Guest operators once again, 2010-10-28 – 2010-11-02

Once again ON4ACA/Jef and ON6UQ/Marcel rent SI9AM for about a week.

Early in the morning, Thursday October 28, they arrived to SI9AM. The first spot on the DX Cluster was at 03.18 UTC.

On Friday 29, SM3CVM/Lars and SM3SZW/Sven-Henrik took a trip from Östersund to Utande to say hallo to the guys and wich them good luck in the 2010 CQ WW DX Contest SSB.

They worked extremely well in the contest, about 2800 QSOs. Congratulations.

On Tuesday evening they left Utanede and travelled by car to Skavsta Airport in Stockholm. From Skavsta they flew home to Belgium. On the way to Skavsta they made a stop in Njurunda for a cup of coffee and a sandwich by SM3LIV/Ulla and SM3FJF/Jörgen.  

During these six day they made over 5000 contacts and were spotted 142 times on the DX Cluster.

Thanks Jef and Marcel for all the QSOs from SI9AM and welcome back next year.

SI9AM

Like the previous years, the visit of SI9AM was scheduled for October and within the period of the CQWW contest. The participation to that contest was not really the main objective but more the large pile-ups that the call sign generates. The contest gave a special touch to the visit and we saddled-up the local Swedish radio amateur friends with a good score of over 2800 QSO's.

Some ask why getting there in October, in the middle of Sweden to an amateur radio station. A rare dxpedition is it not, a rare dxcc either. 

Well, the call sign has a history. The king of Siam, nowadays called Thailand, visiting Sweden around 1897, He has a beautiful pavilion built specially for the Thai community.

The radio amateurs of this part of the country saw an opportunity and planned a station with the call sign SI9AM. You see in it SIAM that's clear, and the digit 9 is just the lucky number of the Thai's.

This created SI9AM and they celebrated their 10^th anniversary this year.

In those 10 years, the station was serviced regularly by members of various clubs in the zone SM3.

Recently, the old SB220 amplifier was be replaced by a new ACOM1000. The monitors became flat screens ets..In this desolate area, is even internet available to activate the cluster of what so ever.

We hoped for a bit that the new Spyderbeam for the WARC bands was already installed, but this was unfortunately not happened yet. A job for the summer was the verdict.

In autumn 2009, we donated a 4 element monoband beam for 20m and this summer they put them on the mast.

We had actually the WARC bands as our main focus, but this was difficult, partly due the lack of the new antenna, but mainly because the poorer propagation on these bands. During the day it was no problem to create pile-ups, but in the evening and at night it was pretty calm. The low-bands where not very approachable, This phenomenon is more common in the far north and when the circle of the aurora zone tip the used zone the reception is extremely difficult.

Still, we made in that 6 day stay over 5000 contacts, wish is not bad in our opinion.

Also this year we ware without disaster. One of us got the bad news that his mother was became in the hospital and the same day he was saddled-up with an knee inflammation. The enthusiasm dropped him well below freezing point. But... one of us was supper motivated and ready to take over for the full hundred procent.

It makes it extremely amusing when you communicate in at least five languages, it was superb Jef.

We used as log program N1MM for both, the contest en before and after. We had no function keys defined for SSB files to broadcast, so all that was via the headset and throat, which of course had to be lubricate regularly. Cola with a dash Bacardi is perfect to wet the throat ofter a good chat session. A straw was sometimes also useful in one of the mouth corners.

Jef is a perfect SSB operator, calm and sure. He takes the calls in a flash from a sea of callsigns.

We show you a rate that was not uncommon during those days. Take it an attempt to match it, we wish you every success. Get him in one go or you'll lose a lot of time. We will in any case try it again next year.

Outside the contest, the contacts are usually much friendlier and there is more information exchanged, which in turn generates the interest of other stations. Theree is a recording where Jef finish a Qso in Italian, clever of Jef or 'Josephé ' as the Italians call him.

Marcel was usually for the CW contacts, but was in a terrible mental en physical state, but have still made over 1000 Q's in CW. Sometimes heavy pile-ups that lasted a few hours!!

It's really hard work, but that’s why we do it, right? We don’t understand where it all comes from.

We had the opportunity to test the difference between a 6 element 3 band yagi and a 20m monoband yagi fixedly toward NA. The monobander at 10m and the 6 element at 18m. The 6 el. Had less of gain on 20m band bud the monobander on a lower height was almost the same gain.

There were differences but we blame it to the different angle. It was certainly helpful in the contest.

In the first night, at the arrival on the Qth of ULLA, SM3LIV and Jörgen SM3FJF, we have pick-up the key for the station, it was already early morning and we will find the key in there postbox, and so it was.

On Friday was Lars, SM3CVM, the president, come along. This was as planned and with his friend Sven, SM3SZW, we eats Swedish butter cake.

We still haven't told you about the very warm reception we received from ULLA, SM3LIV and Jörgen SM3FJF on the way back.

The last day was in sight, we certainly need to be in the airport at 11h00.  The weather at that time of year can turn very quickly and also that we probably had to brave the morning mist, was scheduled to leave at 21h00, considering the visit to Ulla and Jörgen.

Our GPS guided us to their front door and at once the cameras were brought out. We were invited on a table covered with a variety of Swedish food, it was very tastefully and pleasant.

