Mese: Maggio 2019

Stamps issued by the Argentine Post Office whose vignettes have designs related with the thematic of the Argentine Antarctic and the Malvinas Islands  are always a source of great interest, whether it is a commemoration of special events, expeditions, scientific activities, Antarctic bases, Argentine ships that sail in the Antarctic waters.

Now, Correo Argentino pays tribute to Antarctica with two postal pieces. We have already seen the 1^st one, celebrating the 50^th Anniversary of the foundation of Base Marambio (WAP ARG-21).
The second block sheet, is an emission dedicated to the ARA Icebreaker “Almirante Irízar”, a ship that gives logistic support in the summer campaigns supplying the Antarctic Bases, in addition to performing scientific tasks in glaciology, meteorology, the survey of the submarine platform of the Icy Continent.

The print of this series, run in 20,000 copies of each theme and is now available for sale in the E-store or in any philatelic branch of Argentina.

Source: https://www.correoargentino.com.ar/

Last Antarctic Activity Week (Febr.2019) has seen a great participation of Hams from several countries WW. Since 16 years, François  F8DVD, one of the most active Antarctic enthusiasts, takes part in the event with a special callsign as usual.

Last past AAW 16^th edition, he got TM16AAW and now he shows the QSL that will confirm his QSOs.
QSL have been printed by the printing shop at IT9EJW company

The picture shows the Base O’Higgins (WAP CHL-Ø2) which is a Chilean station established in 1948. The O’Higgins Base is situated at Cape Legoupil on Trinity peninsula (63°19’ South,  57° 53’ West). The German Antarctic Receiving Station (GARS)   was established at O’Higgins in 1991 by the German Aerospace Center. It is a satellite ground station sited to enable reception of data from satellite-based sensors within the Southern Polar region.

TNX François  F8DVD, TM16AAW

A new postal emission for the fiftieth anniversary of Marambio Base foundation 1969 – October 29 -2019 is now available to collectors!

Inside the  Antarctic Museum of the Marambio Foundation, there is the so-called Antarctic Philatelic Corner,  which exhibits philatelic postal pieces that certify various Antarctic events. The corner, bears the name of “Comodoro Salvador Alaimo”, who was a well-known collector of stamps, envelopes and postal marks related to the theme of Antarctica and  Malvinas Islands.

“Filatelia del Correo Argentino” has just issued a postal series in tribute to the 50th anniversary of the founding of Marambio Base (WAP ARG-21) in Antarctica Argentina (1969 – October 29 – 2019).

Marambio Foundation and  Filatelia del Correo Argentino, did provide graphic, historical material and reporting details about this event such as the design of high artistic quality that makes this emission a real great job. Here aside, the postmark of the 1st day emission

The postal series are available in all the Philatelic stores  Argentina and on the Internet since  April 29, 2019, while the official launching  is expected for the month of June, in commemoration of the Day of the Antarctic Confraternidad, 21 of June.

 

Read more at: http://www.marambio.aq/emisionpostal50.html
and also: http://marambio.aq/pdf/RESFIL1392.pdf 

Information on how to order or buy this new emission can be seen at: https://www.correoargentino.com.ar/

Doctor Guillermo Mann Base (formerly Camp Shirreff) is the second of the three research Bases that INACH (Instituto Antartico Chileno) has in  Antarctica. It is located at 62º27’00″South, 60º47’00″West on the east side of Cape Shirreff on Joannes Paulus II peninsula on Livingston Island in the South Shetlands off the Antarctic peninsula.

It is near the  US Shirreff Base (WAP USA-NEW) administrated by the United States.

The Base (named after the Chilean zoologist, naturalist and ecologist Guillermo Mann, who participated in 1947 on the first Chilean Antarctic Expedition) , should not to be confused with the “old”  Doctor Guillermo Mann or Spring-INACH Base (WAP CHL-NEW) from 1973 that is located in the  Spring Point, Hughes Bay (today it’s not operational).
http://www.inach.cl/inach/?page_id=12694

Doctor Guillermo Mann Base (WAP CHL-Ø8) has allowed to generate knowledge in terrestrial and marine biology, and disciplines such as geology and glaciology.
Since the site is in a protected area, its access requires a special permit.

The base was inaugurated in 1991, it is equipped with communications HF radios, VHF radios and satellite telephony. Only CE9MFK has been active from Doctor Guillermo Mann Base in 1995 and 1999

Shirreff Base (official name Cape Shirreff Field Station),is located at 62°28’12” South, 60°46’16” West,  on the East side of Cape Shirreff on Joannes Paulus II Peninsula on Livingston Island of the South Shetlands. It’s a seasonal field station operated by the United States,  opened in 1996 .

