2tt kw alternator on 17.2 khz =
in 2006 ii 200 wee started our christmas transmissions and we will again wish you all a merry christmas and a happy new year c =
signed : the world heritage at grimeton and the alexander-grimeton veteranradios vaenner association a^r =
for qsl info please read our website : _www.lexander.n.se_ ii _www.alexandernse_ =
de saq saq saq s^k

***********************************************************************************

Received and written: Radu Chisăliţă – YO8SXX

Note:
– This report includes attached audio files containing the recording of parts of the tuned up transmission and the whole final message.
– Receiving equipment: VLF converter 10-300 KHz to 10,01-10,3 MHz, Yaesu FT1000 MP transceiver, loop antenna for 40 m amateur band, audio interface for PC recording.
– This Report, the atached audio files and the YO8SXX QSL will be sent by mail to SAQ Grimeton Sweden soon.

73 , Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year for SAQ team

[Horst DL4SBK]

I received the transmission several times from JN48PV.
Here in EA8 (IL18RI) it was not possible to receive the Station.
RX was ELAD-SDR with 20 m longwire.
Until the next transmission.
73, DL4SBK

[Matti]

Thanks for transmission, your signal was very good in west side of Finland.
I use inverted L antenna, length 40m with 6 radials.
My LF-receiver is Mackay 128AX, regenerative tube radio.
Best signal strength from SAQ so far, report RST 577, very clear and nice to listen.
Merry xmas and happy new year OH6FSQ, Matti

[DC6FG]

I made a Youtube Video about my setup to receive your greetings.

Loud and clear (besides the cracks of a nearby electric cattle fence) in JN48KO.

73 de Frank, DC6FG

QSL? 😉

[Olli Aho]

Tnx for transmission. SAQ was loud and clear here in KP12fq.
Perseus and 40 m wire with very low local noise level S1.
SAQ signal was S6 all the time.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
73 de Olli OH6DK

[Steve Sykes]

Fairly noisy here in Upstate NY. I clearly heard V’s before 0800 and heard the message, but not strong enough to get but a few characters. I also clearly heard when the transmission stopped at 0806. I have recorded it with FLDIGI so may be able to decode some. This was my best reception yet.
My reception equipment is Harris RF-590A, homebrew W1VD preamp, 14 turn, 2 meter loop, I used ARGO and FLDIGI to watch and record with a signalink USB as an interface. Future enhancement needs to be a rotator and tuning for the loop to knock down the local noise. My Wellbrook loop and Cliftonlabs whip were not effective this time.
73
Steve KD2OM

[DL6HH]

A Merry Christmas to all!

I listened for the first time to SAQ this Year!
I used around 40m of Wire running through my Garden and a Small Interface to my Soundcard of my PC. The Signal was not really loud, but i can read everything.
So thank you for the Transmission.

Best 73 de DL6HH (Sascha)

[Rico]

Hello,
This is my report for the Christmas Transmission 2016 :
My Equpment:
Kenwood TS480 Transceiver
Selfmade Up Converter LOF 24MHZ
Selfmade Mini-Whip Antenna
Software Fldigi Cw Decoder, Sdrsharp for Visualisation

the Rst is 577 (many QRN at my QTH)
the signal Strength is 20db over the Noisefloor

My QTH locator : JO61EA (51.01753 N 12.3634 E)in the near of Leipzig Germany
I have visited this year in the Summer your Station and the Museum.
It was very nice and interesting.
That’s why I even try receiving the Christmas Transmission this year,and it worked immediately. 🙂

73 , Merry Christmas and a happy new Year wishes you

Rico from Germany

Waterfall- Picture
http://norge09.selfhost.bz/saq/saq1.jpg

[Jan]

Hi,

I recieved the signal well at my QTH in Årjäng, Sweden. My receiver is an HPSDR with dipole antenna 2×37 meter. The stations at 18-24kHz were slightly stronger than SAQ. It was the first time for me to receive SAQ because in the past I never had a receiver capable of doing this very low frequency. Next time I will add an LF transformer as balun.

Jan – SM 4UKU

[Josef Sommer, DL8DBN]

Hello there,

this morning I tried to receive your transmissions. Unfortunately, this only was fragmentary possible.

At 7:44a clock and at 7:53 a clock I could receive some parts of your startup sequence.
From the real message of your christmas greetings I could take only a few letters at 08:01 a clock.

My equipment consists of a dipole and a homemade VLF converter. The receiver was a Yaesu FT-990. My location is Meschede in Sauerland, JO41DI. During your next transmission I’ll be back again, but then I will try a loop antenna tuned to 17.2 KHz.

Merry Christmas and vy 73
Josef, DL8DBN

P.S.: Verry great was your Livestrem on youtube.

[DK2RT]

Hello SAQ team,
Received your XMAS transmission on 24.12.2015 on 17.2 kHz with R5 S5-7 using the soundcard of HP Elitebook PC in connection with only one tuned parallel LC circuit (18 uH – 4.7 nF) and simple multiband groundplane. It was the first time I tried this and it was successful.
Very helpful for decoding was SpectrumLab SW. Copied whole text.
Just watched your film of inauguration this summer – very impressive.
Merry Christmas and an Happy New Year!
TNX es 73, cuagn

DK2RT Hannes in Konstanz JN47OQ DOK A01

[Wolfgang Thaler]

Hello SAQ-Team!