Suddenly we saw a book that looked like ham radio texture and promptly asked whether anyone was still learning. No, no, was the answer, I write this books, I design them for SARS and give us each a signed copy. And believe it or not, Ohm's law is the same as ours.

We had still 500 km to go and around midnight we left this lovely radio pair. It was raining at that moment very heavy.

After a 300 kilometer we took a stop for rest a while, we had plenty of time and after our nap in the car we went to Stockholm Skavsta Airport. We did well, despite the fierce rain and were quietly waiting departure, after we brought our car back.

My knee began to be quite difficult and I wondered if I could in and out of the plane.

At the arrival my wife stood ready with my crutches.

Our 2010 visit to SI9AM was again successful and we can highly recommend it, if you were born for a little adventure.

We thought that we needed to behave ourselves as some ambassadors, so brought Belgian chocolates for Lars. Ulla and Jörgen had already received once chocolates and we brought an exclusive bottle of 'Elexir D'Anvers' on for them.

Marcel ON6UQ
Jef ON4ACA

The story as a pdf
If you prefer it in dutch read this pdf

2010-10-23
King Chulalongkorns death

Saturday, October 23 many people honoured the memory of King Chulalongkorns death. It was then 100 years since he passed away, but he lives in the minds of many Thais. In Utanede about 30 persons met outside the Thai Pavilion to honour his memory.

SI9AM was represented by SM3CVM/Lars.

The ceremony outside the Thai Pavilion starts.

The Thai Pavilion in winther.

The 4-elements beam.

Guestoperators
2010-09-25 - 2010-09-26

Some of the prizes in this year's lottery at SSA's annual meeting was a stay at SI9AM.
One of the prizes were used by SM6VTK/Björn and SA6BME/Elisabeth.

They wrote to us:

Scandinavian Activity Contest, CW -
2010-09-18-2010-09-19

Saturday, September 18 and 19, SM3EAE/Lasse and SM3FJF/Jörgen worked the SAC CW Contest from SIA9M. SM3BQC/Arne was present and listened but took also the opportunity to sort radio materials from the work with the antennas.

Setting up the exhibition tent
Also this year we demonstrated Amateur Radio in the park in front of the Thai Pavilion. Already on the Saturday we went to Utanede to make preparation in the exhibition tent and putting up antennas. It was SM2GTZ/Tommy, SM3BQC/Arne, SM3FJF/Jörgen, SM3LIV/Ulla and Hasse (brother of SM3FJF) who made the preparations. SM2GTZ/Tommy and Hasse also took the opportunity to get a guided tour in the park by Daniel Bergstrom, which was much appreciated.

Wonderful Weather
Both on Saturday and on Sunday the weather was fine. It was nice and warm and no rain but unfortunately in blew a little, which we already noticed on Saturday. On Sunday we put stones on all the brochures we had in the exhibition tent so it wouldn’t blow away.

Power
On Saturday when we were testing the radio equipment, we had no power available, but that's no problem for a ham. On Sunday we took a battery with us. After some hours on Sunday we found a place where we could take power from. It then became easier to show how to run PSK31 for the visitors.

Thai Market
On July 16 to 18 there was a Thai market outside the pavilion area and many tourists visited the Thai market and the Thai Pavilion this weekend.

Performances
The dance group, Kampangpet University's Dance Group from Thailand danced in the teak house and also on the grass in front of the Thai Pavilion.

Thai artists
A group of artists from Thailand have during a month painted inside the Thai Pavilion. The wall painting covers the entire wall behind the statue of King Chulalongkorn. The Thai artists name are Mr. Anurak Inta Wong, Mr.Jatuporn Pang Sang, Mr.Samram Maneerat, Mr. Sow Wayiasrisaeng.

This wall paiting was inaugurated on Sunday afternoon by representatives from the Thai government and Therese Bengard from Ragunda municipal.

SI9AM 10 years
It was not so many who looked into our tent in Sunday morning, so SM3CVM/Lars, SM3FJF/Jörgen, SM3LIV/Ulla and SM3SZW/Sven-Henrik took the opportunity to discuss and plan for 10-year anniversary on Saturday 24 July.

The interest in amateur radio
In the afternoon there was a steady stream of visitors who stopped and wanted to see what we were doing. What pleased us most was that on three occasions, there was former radio amateurs who made a stop at the tent. After listening to PSK31, and in some cases to CW, they started thinking about resuming the hobby. SM3FJF/Jörgen told how they would proceed and also offered to help with contacts with SSA.

We who demonstrated amateur radio
We who were there on Sunday was HS0ZDY/Svante, SM3BQC/Arne, SM3CVM/Lars, SM3FJF/Jörgen, SM3LIV/Ulla and SM3SZW/Sven-Henrik.

Friday, May 28
At 12:30 local time SM3FJF/Jörgen went to Sundsbruk to pick up SM3CER/Janne to drive to Utanede and SI9AM.

This year's annual meeting on SI9AM was held on Saturday April 24 at Holmstagården between 10:15 and 11:15 local time. For the first time were offered the opportunity for member clubs to attend the annual meeting via a Skype connection. Hudiksvalls Radio Amateurs, SK3GA was represented by SM3FT Lars Molin.