SI9AM October 2008 A fantastic experience

It was early September that Jef, ON4ACA was implying something about the Station SI9AM in Sweden. A site that could be rented by radio amateurs around the world.

In now time I decided to go and planning could start. Jef made the first contacts with SM3CVM, the chairman of the club and it was searching for the best alternatives.

The best alternative was through the air, which took the least time-consuming and energy and the most financially viable.

Both Brussels Airlines as low budged Ryanair flew to Sweden. After deliberations and roads turned Ryanair from Eindhoven to be the most suitable.

We flew to Stockholm Skavsta what 80 kilometers unter

beneden Stockholm ligt. Stockholm is located. Vertrek 16h15 en aankomst 18h10 Departure 16h15 and 18h10 arrival

We had rented a car for the remaining distance to bridge,

nog zo'n 600 km over de E4. still some 600 km on the E4. We kregen een Volvo S40 ter beschikking We had a Volvo S40 available

because we were outside our luggage also a box stores to carry

This was by Jef during his visit there, a few weeks before, to

Leif,SM5KNV, in bewaring gegeven. Leif, SM5KNV, deposited. Leif heeft deze kist naar Skavsta Leif was with this box come to Skavsta

airport and has sacrificed for over 50km.

The GPS was set to the coordinates of our first stop. De coör- The coordination of Ulla and Jörgen, SM3LIV and SM3FJF where we are invited To have tea and a bite to eat. Despite the late hour we were very welkome and there was an early breakfast served.

After an hour we travel further. The GPS is set to the coordinates of SI9AM, an address was there apparently not.

They had told us where we could find the key of the shack, because the night hours….

03h00, the GPS put our car just on the frontdoor. We decide to take only the most necessary things to the shack. De grayline was in zicht, vandaar. The gray line was in sight, so….

The station was already heated. Heating, tranceiver, PC and PA were already on and we could therefore begin immediately.

N1MM was in readiness and logging could begin. There were few stations worked but ultimately fell somewhat against and had expected more of the lowbands at this time but did not rush.

We eventually decided just to sleep. Two bunk beds were in the shack ultimately were very welcome after the long journey. But I made to 07h30 Jef awake by my gereutel with the CW keyer and in the shortest times we were again on the air. On sunrise, the first signals were heard at 20m and the first Qso’s were made. In the shortest times grew a real pile-up and the fun began, ha, ha, therefore we are here..

I had a serious cold and Jef was talking against the rest of the world in SSB. Later I took over in CW and tried to reap as much as possible signals from the jumble of signals.

The propagation was going up and down but mostly we have our hands full. Wednesday has us very much amused at the radio happen. But there are other things. The food for example. We are starting to get hungry and we had to improvise something. We hadden dus onze kist. We had our coffin. They had some things we stopped in order to survive the first few days, but you never know where you end up.

So we had some solutions as soup, a puree powder, a few boxes of creamrice and soup and tea and coffee.

en thee en koffie.

A cop of creamrice is quickly taken but we still like some hot food. We are looking in the small kitchen. Cops and plates, could be found. But there was no discernible cooking pot, everything will be searched, nothing. Where in we go to make mushed potatoes? Eventually we found a plastic biscuits box and we were rescued.

gered. Only some boxes TV sausages were also at the range and were warmed up in a big cup, ditto with the carrots and peas. That everything in the microwave and we had dinner.

We are running high rates and in CW was really pick from a bundle of signals, if you lose concentration, it was back QRZ.

The period for Thursday we got within 800 stations. Thursdays it was necessary for look-out for a shop to survive the rest of the days coming.

We drive around for a while and at a certain moment we see a ICA shop and we steps inside. We find that all necessary as bread and siege, drink and prepared meat. We do our stock for the remaining days.

At the arrival in the shack in the first minut the first bread was almost gone, but our stock was

for a bread per day, so ...

We think more to the radio than eat. Occasionally a fresh cola with ..... that was needed sometimes.

On Thursday evening we will do some CW and tuning at 10Mhz. In a short time a proper pile-up was growing on. Unbelievable, JA and NA at the same time within the S5 signals. We have to fish them out because Europe is strong and the discipline is hard to find, but that is always in a pile-up, not? When the cold coming up and between the barking it was sometimes difficult to key and often need to correct errors. Dit hoort er nu eenmaal bij. This should happen in such situation. Furthermore, there is little QSO conducted Thursday.

Friday started very calm, we pick some 160M customers and then swing down to 40m. On the lowbands, once the dark was really appeared, there was just here and there a station to hear.

After sunrice, 20m also came to life and there were regular pile-ups completed. 15m was also attacked, we heard here and there some signals and take the initiative to make that SI9AM is heard on this band to.

We prepared N1MM for the CQWW SSB contest starting at 00h00 UTC. There was a bit more movement at night but not what it should be. 160M was a little busier and there were also a lot stations worked. We scrambled on 40 and 80m to the morning sun. There was 20m back and the game could begin. 15m was also adept at times and we could see through the cluster that openings well perceive the band. 10m was nada. 10m was nada.

We changed after a hour of so, so that we could work relaxed. Especially because the beds where behind our back en just need to drop over.

We saw the log grow and were really proud of our rates that we occasionally made.

Dit was puur radioplezier. This was pure fun radio. Jef was lucky, I had a cold and barking the major part of the time as a dog ..... I let not see my teeth as a dog bud did what I could.

We have got a lot of tea and coffee and occasionally a drop more heavy stuff .

The contest went off Sunday night and we had only slept 3 hours. But we have started again the DX log and worked on both 10Mhz and 1.8Mhz some stations.

We both going to sleep for a while, after than, a robust breakfast and back to the DX log for some stations more. Monday night, we put our heads to Stockholm and leave SI9AM. Because we suspect some traffic jams around the city Stockholm and because we had 600km to go and we need At the latest to 09:45 in the airport. It went smoothly and around Stockholm was no traffic jam.

We left a beautiful Thai pavilion in a desolate area. Really a beautiful and well maintained monument that was donated by King Chulalongkorn of Siam to Utanede Ragunda. Siam is becomeThailand later on.

The number 9 in the call is the lucky number of the Thai.

Now it was totally deserted but 19juni in Thai party is a crowded place. The planned parking indicates a fuss busy in the summertime.

The place is in Utanede and maintaining this place clear.

Als je op de website www.si9am.se If you click on the website www.si9am.se you can see that there is a wonderful award is issued, take a look.

When you plan to visit before October, there is a restaurant available in the building. They can accommodate up to 20 persons. The region is really beautiful in the summer to the valley of the river Indalsälven.

The roads there are very good but in the north, there is less lighting and the dark, really dark! As of early November, the snow and revives the region again for the winter sports ... this goes too far, for a ham ... .

Onderaan vindt je nog wat foto's..... Below you'll find some photos .....

If you want information, mail me, I bring you up to date.

Marcel ON6UQ Marcel ON6UQ