Hello, I'm Thomas, SM0TNF. Welcome to my amateur radio website! Here you can read about the fun I've had with the interesting hobby amateur radio.

Amateur radio, also known as "ham radio" is a hobby where you use different kinds of radio transmitters, antennas and even satellites to contact people all over the world.

To get an amateur radio license, you need to pass a few exams in radio electronics, regulations and morse code (morse code in only required for the shortwave licenses). When you get your license, you can apply for a radio transmitter permit from the government and start contacting the world.

I got my license in 1990 while serving in the Swedish Army Signal Corps. Back then the speed of the morse code test was 80 characters per minute, today it's not required at all...

After leaving the Army, I was very active on the bands for a few years, using an Icom IC-735 shortwave transceiver and a dipole antenna on the roof. I was also active from my mobile setup, contacting all continents on 21 and 28 MHz.

The old reliable Volvo 142, now in the junk-yard, with sturdy bumpers that could hold the HyGain antenna.

One of my first contacts was with a small reef in the Pacific Ocean: Conway Reef and the 1990 expedition 3D2AM. Click here to see the front of a QSL card from that expedition.

If you don't know what a QSL card is, I should tell you that it's like a postcard with information about the contact (time, date, frequency, signal strength) that amateur radio operators exchange with each other. You can use them to apply for awards or just collect them for fun.

I particulary enjoyed morse code (CW) and award hunting. Contests were also a lot of fun. I participated in both national and international HF (shortwave) contests from Uppsala Radio Club SK5DB, the local technical high school SK5SE and of course from my home.

The SK5DB club house (to the left) back in 1996.
If you look closely, you can see the VHF/UHF array.
Unfortunately there was only a wire antenna available for the shortwave bands.

Åland Island (OH0) counts as a separate country for amateur radio awards, and is only a short and cheap ferry trip from where I live. I went there on a few occasions and brought the equipment with me for some pile-up action.

Boat houses in the Åland Island archipelago.

One summer I visited Morokulien, known from Swedish public radio broadcasting. Morokulien is nothing more than a camping site and a house (with an amateur radio station) and is located on the borderline between Sweden and Norway. You can stand with one foot in each country if you like! From that place I was active with the special SJ9WL and LG5LG call signs.

In the CW pile-up at SJ9WL/LG5LG, Morokulien.
It was great fun to have a pile-up of stations wanting to contact me.

Unfortunately I haven't been active on the shortwave bands since 1994. It's difficult to erect antennas at my current location in the SM0-district. I have hardly used the SM0TNF call sign at all. The old SM5TNF call sign still feels more like "me" (I lived in the SM5-district before). I haven't sold any of my equipment, so I hope I will be active again some day.

Upstairs at Uppsala Radio Club, SK5DB. This is where the QSL cards arrive to the Uppsala region.

Well, that's it. Hope you enjoyed your visit.
Before you leave, please sign my little guestbook so I know you were here!
You can also view the guestbook.

For more information on amateur radio, check out ARRL (USA) or SSA (Sweden).

Best wishes,

Thomas, SM0TNF

Title image shows me at a portable location in the lovely Swedish archipelago, next to my HyGain vertical shortwave antenna (80-10 m bands), not to be confused with my HyGain mobile antenna. Click here for a full picture.

This site was made with Macromedia Dreamweaver UltraDev and Adobe Photoshop.