SI9AM Photos

Anniversary of “SI9AM 10 years”

Ten years - a long time!

10 years
Ten years is a long time, but they who have joined us during the officially opening of SI9AM which was held outside "Holmstagården" in front of the outside door to our radio room on July 19, 2000, probably thinks that the time has run very quickly.

Before year 2000
In the summer 1995 an idea was born to form King Chulalongkorn Memorial Amateur Radio Society in Ragunda, Sweden. We contacted the leading radio amateurs in Thailand and their representatives in RAST, Thailand (the equivalent to SSA, Sveriges Sändareamatörer). We decided to form a "Visiting Amateur Radio Station" in Ragunda.

Already at an early stage we had an ambition to get the callsign SI9AM. In July 1999 we had confirmation from PTS, the Post and Tele communication Board, that our association had been granted the callsign SI9AM.

The aim with SI9AM
The aim with King Chulalongkorn Memorial Amateur Radio Society in Ragunda, Sweden, is to offer radio amateurs visiting the Thai Pavilion the possibility to make contact with radio amateurs around the world using the special callsign SI9AM from the summer of 2000.

Why the callsign SI9AM?
SIAM was the name of Thailand before 1939.
The number 9 is a lucky number for all Thais.

Seeing back
If you have followed us during the years you remember that the weather was not on our side on July 19, 2000. Five minutes before the official opening it started to rain and during the whole ceremony it was a heavy rain.

We were a little disappointed about the heavy rain during the whole ceremony, but now we are glad that the opening was on the 19th. At lunchtime on the 20th all roads around was closed because of heavy rain in the middle part of Sweden and had probably we have been forced to cancel the whole inauguration.

What have we done during these ten years?
We started with nothing. The only thing we had was the will to build up at Visiting Amateur Radio Station.

April 2000 SI9AM hold its first annual meeting and SM3CVM/Lars was elected as president.
May 2000 building starts for the antenna mast

June 2001 A lot of preparations and work for the antenna mast
June 2001 SI9AM received 120 000 SEK in EU funds
July 2001 Buying a 30-meter antenna mast.
September 2001 Casting of antenna base

April 2002 Buying a Yaseu FT-1000MP
July 2002 Installation of Tribander Yagi for 14-21-28 MHz and a 2 element Yagi for 40 meters
October 2002 The antenna mast is hoisted up

June 2005 SI9AM get internet connection via radio links to the Thai pavilion

January 2006 New QSL cards printed for SI9AM
June 2006 Installed wireless internet

April 2007 SI9AM Received a SSA's scholarship

July 2008 Buying a news amplifier Acom1000

February 2009 New computers and 22 inch screens are mounted
April 2009 New refrigerator

The spring 2010 Buying a Spiderbeam and we received a 4-element Monobander for 14 MHz.

In our diaries you can read more about what we have done during the years.

Our equipment
Yaesu FT-1000MP with Acom 1000
Icom IC-751
Yagi antennas for 10-15-20-40 m, dipole antennas for 12-17-30-80-160 m
Yaesu FT-225RD, allmode VHF transceiver with vertical antenna

Logging Programs
DX4WIN, TR4W, Win-Test, Log4U and Ham-Log.

Internet
The computers have internet access.

What we are doing just now
We will soon mount a Spiderbeam for 10-18-24 MHz and a 4 elements monobander for 14 MHz.

Marketing SI9AM
During the years we have been represented at the International Exhibition for Radio Amateurs in Friedrichshafen. Thanks to SM6JSM Eric who helps us with marketing SI9AM. We have also been represented at the ham radio exhibitions every year at SSAs annual meetings.

