Hello and Welcome to SE3X, Sierra Echo Three X-Ray!

SE3X is a Swedish Contest station in battle since 2012, owner Johan - SA3BYC  It's a Little Pistol Station, don't think SE3X ever will be a Big Gun. Renting the property makes it a hazardous business setting up big antennas and towers. Need to keep the installations removable if I should have to re-locate and move QTH.

Station located in the North West part of the country, grid sq/locator JP63oj. Close to the village of Åre, a skiresort appr. 650 road km North of Swedens capitol Stockholm and only 65 km East of the Norwegian border. Nearest larger cities are Östersund in Sweden 120 km East and Trondheim in Norway 120 km West.

QTH on the mountain side 520m, or 1706 feet, above sea level makes a nice location for radio. Not perfect as I'm sorounded by mountains and there are hinders in some directions. No close on neighbours is a benefit and makes out for a rather noice free environment.

  Some "tweets" about my activities and what I do at my station ...

July 28: Adding to the antenna "To-Do" list this autumn I just ordered a SP7IDX Hexbeam and a Yaesu G450-C rotator to be mounted in my 12m homebrew woodtower where today my "not to good" 3-band ZX mini-2000 Yagi resides. With this I will at least have one fully operational rotational antenna up this coming winter. Hexbeams are known to perform well at medium heights, so I have big expectations

July 24: An e-mail from Mr Pandolfi at SPE Italy today say that my Expert 1K-Fa amp that has been in Rome for full service is finished and on it's way back to Sweden. Must say that SPE customer service is Superb. Happy days!

July 19: Continue to collect mtrl for antenna and station improvements. Tnx to PileUp Communication and Björn & Patrik for my new MetroVNA and a 18m Spiderbeam Gfp at very reasonabel prices. WIMO just delievered baluns, ICOM software and a controler for my IC-7300 and Peter Bogner at DX-Wire antenna building mtrl. The Spiderbeam team in Germany added some nice accessories to the new 18m Gfp, excellent and fast service and delivery.

July 14: This week down in south Sweden and passed by Hovs Hallar, right on the ocean front, marvelous radio QTH. Put up a RX-loop and did some RX'ing. Virtually no QRM, except 40m where I had a S2-3 of noice, other bands incl. 160m dead quiet. Next time down I will set-up TX antenna and try working from there.

July 7 -9: This weekend I will participate in the IARU HF Contest from Morokulien near Norway and the station SJ9WL/LG5LG together with my mate SAØBYP/SEØP, Palle. More information about the trip on the SE8W page.

Older "tweets" all the way down at the end of this page ...

QSL info - Important!

• Please stop sending QSL cards not asked for, I'm NOT using the bureau.  Instead Please use electronic QSL systems. All of my QSO's will be uploaded to e-QSL , LoTW and Club Log on a regular basis.
   
• Paper QSL Only direct!  If you send your card direct via mail you will get one in return via mail. Swedish postal rates dramatically increased January 1, 2017. Pse SAE 2 USD or Euro notes,  NO IRC.

• Pse note! I NEVER logg /P, /QRP, /M etc. All my QSO's with other stations are logged with callsign only. If your account at eQSL or LoTW are signed with /something you might NOT receive any confirmation. No Big deal Uh? It's a hobby, ain't it?
   

Again ... Please NO cards via the bureau - they will NOT be answered!   

HRD On-Line Logbook

If you search for your callsign in the on-line logg, Please don't just push return when you have entered your call! But click with mouse on the "Send" button (this is a "bug" in the HRD software unfortunattely).

HRD logg is a summary of callsigns valid for awards/DXCC used by SA3BYC in Contest and DX'ing since 2012.

DX'ing and last logged DXCC

Not chasing DX 24/7 but always nice with a new country, state or prefix, in the log. I have achived DXCC and follows my progress as well on WAS and WPX.  Most new ones logged during contest, that alone is a good reason for participating in contests.