 

Every austral summer, the US AMLR Program conducts predator studies at Cape Shirreff field Station.
Each week, the field research team sends updates on their work.

 

Shirreff Field Station WAP USA-NEW and the nearby Chilean Base called Refuge Dr. Guillermo Mann, WAP CHL-NEW are few meters each other and so far no Ham radio operators have been active from there.  It’s a real shame, particularly if considering  that both locations are visited yearly and an operation from there could qualify both references!

When someone be active from there?

Base Antarctica Belgrano I  was located on Piedrabuena Bay on the Filchner Ice Shelf at  77°46’ South, 38°11’ West.  At the time of its inauguration in 1954 it became Argentina’s southernmost permanent base. It was shut down in 1980 over safety concerns due to it being built on increasingly unstable ice, which endangered both personnel and equipment.

A new, larger replacement base was established further south, and named Belgrano II (WAP ARG-Ø6) followed by Belgrano III (WAP ARG-Ø7) which became the southernmost of the three.

 

Brief history of Base General Belgrano I:
On 18 November 1954 the Antarctic Naval Task Force commanded by Capt. Alicio E. Ogara  (see picture below ) sailed from Buenos Aires with the objective of setting up a base on the Filchner Ice Shelf that would serve as a launch point for expeditions to the South Pole.
On 2 January 1955 the expedition sailed up to the southernmost point of the Weddell Sea at 78° 01′ South. At the time it was the highest austral latitude ever reached by boat, and a new world record was set.
The task force then sailed north along the ice wall, seeking for an anchoring place.

On 3 January 1955 Brig.Gen. Hernan Pujato, director of the Argentine Antarctic Institute, flew over the ice shelf area aboard a helicopter to choose a suitable place to mount the base, selecting a small cove where the high wall of ice sloped down to the sea. The unloading of the materials, equipment, tools, instruments and consumables was conducted from ARA General San Martín. The team built a main house, four quonset huts, food stores and hangar. They left on the new base enough fuel for three years.

Belgrano I (WAP ARG-Ø5) was shut down after 25 years of continuous service due to the fast deterioration of the ice barrier it was sitting on; new often hidden cracks and crevices endangered the on-duty personnel and material. The Base was closed on January 1980 and all of its staff and equipment were evacuated by helicopters operating from the Icebreaker ARA Almirante Irizar.

According to WAP-WACA Directory the following stations have been activre at Base Berlgrano I from 1959 through 1963: LU1ZT, LU1ZX, LU1ZW, LU2ZX, LU2ZRM, LU9ZX..Any further information about other stations active from there could be sent  to IK1GPG (see QRZ.com

Germany is one of the Consultative Parties of the Antarctic Treaty since 1981 and maintains a long-term commitment to scientific research in Antarctica. The Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) as the national co-ordinator,  enables Germany to fulfill this role by its research, long term monitoring and survey activities. It provides the main mobile and stationary infrastructure for Antarctic research, and thus maintains the permanent German presence in Antarctica. The new institute was named after one of the really prominent German polar researchers, who developed the first in-depth ideas about continental drift.

In austral summer 1979/1980 a scientific expedition under the leadership of Heinz Kohnen on the Norwegian M/S “Polarsirkel” took place in the Weddell Sea. One major issue was the site survey for the selection of a suitable location to build the German research station. A location on the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf at 77°36’South and 50° 40’West was selected as a first choice.

Construction, technology and living conditions on the two German Antarctic research stations Georg von Neumayer Station (GvN, operational 1981/82 to 1992) and Neumayer Station II (NM-II, operational from 1992 through 2007 then replaced by a new Neumayer Station III (NM-III) in 2009

https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/28578/1/Polarforsch2006_1-2_5.pdf

Georg von Neumayer Station (GvN) WAP DEU-Ø1

Neumayer Station II (NM-II) WAP DEU-Ø2

 

Planned under the supervision of Hartwig Gernandt, Neumayer III Station (70°40’S and 08°16’W) WAP –DEU-Ø8,  was inaugurated on 20^th February 2009 as the new German Antarctic research Base. It is operated by the Alfred Wegener Institut (AWI) Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar-und Meeresforschung and follows the Georg-von-Neumayer Station (1981-1992) WAP DEU-Ø1 and Neumayer II Station (1992-2009) WAP DEU-Ø2 as the German overwintering station on the Ekström Ice Shelf in Antarctica.

Neumayer III Station WAP DEU-Ø3  integrates research, operational and accommodation facilities in one building (see video below).