I received your signal from the beginning of the tune up – unfortunately heavily disturbed due to local QRM.
With the start of the QTC at 0800 UTC QRM disappeared and i heard SAQ with 559.
This was my first reception of SAQ – very exciting!! I am looking forward to your next transmissions with this amazing TRX !
My QTH is Vösendorf near Vienna AUSTRIA (JN88ec). My equipment: BoniWhip-Antenna , SDRplay receiver

73 es merry xmas
Wolfgang, OE3TWH

[Roland PF2T]

First time I received SAQ here in Holland!
The receiver is a Telefunken ELK 639 and I used a ferrite bar type antenna.

If you want to see the setup:

SAQ reception in JO22JU

[Jürgen]

hi all,
merry christmas and a happy new year to you all. Thank you very much for this event today. I tried to listen to you with a laptop, 100m wire connected to the microphone jack and the vlf-receiver-software from SM6LKM. As I could not test it before I was surprised if it could work. Unfortunately much noise and only a very weak signal here in JO40KE. So I tried to tune the “receiver” but no luck 🙁 This results in watching to you via the lifestream. I have to search for a better solution and try it again next time.
So .. best wishes again to the whole team and I’m looking forward to hear you again at the next event under better conditions from my side.
73 & tnx
Juergen – DL4YCD

[Rolf]

Hi everybody in Grimeton, this was a good experience in the lowest band I every worked with.
Reception in northern Germany, 52 N, 10 E, was perfect. The last days I could already prepare some set up for the reception. I used my Fritzel multi-band vertical antenna (about 6 meter of vertical radiation element with some amateur-radio-band traps included), 50 meter of 50 Ohm coax, then the key element for noise-free reception, a 1:1 (600 Ohms) transformer (taken from an old commercial telephone modem unit) and coupled this direct into a sound card of a laptop.
Two points to know: do not use the laptops switching power supply while receiving, it adds about 10 dB of broad band noise.
Second, I needed a good low pass to suppress the high power AM radio transmitter on 756 kHz near by. So my little transformer worked as this filter, all active components as diodes to protect the sound card input only demodulate the AM radio station.
Reception of your signal was 15 dB above noise floor, very clearly readable with 50 Hz filter. Decoding of the morse code was performed with an Apple-Ipod with the APP “morse-it”. The loop with VVV DE SAQ could be perfectly decoded, the hand-coded message was not very accurate in timing, so the software could not decode easily.
Thank you very much for this event,
Rolf DD7AK

[Rene]

Thank you for the fantastic transmission. For me it was the first time I have listened.
With a home made VLF converter and a Mini-Whip antenna in a urban environment the report is 529.
For you also a Mary Christmas and a Happy New year 2016
I hope to hear next year.
Rene, PC2C

[Ian Brooks]

My keyboard is playing up again, the previous e-mail omitted my location which is 15km north of Bournemouth on UK south coast.
Ian Brooks.

[Ian Brooks]

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to everyone. Your signal came in very clearly between 0740 and 0810 this morning. I cannot read Morse, but was able to recognise the repeated “V” characters at the beginning of each sequence, I am using a RTL-2832 DVB-T dongle with up-converter fed from a PA0RDT mini-whip antenna on top of a 3 metre pole on my shed making 5 metre height in total. I use GQRX Linux software on my 7-year old Acer laptop with Centrino Duo 1.6GHz processor.
Regards, Ian Brooks.

[Kjell Dahl]

Hi!
I could recieve SAQ with a 40m L-antenna and a audio transformer from low to hi impedance and to mic input on the PC-soundcard in Mariehamn Aland islands JP90XC.
It was the first time to hear SAQ. Wery nice!
Best regards OH0KXJ/Kjell

[Simon Erdmann]

Hello , SAQ !

It was possible receiving your trasmission in Offenburg , Germany ( 48° 28′ N, 7° 56′ O ). Using an Grundig Radio Typ Satellit 600, a self made Konverter ( VLF to KW 10 mhz) , a Boni Mini Whip Antenne on a 3 Meters PVC Tube . Thank you for the Transmission and a Merry Christmas !

[Gudmund Wannberg SM3BYA]

Hello there and a Merry Christmas to the whole SAQ team!

Thank you very much for today’s transmission. I had excellent copy throughout here in central Sweden (locator JP81nx) – but I could tell that the old lady was a wee bit indisposed today; the TX frequency shifted by some 10-20 Hz from time to time about halfway into the message.

Your signal was so strong throughout the whole transmission that the backwave was clearly audible, about -15 dB or so below the key-down level. At the very end, after you had signed off, the backwave was still there for some 20 – 30 seconds, but then it suddenly went WHOOP downwards in frequency and died out. So now I know how the signal sounds when you turn off the alternator- sort of a Christmas bonus! Wonder how many others could copy the backwave…

Receiving on a 1 m long E-field probe + upconverter to 3.5 MHz, feeding a NRD-515

73
Gudmund SM3BYA

[Dave Smith]

Hi…a happy Christmas…..your transmision this morning was recieved here in
North East England at 5\7 using 132ft doublet and listening on a laptop sound card
and also an AOR5000 and a Plessey PR155 recievers.
Best Regards
Dave.

[Author]

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