SAQ TRANSMISSION ON CHRISTMAS EVE
DECEMBER 24TH 2007
There will be, as last year, a transmission with the Alexanderson alternator on VLF 17.2 kHz from Grimeton Radio/SAQ on Christmas Eve, Monday December 24th 2007.
The message transmission will take place at 08:00 UTC and will be repeated at 08:15 UTC. The transmitter will be tuned up from around 07:30 UTC, so you will get time to test your antennas and equipment during that time.
There will be no activity on amateur radio frequencies with the call SK6SAQ this time.
QSL-reports are kindly received:
- E-mail to: info@alexander.n.se
- or fax to: +46-340-674195
- or via: SM bureau
- or direct by mail to: Alexander - Grimeton Veteranradios Vaenner,
Radiostationen, Grimeton 72
S-430 16 ROLFSTORP
S W E D E N
That is not a typo. The frequency is 17.2 kilohertz, with a K. That's low.
This alternator is part of a radio museum at SAQ, a historic maritime coastal station. It's the last of a network of 200 kW General Electric rotary RF alternators that once covered the planet. They were set up to send Morse code (and, on occasion, AM voice) using truly enormous antennas. This was quite the hot setup in its time, and it had already pretty much replaced spark in coastal stations when vacuum tubes replaced both of them.
This station has global coverage, and anyone with low noise and good enough equipment on very low frequency has a shot at hearing something.
