SAQ transmitting on Sunday

| June 29, 2018

This Sunday is Alexanderson Day, the day when Grimeton Radio Station in Sweden fires up its Alexanderson alternator to transmit as SAQ on 17.2kHz VLF.

For those who don’t know the story, this is the last surviving high frequency alternator CW transmitter from the pre-electronic transmitter era.

Built in the early 1920s, it was used as an early long-wave transatlantic wireless telegraphy station, staying in operation until the 1940s.

During WWII it was Sweden’s only telecommunications link with the rest of the world.

Now preserved as an historical site, the transmitter is operated once a year with brief test transmissions that can be heard all over Europe and beyond.

This year’s transmissions start with tuning up at 0815UTC and transmission of a message at 0845UTC, with similar activations beginning at 1015UTC and 1215UTC.

The transmissions will be broadcast live on YouTube.

At the same time, amateur radio station SK6SAQ will be operating on one of 7.035MHz CW, 14.035MHz CW or 3.755MHz SSB.

Category: Front Page News, GB2RS Headlines