Mese: Gennaio 2020

Where exactly are VP8PJ‘s planned to stay when at the South Orkneys DX-pedition?

Now we know it. The information is on https://sorkney.com/equipment/  :
Location:

We will be located on Signy Island in South Orkney Island Group. Our camp will be near the Waterpipe Hut near Waterpipe beach. The general terrain is a bluff near the ocean that is 10 to 20 M above the sea with over water path to EU.

So,  Waterpipe Hut (WAP GBR-34) lies in the same site where VP8ORK did operate in  2011.

Waterpipe Hut is situated on a rocky outcrop at Waterpipe Beach, Borge Bay, Signy Island 60°42’00” South,   45°36’30” West.

It was installed in 1999/2000 as a refuge hut and visited regularly by BAS personnel from Signy Station. Food and fuel  for any eventuality, are stored in the hut

The new Satellite Equipment for QO100 was installed at Neumayer III by a team of radio specialists, as reported on CQ-DL 2/2020, Volker, DL8JDX reports.

Dirk Steffens, a well known film maker from the German TV Station ZDF,  is currently at Neumayer III (WAP DEU-Ø8) and set an Interview with the Director of the German Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) Prof. Antje Boetius (see www.awi.de), who did update of the current research activities and the challenges about the climate change.

Volker, DL8JDX remind that DPØGVN and DP1POL are active,  but other active stations during this Antarctic summer season are: VP8HAL, KC4USV, 8J1RL, ZS7ANF, LU1ZV. Due to the still challenging propagation conditions in the current minimum sun activity, they are quite difficult to reach …

TNX Volker, DL8JDX,
a WAP „Ambassador“

 “Victoria Land Permanent Base” (Weiduoliyadi changnian zhan) is the actual working name of China’s  new Base.

China’s fifth station is designed to be a year-round research base which could accommodate 80 people in the summer and 30 people in winter. The new base will provide year-round support for  researchers conducting tasks such as observations of land, ocean, atmosphere, ice shelf and biology, establishment of an observation and monitoring network in the Antarctic, and survey of marine environmental protection.

On February 7, 2018, during China 34^th Antarctic Expedition, Chinese researchers laid the foundation and started to build its fifth Antarctic Research Station  on Inexpressible Island transferring large engineering equipments from China’s research icebreaker Xuelong. It is expected that full construction will be completed in 2022.

China has therefore opened its fifth Antarctic research station on Inexpressible Island in Terra Nova Bay, near the western shore of the Ross Sea, about 390 km Northwest of McMurdo(US) and Scott Base(NZ), 26 km from the Italian Base Mario Zucchelli (MZS) and Jang Bogo Station (South Korea).

The Artigas Antarctic Scientific Base was visited last Thursday by the Estonian delegation, headed by the country’s President, Kersti Kaljulaid, within the framework of the 200^th Anniversary of the Imperial Russian Navy expedition.

The freezing Antarctic morning, covered by a mist that made almost impossible to see beyond a few meters towards the horizon and fully covering the Collins Glacier did not prevent the President of Estonia, to visit the cold continent and stop at the Uruguayan  Antarctic Scientific Base-Artigas (WAP URY-Ø1).  After a warm reception by the Uruguayan staff that, in few minutes, made the visitors forget the cold, Uruguayans and Estonians shared a welcome breakfast with typical Uruguayan products.

The president of Estonia, Kersti Kaljulaid, did invite the members of the XXXVI Artigas Antarctic Campaign to come on board the 24 meters Dutch-built ketch sailboat Admiral Bellingshausen. The ship sailed off from Tallinn  harbor (Estonia) late on Sunday, July 2019 heading to  Antarctica. The long-planned voyage will be devoted to the 200^th Anniversary of the discovery of Antarctica, and its ice shelf, by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen a Baltic German from Saaremaa, at the time Captain in the Imperial Russian Navy.

TNX and credit: https://bnn-news.com/estonian-expedition-antarctica-200-leaves-for-six-month-journey-202995

The South Orkney archipelago is located about 600 miles to the S E of the Isla de los Estados, on the Atlantic Ocean, to the East of Isla Grande de la Tierra del Fuego of the extreme tip of Argentina; it consists of a group of nearly 40 islands and islets, most of them very small, with a total area of 1,000 square kilometers about.
Over there, next Febr.-Mar. 2020 a DX-pedition signing VP8PJ will land and operate for more than a week … but where they will operate from? Actually there are 2 Bases on the South Orkneys and few Refuges: which of those the Expedition will choose to operate?

