The 9:00 UTC transmission on Alexanderson day June 28, 2015 was cancelled, due to technical difficulties. An earlier, unscheduled test transmission on Tuesday, June 23rd went well and no problems was to be found. But after a wet and rainy night between Saturday and Sunday, June 27-28, an insulator in the antenna feed system, just outside the transmission hall, caught fire, during the startup and tuning of the Alexanderson Alternator, resulting in that the transmitter had to be shut down and no transmission was made at 9:00 UTC.
After shutting down the transmitter, the repair began and no more than 30 minutes later, the “old lady” was ready again. A short test transmission at 09:45 UTC was made to verify the repair. Thank you all listeners for your patience!
The afternoon transmission at 12:00 UTC went well and the crew operating the transmitter, with Lars Kålland at the key, was relieved. An extra line was added to the transmitted message, appologizing for the cancelled transmission earlier the same day.
NEWS: HERE IS A VIDEO OF THE 12:00 UTC TRANSMISSION
We would like to thank all listeners for their QSL reports.
A summary of all listeners reports will be posted here. Keep looking.
Please leave your comments below about your experience with the SAQ transmission on June 28, 2015.
Insulator failure images & movie: John Primdahl, visitor (thank you!)
Other pictures: Kjell-Ove Cederholm, Alexander GVV
Dear team of Grimeton Radio,
I am very glad that “the ”old lady” is ready again.” and that no permanant harm did remain, and that nobody was injured. I sent my somehow lengthy reception report as smail to you this morning.
What I have ti mention here is …
(1)
Grimeton Radio is the first technical machine, after vessels, which was spoken of in the femininum. I suppose, some of your team were active in the “Swedisch Kriegsmarine” or/and were active as radio officers on civil sea going vessels.
(2)
How you managed to take a technical major problem to give sufficient information to your website’s readers, not only explainen very detailed what the reason was, how you managed to cope with the problem and to get on the air soon, to meet the afternoon schedule, all this together is a very good example how to make good, modern and efficient communication work to the public.
(3)
I do wish you and all your coworkers, the whole team, the very best in the future, personally and together and with Grimeton Radio (SAQ). I am always very happy (especially as a former professional “brass pounder”) when I here “vvv de SAQ” …
Kind regards
Hans G. Diederich, DK2XV
SAQ heard 5700 km away in FN35rk near Granby QC Canada, some 32 km northwest of R.A. Fessenden’s birthplace. Call sign copied around 11h43 UTC, some letters copied out of second message broadcast.
Tuned 1.7m diamond loop, FET balanced preamp, Heros Technology VLF converter.
Team: Jimmy VE2JWH, François VE2AAY, Stéphane VE2PSU,
Mario VA2RMC, Yvan VA2DYB, Claude VE2CLW.