On United Nations Day, Sunday, October 24, the vintage and historical Alexanderson alternator in Grimeton, Sweden, with call sign SAQ, is scheduled to send out a message to the world on 17.2 kHz CW. The events of the day will be livestreamed on YouTube starting at 14:25 UTC. Transmitter startup and tuning will begin at 1430 UTC, with the message transmission to follow at 1500 UTC.

This year’s message was drafted by Swedish human rights lawyer and sustainability expert Parul Sharma.

SAQ will conduct some test transmissions on October 22, 1100 UTC – 1400 UTC and will be on air for short periods during this interval. Comments are welcome to info@alexander.n.se.

For a guaranteed e-QSL, use the online report form, which will be open October 24 – November 14.

Dating from the 1920s, the Alexanderson alternator — essentially an ac alternator run at extremely high speed — can put out 200 kW but typically is operated at less than one-half that power level. Once providing reliable transatlantic communication, it is now a museum piece and only put on the air on special occasions.

The transmitter was developed by Swedish engineer and radio pioneer Ernst Alexanderson, who was employed at General Electric in Schenectady, New York, and was chief engineer at the Radio Corporation of America.

Six 400+ foot towers with 150 foot crossarms support a multi-wire antenna for SAQ. The actual signal radiates from a vertical wire, one from each tower.

Amateur radio station SK6SAQ will be active on these frequencies: 3.535 MHz CW, 7.035 MHz CW, 14.035 MHz CW, 3.755 MHz SSB, and 7.140 MHz SSB. QSL SK6SAQ via email to info@alexander.n.se, via the bureau, or direct to Alexander – GVV, Radiostationen Grimeton 72 SE-432 98, Grimeton, Sweden. Two stations will be on the air most of the time.

For a guaranteed e-QSL, use the online report form, which will be open October 24 – November 14.