Argentinean Naval Orkney Base (WAP ARG-15) is located at 60º44’02” South and 44º44’00″ West, on the Ibarguren isthmus, on Laurie Island, between Scotia Bay (to the South), Uruguay Bay (to the North), Cerro Mossman (to the West) and Glacier la Monja (to the East) and elevated 12 meters above sea level, this being the narrowest part of Laurie Island, which has an East-West extension of approximately 12 miles and its width is very variable.

The highest height of the island is Mount Ramsay, 454 meters high.  On the same Island, in the Cormoràn Point lies the homonymous Argentine flagging Refuge, which is active throughout the year providing support to patrols and biological works.

The British Antarctic Survey has a Base; Signy Research Station (WAP GBR-Ø9), established in 1947at  60°43′ Sout, 45° 36′ West, Factory Cove, Borge Bay, Signy Island, South Orkney Islands

Initially operated year-round, since 1995/6 the Signy Research Station (pic aside) has been open only from November to April each year.

Field Huts and hides have existed at one time or another at the following sites: Foca Cove, Gourlay Peninsula, Three Lakes Valley, Cummings Cove, Jane Col, Factory Bluffs, Moraine Valley, Shagnasty and North Point.

If the VP8PJ DX-pedition will choose one of the hereby listed sites, they will be given a new WAP reference

From the 1^st to the 28^th of February  Ukrainian SES will join the WW Antarctic celebrations for the 200^th Anniversary of the epic discover  by Faddey Bellingshausen,  captain of  the vessel “Vostok” and  Mikhail Lazarev  commander of  “S/V Mirny”.

Both station will join the 17^th Antarctic Activity Week : EM2ØØANT, WAP-3Ø5 and EN2ØØANT, WAP-3Ø6.

QSL via UT1KY , who reminds the Antarctic chasers his book “Antarctica is the sixth continent” ( see UT1KY on QRZ.com to get all details on how to get it)

TNX Pavlo, UT1KY

This Refuge  is a resting place where to take shelter  in case of  bad conditions or any other problematic situations with the weather or navigation. It lays inside the perimeter of Base Orcadas (WAP ARG-15) which is located on Laurie Island where at Cormoràn Point,  lies the homonymous refuge of Argentine flag (see pic aside).
Cormoran Refuge is active throughout the year  providing support to patrols and biological works.

It was asked if Cormoran Refuge could be a “New Entry” on WAP-WADA Directory; but being located near the Base it could not be considered as a separate entity, unless a specific future HF activation by some willing Hams, providing detailed location,  such as the real distance from the Orcadas Base main buildings.

-Professionally speaking, all fine here at Concordia- says Marco IAØ/DK5SQX –Our LIDAR instrument (Optical Radar used to make high-resolution maps, with applications in geodesy, geomagnetics, geography, geology and many other fields), works well and produce excellent results-.

On the radio wise, I will try to rip of some days to make few QSOs , also because the worldwide request is high. The main problem is that the Radio room is the center of the  Base operations,  and I can’t use it during the Base time work. In addition I must be followed by one of the radio room responsible and not only that is available to make some extra time watching me when I call CQ, particularly at night time!

I will try hard … but I’m  doubtful!

At the end of next week I will leave  Concordia to return back in Australia  with the French Icebreaker. I will stop for a while (one week) at Dumond D’Urville (WAP FRA-Ø1) and from there , sailing to Hobart  with  five navigation days.

I don’t know if the French Leader at DDU will allow me to operate, but for sure, I will ask.

TNX Marco IAØ/DK5SQX

The Brazilian Navy will inaugurate its new 4,500 m² Comandante Ferraz Antarctic Station (EACF) this month of January 2020.

The modular research facility, located in King George Island in the Keller Peninsula, has been designed by Estudio 41, the Brazilian project houses labs, operations and living quarters, and could be mistaken for an art museum or boutique hotel
Representatives from Brazil’s scientific community and government will head to Antarctica this month to inaugurate its new Comandante Ferraz Research Station (WAP BRA-Ø2), which replaces a facility lost to fire in 2012.
The base with the loss of two lives was destroyed by an explosion in February 2012, caused by a fire which raged through the compound where marine research work is carried out.

Apparently the fire started in a machine room housing energy generators before destroying the entire station, which had been built in 1984. Fifty-nine people were stationed at the base on King George Island when the fire broke out.

