Monthly Archives: August 2015

Inband progress, fun story

This was a fun weekend. Me and Hicco went down to SJ2W already on Thursday evening since I had worked a few hours extra during the week. Tobbe from GTL was going to come on Friday morning and dig holes for me for the inband tower project. He showed up and after a few hours of struggling with rocks we were done.

On Saturday I built the forms and got most of them installed. SA2CHQ also came by to help out a bit which was nice. I spent Sunday welding a re-bar cage to go into the form and got a fixture done for the threaded rods that were going to be used to fix the tower base to the concrete. After I was done with getting the re-bar cage into place I went by my neighbor and sat talking with him for a while when SM2XLL sent me a text asking if he could come for a visit. While he was driving towards SJ2W (40km) I decided to go to the store to buy something when I stopped by at GTL garage since I saw the gate being open. When I stepped in Tobbe (who did the digging on Friday) asked me if I was ready for concrete. The funny thing was that there were also another guy in the garage (Roland) who is the guy who drives the concrete truck. So he said it was just as well to get it done now and not wait until next weekend. So just like that under an hour from driving there until being back at the garage we had poured the concrete, vibrated it and cleaned everything, on a Sunday evening at like 19:30!

The GTL guys are awesome 🙂

Info mainly for the Swedes

This is meant mainly for the Swedish viewers of this website but there might be other who could be interested too. I do not only update the posts on this webpage but also a thread on a Swedish forum called e. I think it might be more fun to Swedish viewers to follow that thread (maybe along with the website) but I’ve noticed lots of Swedes do not know about this. I normally might write a bit more on elektronikforumet since I write in Swedish which comes more naturally than I do on the website. The pictures occur at both places though.

So check the thread, http://elektronikforumet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=29184

Teacher Tune-Up: Why Lifelong Learning is Essential

Teaching isn’t just a job; it’s a calling. And like any good professional, teachers need to constantly upgrade their skills to stay at the top of their game. It’s not about being perfect; it’s about striving for better.

Research shows that teachers who invest in their professional development directly impact student success and avoid Preventing Digital Dependence. A study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology found that teachers who participated in ongoing training programs had students who scored higher on standardized tests. So, it’s not just about you, teacher – it’s about your kids, too.

Imagine trying to teach kids about the world using a map from the 1950s. It’s outdated, inaccurate, and doesn’t reflect the reality they live in. The same goes for teaching methods. If you’re stuck in a teaching rut, it’s time to explore new territories.

Enter eLearning. It’s like having a personal tutor on speed dial. With online courses, webinars, and digital workshops at your fingertips, you can learn new skills whenever and wherever you want. It’s flexible, convenient, and packed with information. Plus, you can learn at your own pace, whether you’re a speed learner or prefer to soak it all in slowly.

So, if you’re ready to level up your teaching game, don’t be afraid to hit the books (or your computer). Your students – and your career – will thank you.

SK3W, SJ2W and a trip to Seskarö

After a few days at SJ2W I went down to SK3W to help Gunnar (SG3P) out a few days to take down all but one antenna in one of his towers to fix them and put them up again. The 6el for 10m in the top was all OK but the 5/5/5el stack was missing some tips of the elements (one on each antenna) and there was water damage in the 5el for 20m. We had pretty good luck with the weather and lots of people came by to help, SM5TXT, SM0SVX and SM5IMO. Teemu, SM0W also came by to drink some beer the evening before we headed north again.

It all went well and we managed to take them all down, repair them and get them up again before we got some major rainy weather. The trip back up to SJ2W was interesting considering the huge thunderstorms and the rain that followed on the way up. We made a pit stop at SM3EVR and I got to meet him for the first time and he showed us his shack where all those QSOs have been worked from. We also made a stop at SM2UVU for a cup of coffee before driving the last 90km to SJ2W.

Up at SJ2W the plan was that we would repair the top 6el for 20m that the reflector broke on during the winter. We spent Monday building the new elements (changing all of them) and on Tuesday I climbed up and we hoisted the tram line and got stuff prepared to lower the 20m yagi. I also put some hose clamps around the 50mm tubing of the 40m yagi that had cracked. It hadn’t spread any longer in two years but just to be safe I put 6 clamps around it to make it stronger. I also straightened it out so now it looks pretty again. Later in the evening SM2XJP came by and helped so Gus went up the tower to release the beam and me and SM2XJP as ground crew lowered it safely to the ground.

On Wednesday we got lots of visitors. SM5EPO and SM3JBO showed up on their way up to Seskarö fieldday and spent a couple of nights @SJ2W and helped us out. It is always a blast to hang out with these guys, we have a lot of fun. Also later during the day some pretty “fresh” hams came by, SA2KNG, SA2BLV and SA2FDR. They helped out the whole day and we got the 20m yagi tuned and ready to be hoisted.

On Thursday the weather was bad and it was not until the evening we were able to hoist the beam and Gus went up the tower and attached it to the tower. He was too tired though after a couple of weeks of intensive climbing so I will need to go up later this week and take the tram line down. It turned out great though and now I hope the beam will last many more years.

On Friday we all went up to Seskarö fieldday where we met a bunch of other hams (over 70 people on the dinner) and I also had a presentation about SJ2W. SM2LIY had a presentation about propagation’s as well. The whole weekend was a blast!

Now I am spending a couple of days in Luleå gathering some motivation to go down and work on the station again. I have not decided yet what to do, but I might start building on the WARC beam, if the weather allows it.