DXCC Confirmed: 152   Challenge Confirmed: 525   WAS Confirmed: 39     WPX MIXED Confirmed: 1267

As I don't collect QSL cards, all statistics are LOTW confirmed QSO's only. Stats last updated: July 28

Continents: 7   CQ Zones: 33   ITU Zones: 45  

Radiosport / Contesting

Contesting is a great way to improve ones operator skills and to motivate to improve station and antennas. And as it is for me, one very important driving force to do hamradio.

Membership in contestclub  SKØUX, Contest Club Mill Hill  is a great inspiration. This station has some amazing antennas!  Take a look for yourself and  watch Teemu's/SMØW antenna video  at You Tube.  When working in Stockholm I have the opportunity to use the station and I do some contesting from here as well.

Contest participation

I'm mainly a SSB Contester and I very much prefer to participate in contests where Everybody Works Everybody. Especially in European contests I prefer the EWE concept which guarantes larger number of participants to work, i.e. more fun! Especially with current very poor propagation when low in the solar cycle.

Some of my favorite contests are the World Wide ones; CQWW, WPX, ARRL DX, IARU HF, and of course the "Scandinavian Battle - SAC". Favorite mode SSB, but I will try to be active on RTTY as well in 2017. My activities is from home QTH, SKØUX/Mill Hill contest station and portable with SKØXW/SE8W.

Some of the contests SE3X been heard in since 2012: UBA DX, NRAU Baltic contest, Black Sea, HADX, PAC Dutch contest, ARRL DX, REF Contest, Russian RDA DX, CQ WPX, SP DX, OK/OM, WAG, Holyland, Helvetia, King of Spain, ARRL/IARU HF World Championship, RDAC, YO HF, WAE DX, SAC SSB, UKEI SSB, CQWW SSB, Ukrainian DX and LZ DX contest, to mention some sofar.

SE3X Station

My long term goals for my station:

• Cover all HF contest bands 10 - 160m.
• 6, 12 and 17m for DX'ing.
• 2m and 70cm - VHF/UHF mainly for use of local repeaters.
• QRV on various modes.
• Offering an easy to use, efficient and flexibel operator environment.

The radio room is quite smal, appr. 1,6 x 2.05 m. A very compact hamshack, I need to keep it simple and effective - a No Nonsens Shack! Everything within easy reach, very important when doing long hours during Contest and DX'ing. Any guest Op should fell at home in 5 min.

WS6X wrote; A great station is comprised of three parts:

• The heart, soul and SKILL of the operator.
• The effectiveness of the antenna farm.
• The caliber of equipment in the shack

That sure is something to keep in mind when building ones hamradio station. I'm quite happy with the 1'st  and 3'rd paragraph. Need to work quite a bit on the 2'nd.

Current Equipment

Radio 1: Kenwood TS-590SG with SDRPlay RSP1 and SDR software for Spectrum and Waterfall. Great to have during DX'ing and Contest. RSP mounted in metal enclosure for RF protection.

My main radio for Contesting, DX'ing and daily "Radio activity".

Radio 2: ICOM IC-7300 with RS BA-1 software and RC 28 remote encoder.

My radio for digital modes, RTTY, PSK31, JT etc. Connected as 2'nd radio to my SPE amplifier for "semi" SO2R operation.

PA 1: SPE Expert 1K-Fa Pro, Solid State, output 1 kW with built-In antenna tuner and "semi" SO2R functionality.

PA 2: as a back-up I have a ACOM 600S, Solid State, output 0,6 kW. Might end up on my "for sale list" 2017, as I really love the SPE Expert 1K-Fa.

VHF/UHF: FM: TYT 9800 QUAD. Baofeng handheld for local repeaters 2m/70cm.

Miscellaneous: microHAM microkeyers, microHAM Stationmasters, SJ2W 6-Pack antenna swich, LDG AT-1000 antenna tuner, MAAS 25A PS, MAAS RX-200 SWR meter, Array Solution RXFP Front-End Protector, Diamond RX-Splitter, Heil head-sets and Bencher BY-1.

