Sweden 60m

Post- och telestyrelsen beslutar om tilldelning av radiofrekvenser, övriga villkor samt
tillståndstid i enlighet med 3 kap. lagen (2003:389) om elektronisk kommunikation.
Om tillstånd med samma tillståndsnummer utfärdats tidigare, upphör det äldre tillståndet
att gälla.
Tillståndsvillkor
Tillståndshavaren får använda radiosändare i enlighet med vad som framgår av
specifikationen över radiosändare.
Tillståndet avser användning av en radiosändare för radiotekniska experiment.
Tillåtet frekvensutrymme:
5310-5313 kHz
5320-5323 kHz
5380-5383 kHz
5390-5393 kHz
Tillåten bandbredd: 3 kHz.
De modulationsmetoder som ryms inom tillåten bandbredd får användas. Ingen del av den
utsända signalen får ligga utanför det aktuella frekvensutrymmet.
Sändning får endast ske från antennplats enligt specifikation. Mobil användning är inte
tillåten.
Max uteffekt 100 W PEP
Frekvenserna delas med andra tillståndshavare och störningar får ej orsakas på annan
radiokommunikation.
Anropssignal för amatörradio är tillåten att använda vid kommunikation på de aktuella
banden. Om sådan saknas ska tilldelad anropssignal användas.
Trafik med andra tillståndshavare är tillåten.

or

The Swedish Post and Telecom Agency decides on the allocation of radio frequencies, conditions and license period in accordance with Chapter 3. Act (2003: 389) on electronic communication. If the state of the same permit number previously issued cease the older state to apply.
Licensing conditions
The licensee may use radio transmitters in accordance with what is stated in specification of the radio transmitter. The permit relates to the use of a radio transmitter for radio engineering experiments. Permitted frequency space:
5310-5313 kHz
5320-5323 kHz
5380-5383 kHz
5390-5393 kHz
Permissible bandwidth: 3 kHz.
The modulation techniques that fit within permissible bandwidth may be used. No part of the transmitted signal may be outside our current spectrum. Transmission may only be made from the antenna site according to specification. Mobile use is not allowed.
Max Output Power 100 W PEP
The frequencies are shared with other licensees and interference should not be caused to other radio communications.
Call sign of amateur radio is allowed to use when communicating on the current bands. If this is not available to be assigned to the callsign used. Traffic to other licensees are permitted.

I have the short call SD7B and SM7/M1KTA and will use those.

I have the licence for the whole of July although not there until 23rd.

So those interested in 60m if you want to try please get in touch.

Sweden July 2015 Drive

Was asked what the drive is.... 976 miles.... via the channel tunnel. Pass where I used to work in Belgium and then on through Holland, Germany and Demark then Sweden.

Will stop somewhere mid trip, and probably an IOTA once in Denmark too.

Vacuum Capacitor

Whilst clearing out some of the boxes in the workshop so I can get back to work I discovered a vacuum variable (8" long 3" diameter) I had kept from PhD days (1993-96). The original use I had was a planned magnetic loop (using two joined lengths of 22mm copper pipe (about 6.2m long) just one join using silver solder, to keep the loop resistance down) with a 2m diameter.

Bit like this one (no photo right now)

The capacitor would go across the gap in the loop.
a

The feed point was using an FT240 torrid (-43 I think) with 3 turns to an N type, the copper pipe would have slid through this.

The feed point is at the top of the loop, which sits at a slight angle to the vertical. The capacitor was to be in a length of 4" soil pipe, supported on an old 1/2" thick white chopping board.

The capacitor would be tuned remotely using a spare (NEMA17) stepper motor and a reduction planetary drive from a CNC project.

The loop should have been usable 3.5MHz right up to 21MHz.

However ... capacitors with clear glass envelopes and copper electrodes, if there is any air ingress you will see discolouration of the copper about the electrodes, slowly at first and depending on how humid it will completely darken and discolour. Originally the insides were all shinny, now they are dark so I expect the envelope has been damaged.

When I was a PhD research student in the Chemistry department in Cambridge University the gas handling line I used was maintained by the department glass blowers and I had accurate vacuum pumps. Given this I am pretty sure I could at one point have 'fixed' the capacitor and that was the plan, to glass blow on a small tube to attach to a line, then heat the capacitor whilst pumping down the interior and then to seal it again.

Now you can pretty much assume the pressure inside is at atmospheric not fractions of what it was originally probably near total vacuum. 

