[Premium-Rx] SAQ Broadcast

[Ben Dover]

Greetings!

Did anyone else here try for the SAQ (Grimeton, Sweden) Alexanderson
Alternator broadcast at 0900 UTC? It gave my Premiums a workout on
VLF, but with mixed results.

Broadcast frequency was 17.2 KHz. I've tried for it before, but THIS
time I thought I might actually copy it. Propagation conditions are
VERY good right now on VLF, but it appears that the propagation was
going NORTHWEST and WEST rather than northeast over the pole to 
Sweden.

The weather here is PERFECT; clear, and very cold (about 3 degrees F)
and at 3 AM local time the overall noise level is VERY LOW.

I managed to get THUNDEROUS signals out of NWC (Harold E. Holt, 
Australia) at 19.8 KHz, and NPM (Lualualei, Hawaii) on 21.4 KHz.. I was
even copying a weak but steadily readable signal on 18.6 KHz (a US
Navy TACAMO aircraft frequency).

When 0900 UTC came up, I could barely preceive a WEAK signal on 17.2
KHz, but too weak to copy the CW. Another close by carrier made things
difficult too (no doubt some industrial interference). The RA-6778C
was producing the best results; I was cranked down to the 150 Hz filter
in the IF, and BFO offset to +400 Hz. My DSP box didn't seem to help
any on this one. 

BTW... re. antenna: I used the quietest antenna (S/N ratio rather than
sheer physical size), in this case a short random wire.

This is the closest I've come yet to copying a Grimeton test broadcast,
and we're almost there I think. At least we heard the carrier, even tho
we couldn't make out the CW.


73's,

Tom, W9LBB