SAQ scheduled to air on Alexanderson Day, July 2nd, 2023

By Jonathan Rizzo, KC3EEY

SAQ (callsign SAQ) is a VLF transmitting station located in Grimeton, Sweden and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site operated by the Alexanderson Association. The heart of the transmitter is the Alexanderson Alternator and six antenna towers that are iconic to the site. Twice a year, there is a CW transmission at 17.2 kHz with an inspirational message to listeners all over the world. On Alexanderson Day, July 2nd, 2023, SAQ is scheduled to be on the air. More details can be found here (https://alexander.n.se/en/alexanderson-day-2023/) and contains a tentative schedule and a YouTube live broadcast for those who would like to watch the event live.

HamSCI community members are encouraged to listen to the transmission at 17.2 kHz. There are various ways to listen, including VLF to HF converters for those who want to use their own HF rig; SDRs like the AirSpy R2, KiwiSDR, and others; and broadband VLF receivers/preamps connected directly to computer soundcards using vlfrx-tools, Spectrum Lab, or SAQrx software. If you are able to receive the transmission, please submit a reception report to SAQ via instructions on the website and please make a recording as well. 

In the VLF band, signals propagate the same way as signals in a waveguide due to the Earth-ionosphere waveguide with boundaries formed by the Earth's surface and the D/E layers of the ionosphere. These VLF transmissions are important to science because they give greater insight to VLF propagation as well as the D and E layers of the ionosphere.