Members of SI9AM
Radio amateur clubs in Gävleborg laen, Jämtland laen and Västernorrland laen can be members of the society. Members are:
SK3BG, Sundsvalls Radioamatörer in Sundsvall,
SK3EK, Sollefteå Radioklubb i Sollefteå,
SK3GA, Hudiksvalls Sändareamatörer i Hudiksvall,
SK3GM Kungsgårdens Radioklubb in Nyland,
SK3IK, Ådalens Sändareamatörer in Kramfors,
SK3JR, Jemtlands Radioamatörer in Östersund,
SK3LH, Gullängets Radioklubb in Örnsköldsvik,
SL3ZYE, FRO-section in Sollefteå.

Some of the foreign hams who have operated from SI9AM:
DF6JC/Joerg
DK7FK/Berthold
DK8GH/Heinz
DL1EJS/Stefan
DL1GRQ/Ralf
DL3DXX/Dietmar
DL5LYM/Tom
LA0BX(TF5SJ)/Sigfus
LA7JKA/OH8PB/Jukka
LBØB/Gudrun
OE3DDW/Rudi
OE3YTB/Martina
OH2TW/F5VGS/ Heikki
ON4ACA/OS2A/Jef
ON6UQ/OP1A/Marcel
ON5RZ/Raf
OZ1BLO/Roald
PAØIJM/Jan
PE9PE/Rob
Fosengruppen of NRRL

Saturday July 24, 2010

Gathering in the morning
At eight a clock local time SM3BQC/Arne, SM3EAE/Lars, SM3FJF/Jörgen and SM3LIV/Ulla was ready to welcome the guests. SM0AGD/Eric Arild, SM0OTG/Eva, SM5DJZ/Jan and his XYL Birgitta had been sleeping at Holmstagården during the night so they was the first to come to our amateur radio tent and get the special card which gave you free entrance to the Thai Pavilion. Soon after that SA0AFU/Rolf and his XYL Maybritt arrived, than you could see SM3DAL/Ove and SM3GHN/Jan Bertil. Then our other guests arrived and most of them took the opportunity to walk around and answer the questsions in our quiz before 11.00 a clock local time which was the time when the first lecture started.

Lecture by SM0AGD Erik Arild
SM0AGD/Erik Arild gave us an interesting and appreciated lecture from his sailing in the Pacific Ocean during six months, a sailing trip which gave 47 600 QSOs from 11 different islands/DXCC countries in the year 1982. As thanks for the interesting lecture SI9AM handed over the book "In the footsteps of King Chulalongkorn" to SM0AGD/Erik Arild.

SM2EKA/Rune, president of SK2AT – the society Umeå Radio Amateurs, took the opportunity to thank Erik Arild for his lecture and at the same time he congratulated SI9AM for ten years and handed over the book from their Anniversary of 60 years.

Lunch
After the interesting lecture by SM0AGD we were a bit hungry. Some of us stayed at Holmstagården and ate a delicious Chicken stew and the others went down to restaurant “Terasspaviljongen” and had a Thai buffet, served by Astrid Hammargården.

Lecture by SM5DJZ Jan
SM5DJZ/Jan also gave us an interesting and appreciated lecture about the way of the QSL card from you to the station you have worked. After that he talk about the DXCC Award and the IOTA Award.

As thanks for the interesting lecture SI9AM handed over the book "In the footsteps of King Chulalongkorn" to SM5DJZ/Jan.

Showing the Visiting Amateur Radio Station
For some of the guest, it was the first time they visited SI9AM and they found it very interesting to see the Amateur Radio Station and the Antenna.

QSO with Thailand
HS0ZDY/Svante or SM3DYU who is his call in Sweden had a time for a sked at 16.00 Local time with Thailand.

The Thai stations contacted: Tony/HS0ZDX, Kurt/HS0ZIE, Winit/E20AS, Swen/HS0ZFZ, (Hans/HS0ZFU) and Bob/HS0ZFD. But also Eddy/HS0/EA4BKA, Manfred/HS0ZEU, Fred/HS0ZFA and Kongprasert W./HS1CKC.

Enjoy time together during the day
Many hams hadn't seen each other for a long time and they found it very nice to have eye–ball contacts.

