Mats Gunnarsson , SM7BUA

CWops# 1950, from Bankeryd , Smaland , Sweden.---->View on Google maps

First of all, thank You for the possibility to join this excellent cw-group. Just now I am operating from Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife as EA8/SM7BUA, and I will go back to Sweden in the beginning of April. My home QTH is Bankeryd on the west coast of lake Vättern.

My interest started early as a young kid with DXing, and my favorite station was radio HCJB, Quito Ecuador, home of the Quad-antenna. During listening on an old BC receiver I found radio amateurs on 40 meter AM, and that gave me a new interest to learn Morse-code. Without a key and oscillator I used the piano, and by help of my dear mom, I learned the letters one by one plying one tone on the piano.

After some years I got to know how to use a Morse-key and also got my license in 1960 with the callsign SM7BUA.

After high school, I studied 3 years to get an exam as radio and TV-serviceman, but very soon I quit that work to attend a training as Christian youth leader in my denomination, Swedish Covenant Mission Church, and since that time I have been working fulltime in churchwork. During some years I was not too active as a Ham operator, but in early 1970 I begun to use my radio equipment again, and still it is an important part of my life.

As member of the NOMIRA-group (Nordic Mission Radio Amateurs) I made contact with missionaries in Africa and South-America. 1980 I went to Ecuador with my family, my wife Britt-Marie and two daughters, to work in the Nordic Department at radio HCJB, Quito as program producer for Swedish program on shortwave. The same station I listen to in early 1950. During 11 years we lived in Ecuador, and I was very active as HC1SK and also HC7SK during these years. I also made a DXpediton to HC8, assisted by my two girls to put up my dipoles. A great experience with CW pile-ups on different bands. I have been back twice in Ecuador together with a group of Swedish DXers for CQWWDX Contest. Our callsign was HD2M, a very special experience!

During the years I have been using Ham radio as a very important tool of communication during many situations. Earthquake in Ecuador, Transport with Aid for children in Romania, and radio communication in Africa.

As a scout leader I have worked as operator on many large Scout Jamborees, the last one was the from SJ22S “22nd World Scout Jamboree Sweden 2011.” I was also in charge of the Morse code training program for the scouts.

Some years ago we started a Morse code training activity in Sweden where a large group met twice a week on 80 meters. We used SSB for voice communication, so I could talk to the students after they had listened to my CW transmission. They had to tell me what had been sent from my station by Morse code. It was a very successful training for many of them who had no local radio club to visit. A special CW-activity, SOCWA (Scandinavian Open CW Activity) started after some months which is still running on the Ham bands.

More info about my years as radio amateur you can read on QRZ.com.

This biography is what appeared in Solid Copy when the member joined CWops.

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