My hobbies and more!

📡 HAM Radio or Amateur Radio

My callsign is SM7OEA
First, what is amateur radio?

The definition of amateur radio is: a hobby in radio technology with two main groups of practitioners—listening amateurs and transmitting amateurs. The word “amateur” in this context is used to distinguish from those who use radio professionally. Amateur radio is a strictly non-commercial activity.

Amateur radio is an international hobby, defined by the UN agency ITU, which has allocated a wide range of radio frequency bands for conducting technical tests, propagation studies, and daily communication between radio amateurs across borders.

In English

 translation, the definition of amateur radio traffic reads:

“Non-professional radio traffic for training, communication, and technical investigations, conducted out of personal interest in radio technology and without profit motive.” (PTSFS 2018:3)

An amateur radio operator or transmitting amateur has passed certified exams in radio technology, electrical safety regulations, and legal frameworks to obtain an amateur radio certificate. With this certificate, it is permitted to use a radio transmitter and communicate with other radio amateurs around the world (this is called “working DX”). It is also allowed to build your own transmitting equipment and use it for technical tests and experiments.

📻 How I Use My Radio Transmitter

I primarily use my radio mobile, and I own an ICOM IC-4100A. I’m a member of the SK7HW Amateur Radio Club in Växjö, and also a member of SSA (Swedish Amateur Radio Association). Starting in 2025, I will be a lifetime member of SSA.

Through the Växjö club, I also participate as safety communications support during rally events. In 2026, I’ll celebrate 30 years of involvement—if health allows.

🏁 Rally Events I’ve Participated In

With ouer former club SK7HM and now SK7HW, as:responsible amateur radio club. We was between 10 - 25 amateur radio operators and assistants at HQ and in our cars at SS, start and finish, if necessary, intermediate points. Depending how many SS it was. 

• Silver Ratten: 1986–2025
• Dackefejden: 1992, 2000, 2014, 2015
• Midsommardancen: 1996–1998
• Skillinge 500: 2016, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
• Sprint ÄMK: 2019
• South Swedish Rally (SSR): 1992, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025

I may have missed a rally or two.