The coolest architecture on Earth is in Antarctica is really represented in the  two low-slung buildings, designed by Estudio 41, a Brazilian architecture firm, house laboratories, operational support and living quarters – and could be mistaken for an art museum or a boutique hotel.

Throughout the 20th Century, architecture in Antarctica was a pragmatic, largely makeshift affair, focused on keeping the elements out and the occupants alive. In 1959, the Antarctic Treaty dedicated the continent to research. Since then scientists have come in growing numbers, with ever more complex needs. Construction in Antarctica, long the purview of engineers, is now attracting designer architects looking to bring aesthetics – as well as efficiency, durability and energy improvements – to the Earth’s coldest neighbourhood. “As architects, we are concerned with human comfort, so we set out to create a kind of atmosphere that would promote well-being,”  said Emerson Vidigal, a principal at the firm.

More interesting  info at:
https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/real-estate/the-coolest-architecture-on-earth-is-in-antarctica

Read more at: https://en.mercopress.com/2019/10/10/brazil-will-reopen-its-antarctica-base-comandante-ferraz-next-january

Let’s hope that now, as in the past,  the Ferraz Base (WAP BRA-Ø2) will also be a chance for radio operators to be active on HF Ham bands to share with the world, the voice of this corner of the Icy Continent.

Release 1.35 (Jan. 1st 2020) of both WAP-WACA and WAP-WACA directories are now loaded on the Download section.
Check: http://www.waponline.it/wap-awards_download-rules/wap-wada__wap-waca_directories/

Release 034 (Jan. 1st 2020) of the updated IK6CAC software to manage the Awards is now available at:  http://www.waponline.it/wap-awards_download-rules/ik6cac-dbase-update/

New Release of the WAP Antarctic and Sub Antarctic Light House Directory (update Jan. 1st 2020) is also available at:
http://www.waponline.it/wap-antarctic-sub-antarctic-light-house-directory/

Enjoy Antarctica, Enjoy WAP … we are with you since 1979!

TNX IK1GPG & IK6CAC

The R2ØØANT event launched by Russian Robinsons Club is involving Hams (OM/SWL) from all over the world. Begun last Jan 1^st it will last till 31^st March 2020. A special Award activity dedicated to the «200 years of Discovery of Antarctica» that includes Award, Plaque and Trophy can be followed on RRC website https://rrc.hamlog.ru/?locale=en.

R2ØØANT is very active on all bands, all modes

Awards can be immediately downloaded and personally printed by accessing at:  https://hamlog.ru/dl.php?i=1319111

If you think to have achieved enough score, or if you just wish to check, enter https://hamlog.ru/dl.php?i=1319111 just put you callsign on the central window, select if you wish a jpeg or a  pdf format  and go!

Last day of the requests for the Awards program is 30.04.2020
TNX RZ3EC

R2ØØANT Special event Award with pictures and rules is now published on WAP website at:

http://www.waponline.it/worldwide-antarctic-awards/russia/ 

A special WAP reference WAP-3Ø4 has just been issued to R2ØØANT which operation falls into the WAP  Antarctic Activity Week (http://www.waponline.it/antarctic-activity-week/aaw-2020/) 10-17 Febr. 2020.

75° 21’ 54.5” South, 122° 24′ 49.3” East, on the Eastern Antarctic Plateau, , approximately 40 km at SW from Concordia Research Station (WAP MNB-Ø3) , Little Dome C (aka know as Dome Circe, Dome Charlie or Little Concordia) is the site of ice core drilling by field teams of several nations.

This Field Camp is really a Research Station,  where the “Beyond EPICA Oldest Ice Project” coordinated and  logistically supported by ENEA and IPEV make the core drilling to verify new sampling point that can go back in time. International team,  plans to extract 1.5-million-year-old ice that holds secrets about the planet’s ancient climate.

This year, scientists on the team, which includes 12 groups from 10 European countries, start drilling to the bottom of the 2.75 kilometers thick ice sheet at a site there.

Little Dome C Field Camp was established at an elevation of 3,233 meters (10,607 ft) above sea level, is one of several summits or “domes” of the Antarctic Ice Sheet,  1200 km from the coast, with an ice thickness of 2643 m and with an average annual temperature of -55°C.

At the light of the information acquired and the availability of several  pictures that shown the Field Camp, Little Dome C will be add to the WAP-WADA Directory as MNB-NEW  … hope some days this site can be “on Air” by some Hams among the researchers!