Prizes to the winner of the quiz
We had arranged a quiz. And the questions you could find inside and outside the Thai Pavilion area. We had been sponsored free entrance to the Thai Pavilion for our guest so they could visit the Thai Pavilion. The winner was Urzula Lind, who won the first price a Nagoya VHF-antenna from Mobinet. The second price to Anne Marie Fors who won a G5RV antenna from SRS and the third price to SM3GBA/Sven-Erik who won a Nagoya mobile Antenna from Mobinet.

Vi thank our sponsors:
Sanco, Mobinet, SRS, SSA, Jamtport and The Thai Pavilion for prices in the quiz.

Mingle before dinner
The entertainment before the dinner was the musicband “Frosthinken”, also called QRM and QSB.

Before dinner is served
Most of the day visitors stayed and enjoyed us during the anniversary dinner. The noise level get high at once. There was still a lot to talk about.

Anniversary menu

First course
A pie with the Swedish name “Västerbottenspaj” with a sauce of roe

Main courses
Pork with barbecue sauce and potato wedges
or
Beef tenderloin with potato and a green peppercorn sauce
or
Moose entrecote with root vegetables and red wine sauce
or
Trout with potato cake and sauce of whey cheese

Dessert
Summer cake with ice cream and berries
Coffee

Anniversary Lottery
Of course there were many who hoped to win the first price an Alinco VHF FM transceiver from SANCO in Umeå. To make a bit of excitement we started with price No 22 and then we got closer and closer to the first prize.

Win No. 3, a G5RV wire antenna from SRS, to SA0AFU/Rolf.
Win No. 2, an Icom HF-46 speacher microphone, SM3CER/Janne.
Win No. 1, an Alinco VHF FM transceiver SANCO, to a very happy first prize winner Inger Holm.

Anniversary dinner
SM3CVM/Lars, chairman of SI9AM, wished everyone welcome to the table and to anniversary.

Kiki Fredriksson who represented Ragunda Municipality, gave us their congratulations to 10-year anniversary and wished us success in the future. Kicki Fredriksson handed over beautiful flowers to the SM3CVM/Lars president of SI9AM.

Next time SM3CVM/Lars talked, he thanked all who had come this day, everyone who had sponsored us and everyone who had work hard for the Visiting Amateur Radio Station and he didn´t name anyone. However, he wanted to specially thank one person for her work, who during all years had been treasurer, web master and been involved in a lot of activities for SI9AM - SM3LIV/Ulla. SM3CVM/Lars handed over the flowers, which SI9AM had received from Ragunda Municipality. Of course he had permission from Ragunda Municipality to hand over the flowers to Ulla.

Daniel Bergström, who representative the Thai Pavilion, he thanked for the dinner and wished us good luck, major applauses to Daniel and Thai Pavilion.

A beautiful plaque was presented to Lars Aronsson, SM3CVM, President of SI9AM, on behalf of RAST by Svante (Sam) Nordenstrom, SM3DYU/HS0ZDY.

Thanks

We thank our sponsors:
Jamtport, Mobinet, Sanco, SSA, Swedish Radio Supply and the Thai Pavilion.

We thank our guests of honor:
HS0ZDY Svante Nordström, RAST
SM6JSM Eric Lund, SSA
SM6YBR Brita Renström Lund, SSA
Kicki Fredriksson, Ragunda Municipality
Daniel Bergström, Thai Pavilion
Nui Bergström, Thai Pavilion
Jasmin Bergström
SM0AGD Erik Arild Sjölund
SM0OTG Eva Benjaminson Sjölund
SM5DJZ Jan Hallenberg
Birgitta Hallenberg

We thank our guest speakers
SM0AGD Erik Arild Sjölund
SM5DJZ Jan Hallenberg

We thank Holmstagårdens staff
who served us a delicious anniversary dinner
Ulf, Joel, Sara och Lotta

Thanks
to all of you who visited us this anniversary day

Our guest during the day

Our guests during the Anniversary dinner