Computers and software

Windows PC's for logging, CAT, SDR, digital modes, cluster, DX-Atlas etc. PC's and a Samsung Color laserprinter/scanner connected in a shack LAN with a common back-up hard drive. Using Bluetooth for keyboard/mouses. Internet via mobile connection, no fixed Internet out here, local router/firewall for safety.

Software: OS Win 10, contest logging is made in N1MM+ Using Ham Radio Deluxe as main logging program for handling of LOTW, e-Qsl and Club log. SH5 for log analyzis, HDSDR for the SDRPlay receiver and many more.

Antennas

Today antennas quite simple but surprisingly functional, works great. When band-conditions smiles at us, up here in Aurora part of the country, we do get some DX as well.

• 80/40m Inv-V double Dipole, coax feed (EU).
• 40/15m wire L-vertical w. 6 elevated radials (DX).
• 20m Inv-V Dipole, coax feed (EU).
• 15/10m Inv-V double Dipole, coax feed (EU).
• 10/15/20m 3-element short boom ZX Mini-2000 Yagi, fixed @ SA/290 dgr.
• RX Horizontal loop, 80m long, 1:4 balun and coax, 3m agl. Array Solution RF front-end protector. Located in the outskirts of the property, well away from other antennas.
• VHF/UHF: Diamond X200/144/430 MHz - GP.

A simple set-up, but station located next to an old closed down coppermill and very good ground conductivity seems to make up a little bit for low height of antennas. All of the wire-antennas are homebrewed using surplus military telephone-wire and RG-8/RG-213 type of coax.  Both masts are homebrew woodpooles, lattice construction.

73, and CU in the pileups!

Johan

Gallery!

Some pictures from the station, my QTH and some unspecified ones as well!

Me operating my IC-7300 from SJ9WL.	Schematic of a old set-up with three radios.	2016 SO2R Set-Up.
My old Op position with the Ranger PA close by.	Schematic of the set-up with one radio.	Old Op position with my TS-590S.
Nearby Mount Åreskutan, 1420m asl.	A previous summer Qth in Stockholm.	My first SO2R set-up, didn't work to well.
Nearby "neighbours" on yearly walk-about.	Ristafallet near my Qth, Beautiful place.	Mount Åreskutan, another angle, near my QTH.
Stockholm DX'ers dinner summer 2015.	March 5, - 15 oC, nice wintermorning.	My little Tri-bander.

 

 

 

 

 

Archive!

Earlier "tweets" from the begining of this page!

June 21-24: Midsummer holliday in Sweden and I'm back in Stockholm. Spending these days at Mill Hill contest station, SKØUX with it's great antennas, making some QSO's, a few hours in King of Spain Contest, having fun. Leasson learnt, SE8X is hard to get correct in QRM or with weak signals. Seems like the eight are difficult to hear. I will continue using SE3X during contest/DX and use SE8X occasionally.

June 6: Home for 10 days when my son graduates from High School.  I will try to do some QSO's in betwen social reponsibilities.

May 27: New Callsign - SE8X  as I'm more and more operating "outside of home QTH" away from SE3X Station I have applied and been granted a callsign, SE8X, that doesn't indicate any geographical position. Swedish callsigns normaly issued with numbers Ø,1-7 reflecting stations positition within the country. 8 and 9 are used regardless of location.

March 6: From today I will be away from home QTH for work in Stockholm for the coming 7-8 months. I will have my mail forwarded, but Pse understand that direct QSL will be very much delayed in answering.

March 3: My computer log updated today and all QSO's made during 2016 until now uploaded at e-QSL, LOTW and Club log. A few direct mail paper QSL left to send, but will be sent monday 6, clearing out my back-log of QSL cards.

Some of SE3X prefered Suppliers