Mese: Ottobre 2017

In 1969 the “Patrulla Soberania”, living in small tents, and with picks, shovels and much efforts,  managed to give shape to the first airstrip in an Argentinean Antarctic Base. Thus was born the Marambio Base: gateway of large aircraft to the white continent.

Patrulla Soberania was a group of military members of the Antarctic crew of the Argentine Air Force 1968/69 (Winter 1969) who founded the Marambio base on Seymour Island in Antarctica on October 29, 1969.

See a video of Marambio Base now,  by cliking the gif aside

Concordia Station (aka Dome “C” Station, WAP MNB-Ø3)  is 1000 kilometers from the coast, 13 flight hours from  New Zealand. The next inhabited place is the Russian Antarctic Station “Vostok” (WAQP RUS-13),  600 kilometers far away.

A nice article written by Claudio Trevisan has been published on a magazine in Austria, is telling about Dr. Carmen Possnig a young 28yrs old Astronaut; from November 20^th she will stay at Concordia Station involved in the ESA (European Space Agency) projects; in other world isolated for a year to get used to  live flight to Mars.

“Concerning isolation the location provides similar conditions as a space ship. The life there can be in many ways compared with a manned longtime mission in space ” said the Austrian Dr. Carmen Possnig.

60 scientists from all over the World, among them Mechanic, installer,  Electrical engineer, surgeon, Astronomer, seismologist, climate and glacier researcher. “Contact the world” is only available by Internet … and unfortunately, no Hams there!

TNX Gus OE3SGA for information

On the day of “The Night of Museums”, Hams of the  “Radio Club QRM Belgrano” will be active as LU4AAO/D operating from the Marambio Antarctic Museum located in the town of Villa Adelina, Buenos Aires Province, next November 4th, 2017.

This will be a special event to spread the activities of Marambio Foundation, this time from one of the well known Argentinean Antarctic Museum.

LU4AAO/D has been given a WAP reference as WAP-286.

The Antarctic Museum will keep its doors open  Saturday, November 4th, 2017 between 8:00 to 24:00  and the Ham Radio operation will start approximately at 10:00 o’clock LU time (14:00 GMT), until tanout 04:00 GMT (24:00 LU). QSL via LU4AAO

“Radio Club QRM Belgrano” has just add the entry of LU4AAO/D as WAP-286 on the activation page at: http://lu4aao.org/Activacion_Museo_Antartico.htm  confirming on the mean time, the validity of LU4AAO/D as WAP-286  for the the WAP-WACA and WAP-WADA Certificates.

Check also https://qrz.com/db/lu4aao

In addition Radio Club QRM Belgrano will operate on next 21-23 Febr. 2018 in the occasion of the “Dia de la Antartida Argentina” which falls  in the middle of the 15th Antarctic Activity Week .More at:  www.marambio.aq/radioaficionadosmuseo2017.html

Fifty research projects on ecosystems and climate and 210 national and international technicians and researchers will be the protagonists of the XXXIII Summer Campaign of the  Italian National Research Program in Antarctica (PNRA), which officially starts with the opening of Mario Zucchelli Station, Terranova Bay, Antarctica.

The 2017-18 Campaign, funded with € 23 million from the Ministry of Education, University and Research and implemented by Enea for Logistics and CNR for Scientific Programming and Coordination, will last 4 months and will see the participation of researchers who will also carry out research activities at other Antarctic bases, in the climate of international collaboration that characterizes science in one of the most remote places in the Earth.

More at: https://www.cnr.it/it/comunicato-stampa/7719/ambiente-al-via-la-nuova-spedizione-italiana-in-antartide-210-ricercatori-e-50-progetti-di-ricerca-su-ecosistemi-e-clima and  http://www.italiantartide.it/

See a 7’ video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw8jGKWvxZM

WAPonline is the only Antarctic site dedicated especially to the Hams worldwide, but also a way to increase the interest around Antarctic Continent and its related  matters; to give students and chasers, the opportunity to share our passion, with the aim to stay close to the researchers and personnel  who are spending their time away from home and families.

189 different Countries did visit WAP site and yesterday we did break the wall of 100,000 vivits.  The top 10 Countries are:

USA               20,1%

Italy               16,3%

Germany       9,3%

France           5,2%

Canada          4%

Spain             3%

India              3%

Russia           3%

UK                  2,8%

Belgium         2,1&

Thanks for following WAP, with its Awards, Photo Galleries, the huge Antarctic QSL Gallery and lots more!

Stay with us and enjoy Antarctica as much as we do!

Vanda Station was an Antarctic Research Base in the western highlands (Victoria Land) of the Ross Dependency, specifically on the shore of Lake Vanda, at the mouth of Onyx River, in the Wright Valley. The four original station buildings were constructed in the summers of 1967–1968 and 1968–1969, just prior to the first winter-over by a five-man team from January to October 1969.

Subsequent wintering parties occupied the station in 1970 and 1974. During summer seasons, Vanda Station was fully staffed until 1991.

Scientific programs principally included meteorology, hydrology, seismology, earth currents, and magnetics. The station was administered by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), and was supported logistically by the permanent New Zealand research Scott Base  (WAP NZL-Ø1) on Ross Island.

In 1995, environment concerns resulted in the base being closed. Various activities associated with the station’s occupation, including excavations, the erection of buildings, disturbances caused by vehicle movements, the storage of consumables, waste disposal, and accidental spills, led to the effort to remove the station.

