International Longwave Meeting, Summer 2005 in Sweden
(incl. World Heritage Grimeton Radio)?

Page updated: 07-sep-2004 10:14 +0200


Hello, longwave (ELF, VLF, LF) people!
 

Summary:

Do you want to take part in an international "longwave meeting"? I have been told that the most recent one was in York, UK, in 1992.

Earlier this year, VLF radio station SAQ in Grimeton was put on the Unesco World Heritage List.
The meeting would combine present ELF, VLF and LF issues with a visit to SAQ.

Given sufficient interest, the venue will be on the west coast of Sweden, in the town of Varberg, from around Thursday June 30 to Saturday July 2, 2005. The time period should be regarded as fixed.

To go further, we need your advice. Are you interested? If so, please go along and read the rest of my message.

 
Details:

I take this opportunity by email and through websites to query your possible interest to take part in a "Nordic longwave meeting" on ELF, VLF and LF communication and navigation systems (whistlers and other natural phenomena covered by other events). Given sufficient interest, the venue will be on the west coast of Sweden, in the town of Varberg and nearby Grimeton, from around Thursday June 30 to Saturday July 2, 2005. There is a reason for these dates and the time period should be regarded as fixed, provided we get sufficient interest to launch such a seminar, symposium, or fullfledged conference.

A few weeks ago, the Nordic Radio Society Foundation (NRS) had its 7th "Nordic Shortwave Conference" HF04 on the exotic island of Fårö in the Baltic. HF04 comprises VLF issues, albeit the majority is related to HF. 160 participants attended and I devoted my HF04 opening speech to radio station SAQ in Grimeton that had been added, on July 2 this year, to the Unesco World Heritage List: "an exceptionally well preserved monument to early wireless transatlantic communication. It consists of the transmitter equipment (i. e. the Alexanderson alternator), including the aerial system of six 127-m high steel towers. Though no longer in regular use, the equipment has been maintained in operating condition. The site is an outstanding example of the development of telecommunications and is the only surviving example of a major transmitting station based on pre-electronic technology".

That HF04 opening night, I got congratulations for our world heritage success and people said "now we must go to Grimeton". All of a sudden, it came to my mind that we ought to organise an international "longwave meeting" in Varberg so as to combine present ELF, VLF and LF issues with a visit to nearby vintage SAQ. I got immediate support from industry, operators and various agencies. As a matter of fact, I was told that the most recent VLF meeting had been in York, UK, in 1992.
 
I promised to look into the matter and I have done that:
 
Varberg is a "Summer Town" and a perfect venue with all facilities within short walking distance (hotels, youth hostel, campus lecture halls, railway station, Denmark ferry terminal, parking lots, old castle and swimming of all sorts, cafés etc etc).

SAQ was inaugurated on July 2, 1925 by King Gustaf V. The new reception building will be inaugurated on July 2, 2005, celebrating 80 years of SAQ operation. Then, we hope a royalty will start the alternator to transmit a "royal message". This will be the perfect final activity of the "2005 Grimeton longwave meeting". Thus, the dates are fixed and we have already made a preliminary reservation of hotel rooms. So, please mark the dates in your calender - now.

So, everything sounds fine, doesn't it? Well, we have all things under control except money. We doubt that we can find sponsors to cover an anticipated full conference loss. Do we keep the ambition low (=seminar)? Will we get a lot participants (=conference)? We know that we have to keep the fee reasonably normal and we hope to offer lower rates for university people.

Therefore, I kindly ask you to tell us if you would be interested in taking part in a "2005 Grimeton longwave meeting". All answers are without obligations, but we need them in order to help us decide if we should go on and, if so, the ambition. A first invitation and call for papers could be sent out in November, 2004.

All views are welcome. Please submit yours by email to the HF04 administrative secretary,
Ms Winnie Svensson at AerotechTelub, email <winnie.svensson@aerotechtelub.se>,
fax +46 470 42042.


For those, who want to look into HF04 and SAQ more closely, I recommend the websites of
HF04 - HF 04 Visit to Grimeton (info on this site)
SAQ - http://www.alexander.n.se (click Union Jack)
Town of Varberg - http://www.varberg.se (click Union Jack)
 
For SAQ summary in Swedish with pictures see http://www.raa.se/press/040702.asp
(free to download).

For SAQ articles in English see http://hem.passagen.se/sk0mt (0 is a zero, SKØMT is the call sign of our local amateur radio club, click TSA logo to proceed, look for Grimeton 2/3 down in the left column).


Well, will we meet in Varberg in June/July 2005? The answer will depend on you.
Thanks for your cooperation,


Carl

-----------------------

Carl-Henrik Walde, HF04 chairman
Secretary of the Swedish National Committee of URSI (Union Radio-Scientifique Internationale)

<info@walde.se>, sm5bf@arrl.net>, + 46 70 5916061