I know that capacitors at atmospheric pressure (760 Torr, 1.01 Bar) have a voltage rating about 12-15 times lower plate spacing dependant than that of an otherwise identical vacuum capacitor (at 10^-7 Torr). How do I know this... well lets just say during research if a capacitor failed I'd know about it damned quick. We used a thyratron pulse across a flash lamp at 5Hz and used a bank of vacuum storage capacitors. The voltage was up to 15KV. If one ever failed then audibly as the experiment ran it was like a fizzing as it shorted and the main flash lamp never fired. We used to have a selection of new 'spares' that we'd swap in. I never asked where they came from I think we had an Eastern European post doc in one of the other groups and they had 'acquired them', I never asked or where they went after we finished with them, several researchers before me had often throw them away (such a waste). Used to go through about 2 or 3 a year.

I might just use it in an ATU where the high voltage doesn't matter so much as the capacitance is fine and it requires multi turns 10-470pF.

Back to cleaning up....

Swedish 5MHz application

This is what I sent in...

Workshop almost clear of the old builders rubbish.

Now got to clean all the surfaces and rehome the bikes (new shed needed) and get rid of some last bits and the workshop is back to original use again.

Lots of wood offcuts and old carpet roll and underlay too. The old garage door will have a stud wall built over it and a new table/desk will go infront as wife's craft room comes out here too. (AND not going to be used for building bits storage again!)


Located the boxes of the cobweb and other antennas so they will go up/out when finished as well.

Nice 2m length of network cabinet tray as well.... maybe that could be cut into pieces and used as the cover over PSU and dummy loads.

RSGB IOTA 2015 EU138 Flakskär

I will be on Flakskär  24-25-26 July. Locator JO76ub

It is an island (what else?) in group EU-138 (so not hyper rare) and I have short call SD7B.

Flakskär  has no water or power so I'll be taking everything with me. I have a 100W solar panel setup I would like to use so I will probably be driving from UK, with it plus all the radio kit about 900 miles going via tunnel but might fly, yet to be determined.

See here for what the island is like (in swedish but lots of photos)

http://sm7ucz.se/Flakskaer/Flakskaer.htm

Yes I have asked for 5MHz, expect will have 6m and there will be a qrss/wspr beacon too.

I've also got the workshop back (yipee!).... however, lots of cleaning up to do as I have plaster and brick dust on everything. All components and builds were safely away but all the surfaces have a coating. Once that is done I'll be building again (someone else's K2 to finish first).

BERU 2005 RBN

Lost a few points..... looks like many are the odd dit/dah out I=A, H=F and I 'swapped' a few letters in my head V=B and U=D ho hum... now if only there were an SSB section :-)

Commonwealth Contest Adjudication report for C5/M1KTA : 28000 14/03/15
Date	Time	Call	Correct Call	RST Tx	SN Tx	SN Rx	Correct SN Rx	Reason	Notes
14/03/15	10:39	MW0IUX	MW0IDX	599	17	2		Broken:Callsign
14/03/15	11:20	G0IBN		599	28	1	10	Broken:Serial RX
14/03/15	11:22	G0HSI	G0HSA	599	29	3	4	Broken:Callsign
14/03/15	13:13	VE3KZ		599	49	182	172	Broken:Serial RX
14/03/15	13:17	VE3CT	VE3CX	599	51	60		Broken:Callsign
14/03/15	13:45	G3HRE	G3HRH	599	63	29		Broken:Callsign
14/03/15	14:24	GM3QEH	GM3YEH	599	76	1	49	Broken:Callsign
14/03/15	15:41	VE7UH	VE7UF	599	96	199		Broken:Callsign
14/03/15	15:49	GM0WE	GM0WED	599	100	15		Broken:Callsign
14/03/15	16:12	G4RKO		599	111	78	87	Broken:Serial RX
14/03/15	16:56	VE4KI	VE3KI	599	122	408		Broken:Callsign
14/03/15	17:09	G4KND	G4KNO	599	128	42	62	Broken:Callsign
14/03/15	17:34	GM4ZUK		599	137	90		Duplicate
14/03/15	17:52	GW3WOJ	GM3WOJ	599	140	179		Broken:Callsign
14/03/15	18:00	G3SYM		599	142	90		Incorrect serial #10	Adjudicated Invalid
14/03/15	18:30	G0UKV	G0UKB	599	152	51	52	Broken:Callsign
14/03/15	18:34	G3KMQ		599	153	10		Not In Log
14/03/15	20:12	VE3JM		599	156	62	620	Broken:Serial RX
14/03/15	20:35	G4ERW		599	162	85	95	Broken:Serial RX
15/03/15	05:04	XL3A		599	165	295		Not In Log
15/03/15	05:15	9A2AJ		599	168	1		Broken
15/03/15	05:38	GM0NST		599	170	10		Busted call GM0NAI	Adjudicated Invalid
15/03/15	06:11	G3RFH		599	177	1	154	Broken:Serial RX
15/03/15	07:09	G3WHO	G3PHO	599	202	188		Broken:Callsign
15/03/15	07:28	G4IIY		599	207	441		Duplicate