Today, an Automatic Weather Station is at the site of former Vanda Station, and Lake Vanda Hut, a shelter that is periodically (summer only) occupied by 2 to 8 New Zealand stream researchers

Vanda Station: History of an Antarctic Outpost 1968-1995,  is a 52 pages book written by  Dr David Harrowfield pubblished  by  New Zealand Antarctic Society, 1999

The book is Available in the National Library of Australia collection, and through the N.Z. Antarctic Society, PO Box 404, Christchurch, N.Z.

Vanda Station is listed on WAP-WADA directory as WAP NZL-NEW, waiting someone to put it on the air!

One of the most important Argentine  Antarctic Museum did open its doors on the occasion of the Anniversary of Marambio Base foundation .

The Antarctic Museum of the Marambio Foundation located in Cerrito street 4092/4, Villa Adelina, Buenos Aires  province,  is  opened to the public every Monday through Friday from 9:00 to 12:00 and from  2:00 to 6:00PMm, during the whole month of October and until Wednesday, November 15,  with free admission, offering  special visits to educational institutions, retired or tourist groups and others.

It’s a great importance for teachers,  students and the public in general; it has illustrations on the history and general subjects related to the Argentina Antarctic sector and testimonies on the foundation of Base Marambio  (WAP ARG-21)  , fact that is included in the School Calendar.

More  at: www.marambio.aq/museovillaadelina.html

Photo gallery at: https://spark.adobe.com/page/GVFXhtmajdfIc/

As global warming reshapes the Arctic and Antarctic, a new designed Museum  like a giant iceberg,  dedicated to the Poles has been opened last march 2017. The Museum built by the son of a renowned French explorer aims to show “the beauty of polar landscapes” and illustrate the consequences of climate change. The new museum dedicated entirely to the Arctic and the Antarctic has opened in Prémanon, France.

Just like a frozen floe, over 60% of the Espace des Mondes Polaires Paul-Emile Victor museum is actually located beneath the surface. Much of the museum’s collection is made up of documents and objects that belonged to the great French explorer Paul-Emile Victor who travelled extensively across both Polar regions. It includes an assortment of notes, manuscripts and expedition reports as well as footage shot in the Arctic. Other objects on show include Inuit art, kayaks, pottery and stuffed animals such as polar bears and wolves.

Founded by Victor’s son, Jean-Christophe, one of the key objectives of the museum is to highlight the changes both regions are currently undergoing. As well as a permanent exhibition, the museum will host a number of temporary displays regarding the Arctic and Antarctic. It also has an ice rink and a restaurant.

Others important Museums are:  The Polar Museum in Cambridge, England ; the Arctic & Antarctic Museum in St Petersburg Russia;   André expedition Polarcenter Museum in Gränna, Sweden; the Polarship Fram Museum Museum in Oslo; Museo Nazionale dell’Antartide Felice Ippolito located in 3 sites in Italy:  Trieste (http://www.mna.it/trieste/trieste-sede-espositiva)  , Genova (http://www.mna.it/genova/genova-sede-espositiva) and Siena (http://www.mna.it/siena/siena-sede-espositiva). Famous is also the Antarctic Museum in Buenos Aires-Argentina (http://www.antartidaurbana.com/museo-antartico-en-buenos-aires/?lang=en  and  http://cruncho.com/buenos-aires/visit/museo-de-la-direccion-antartica-gral-hernan-pujato-2781689/)

Finally we did find a time to upload another batch of Antarctic QSLs into the WAP Antarctic QSL Gallery. Some of the cards are Old and rare, some are New to confirm last activities and new callsigns showed up recently from Antarctica.

These “New Entries”  are bringing the total quantity nearly to 2800 cards loaded in different albums; one for each Country. Now a day  WAP Antarctic QSL Gallery is the largest one WW, and it includes several real ancient cards loaded in a specific Album. Thanks to  the great help of several Hams worldwide who did send us their cards.

Once again a request: If you know some Old Timers having ancient or rare Antarctic cards, please ask to scan them and forward to WAP, Our Dbase of QSL card is like a glass coffin, where everybody can enjoy watching the jewels inside… and they will never get lost.

If you are Ham DXers, please scan your Antarctic & Sub Antarctic QSLs if they are missing on the Gallery and send them on. We will be more than pleased to join them to the existing collection and share them on, all the way.

Just a couple of suggestion to surf the Gallery:
Enter the page by clicking WAP Antarctic QSL Gallery on the main page, then click on enter. Now you are on the Gallery; always remember to click the red square with a ”+” inside and you will open the Country list,  one county by one and you can see all the cards loaded- There are several galleries on the Album:

Antarctic QSL Gallery

Sub-Antarctic Territories

Special Events QSL Gallery

Polar Ship Gallery

Antarctic Philatelic Gallery

Marconi QSL Gallery

To enter each one of them, just click on ”+” inside the small red square aside to the left.

Last 24 & 25 sept. Prof Ph D Julius Fabbri went to  MAECI (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation) in Rome for a second time, to discuss the progress of its  IPSSIA Project.

It was a fruitful time  and a chance to access the historical-diplomat archive of the “Farnesina”,  the headquarters of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Rome.
– I thank infinitely S.E. Amb. Ferdinando Nelli Feroci and Mr. Min. Armando Barucco together with the staff of the Archives and library for their invaluable contribution – said Prof. Ph D Julius Fabbri.

An envelope has been delivered “own hands” to Tomas Ferrari‘s new Argentina ambassador in Italy. –Open Argentina to the world’ – was the choice of Ferrari when he was nominated  as Argentina’s representative to Rome, and this is certainly a good wish.

-We strongly hope in the help of Argentina to complete the collection of the necessary material for the definition of the IPSSIA project and finally have the first Italian Antarctic historical site where, time ago the Giacomo Bove Base was built by Renato Cepparo 1976’s Expedition- declared Prof. Ph D Julius Fabbri.