Aurora

On March 17 Northern Lights exploded in the sky at my SM2 QTH in northern Sweden (KP05vs). For many photos click on the photo collage above. I used a handheld Sony NEX-6 camera with a Samyang Fish-Eye lens, 8 mm 1:3.5.

The IOS info app Interplanetary 3D Sun is a very useful to predict Auroras.

My G5RV antenna

This photo shows my low hanging 31 m G5RV wire antenna at my SM0FOB/2 QTH in northern Sweden. Gubben, my Second operator is a young Svensk lapphund (Swedish Laphound), only 4 1/2 months old.

This is the antenna I use on the 5 MHz band. Although its low height it is possible to have "DX" contacts with it. Recently, with 5 W output from my Elecraft KX3 transceiver, my CW CQ signals was heard by a skimmer station on Iceland (TF4M, Distance 2,030 km, 13 dB s/n) and another one in Germany (DL1EMY, Distance 1,838 km, 8 dB s/n). Later with only 1 W output the skimmer station DL1EMY received my CQ with 2 dB s/n.

QRV on the 60 m band

Since December last year it is possible for Swedish radio amateurs to apply from the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority (PTS) for a 6 month license, permitting the use of four 3 kHz channels in the 5 MHz band. These channels are:

5.310-5.313 MHz
5.320-5.323 MHz
5.380-5.383 MHz
5.390-5.390 MHz

All transmit modes are allowed. Maximum output power allowed is 100 W PEP. Mobile operation is not allowed. The license is valid only for one fixed location, i. e. your permanent QTH.

My ordinary QTH is in Stockholm. I spend a lot of time as SM0FOB/2 in Boden (KP05vs) in northern  Sweden. This QTH is not so far from the Arctic Circle and the latitude is the same as for Iceland as a comparison. I thought it could be of interest to get some experience from this new band; like how the propagation changes between day and night time and different seasons, what distances can be achieved with low power and simple antennas etc. . So I applied for a license and got it one week ago.

You can see my result until now in the screen dump above (click on it for a larger view) from my logbook. I found that the Reverse Beacon Network (RBN) is a very useful tool as the "skimmer" receiver stations decode calls together with received signal strengths.This information is automatically sent via Internet to the RBN net. Another useful tool is to listen for beacons. I will try that later.

My twin brother Leif, SM7EQX has also received a license. He lives in Ronneby in southeastern Sweden (JO76pf). The distance between us is 1,117 km. I do hope we can have daily contacts between our KX3s.

This is my SM0FOB/2 station. The radio is an Elecraft KX3 QRP HF (incl. 50 MHz) 10 W transceiver. The transceiver control and logging software I use is Ham Radio Deluxe v5.24.0.38. The laptop is an ASUS with an 11.3" touch screen. OS is Windows 8. The laptop is HDMI-connected to a 27" screen.

The antenna is a 31 m long G5RV wire antenna less than 3 m above ground. Part of one leg is now passing through some snow. I wish I could have a better antenna installation :-)

My Present Ham Shack

SM0FOB/2 - BODEN KP05vs - ELECRAFT KX3 - G5RV ANTENNA

Ham Radio in Nature Reserve Åkerby

Visited, on September 8, the Åkerby nature reserve (KP05ow), located ca. 40 km NW from my SM2 QTH (KP05vs) in Boden in northern Sweden. The reserve is very small, only ca. 100x200 m. Maybe it is Sweden's smallest reserve. After ca. 1 km walk, through a partially windfall and sparse pine forest, the reserve was reached. The reserve is dense with trees and a small stream serves as a boorder line. I have visited this gem several times before, but without a radio. Now I took a chance to run the radio despite the dense woods. And it worked with the FT-817 5 W and the 8 m vertical antenna. Nine SM CW QSOs was the result on the 40 m band.


This nature reserve´s main attraction is in early summertime, when rare Lady's slipper and Noma orchids can be seen,

Orchid photos from previous visits are here:

http://krysslistor.blogspot.se/2012/06/guckuskor-i-akerby.html

and here: http://krysslistor.blogspot.se/2011/06/nornor.html

Ham Radio in Nature Reserve Vuollerimskogen

On September 3 I visited the recent established nature reserve Vuollerimskogen (KP06hk) in Lapland, near the Arctic Circle. It was easy to reach by car, only one hour's drive from my SM0FOB/2 QTH in Boden. My car setup was a FT-857D 50 W and a G-whip mounted on the towbar. Six SM CW QSO´s on 40 m was the result. The Saint Petersburg TV station carrier on 49.750 MHz was heard via aurora scatter and suddenly nothing was heard on all HF bands.


It was elk hunting premier with a lot of hunters and shooting nearby. On the way home some twenty migrating Whooper Swans were sighted in the big Lule River. A great view that was!




Back home weak northern lights could be seen. The big white spot is the full moon and the small white spot, near the horizon, is the planet Jupiter.

QRP from Nature Reserve Gammelstadsviken

On September 6 our dog Pepita and I took a walk in the woods to a bird tower in nature reserve Gammelstadsviken. This reserve in KP15ap is situated not so far from the city Luleå i northern Sweden. A previous attempt to reach the tower last year was interrupted when Pepita caught sight/smell of bear droppings on the trail and refused to continue. At site I erected my 8 m vertikal, but it started to rain so I moved it to the top of the tower. My 5 W from the FT-817 sometimes was not enough, but I managed to work nine SM stations on CW on the 40 m band. One of them was also a portable station, SM4EDK/P in JP70pg.