Mese: Dicembre 2023

Our good friend Volker, DL8JDX is currently embarked on M/S Hamburg heading Antarctica. They will be in the Antarctic until Jan. 29, 2024… unfortunately, no radio from him!
On the way on, Volker has already seen the stations Teniente Camara (WAP ARG-16), Gabriel de Castilla (WAP ESP-Ø2), Deception (WAP GBR-Ø2) and Almirante Brown (WAP ARG-Ø2). On the up and down cruise, the ship stopped at the Falkland Islands as well. 

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Over there, Volker had the opportunity to meet Bob, VP8LP and his wife Janet VP8AIB in Stanley, Falkland Islands; they are currently active with the special call VP8FLY from the  Stanley Airport.

The outdoor shack in the picture aside, is that one at the Airport of Stanley.

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TNX Volker DL8JDX

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WAP wish the Antarctic enthusiasts and the Ham radio community all over the World,  together with the personnel of Mario Zuchelli Station (WAP ITA-Ø1) and Concordia Station (WAP MNB-Ø3) a very Merry Christmas, and our great hope of PEACE and brotherhood in the world.  Pics and credit  #PNRA e #IPEV

On the cusp of the COP28 climate talks, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited Antarctica  and stopped at Chilean Base P.te Eduardo Frei (WAP CHL-Ø5), after previously saying the world must slash carbon emissions to prevent this delicate environment from melting.

Warming air and ocean temperatures are causing Antarctic ice to melt. The frozen continent plays a significant role in regulating Earth’s climate because it reflects sunlight away and drives major ocean currents.

For years, scientists and environmentalists have kept an eye on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet as an important indicator of global warming.

A study published in Nature Climate Change last month said warming has increased to the point that the ice sheet will now experience “unavoidable” melting regardless of how much the world reduces emissions of planet-warming gases like carbon dioxide.
The study’s lead author, Kaitlin Naughten, estimated that melting ice in Antarctica’s most at-risk areas could raise global sea levels by about 1.8 meters (5.9 feet) over the next few centuries.

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Read more at: Antarctica – latest news, breaking stories and comment

Thanks and Credit to: The Indipendent,   https://www.independent.co.uk

Ernest Krenkel was an explorer, radio operator, doctor of geographical sciences (1938), and Hero of the Soviet Union (1938). He held several Ameteur Radio callsigns: EU2EQ, U3AA, UA3AA, RAEM and RAEM/MM.  Born in Balystok, Poland 24 december 1903, Ernest Kernkel passes away in Moscow, on 8 december 1971.

Krenkel was in Antarctica, in 1968, the honored scientist shook off the antiquity for the last time and led another Polar expedition to Antarctica. 

Further, on February 6, 1969, on the Antarctic island of King George, where the Bellingshausen station is located, a meeting was held with the President of Chile, Eduard Frey, who visited the real one standing on this site. During the sail, Krenkel went on the air on shortwave amateur radio bands under the call sign RAEM/MM.

RAEM-120 Award
This year Russian Union of Radio Amateurs celebrates a significant date – 120 years since the birth of the outstanding polar explorer Ernst Teodorovich Krenkel (RAEM) the first Polar radio operator (RAEM). Date of this challenge is from  December 15 to 25, 2023.Here below, the list of call signs that will work at the E.T. Krenkel Memorial.
R120RAEM – Novosibirsk region
R120A – Moscow city
R120D – Moscow region
R120I – Tomsk region
R120K – Arkhangelsk region
R120M – Stavropol region
R120N – Nizhny Novgorod region
R120R – Tambov region
R120S – Sverdlovsk region
R120T – Tyumen region
R120W – Irkutsk region
R120X – Samara region

Check:  R120I – Callsign Lookup by QRZ Ham Radio for more info

In the book “The life of an engineer” written by, Zubkov E.V. , and on  “RAEM/MM is my callsign”, WAP picked up some paragraphs to get more info about Ernest Krenkel, Arctic & Antarctic veteran explorer:
See: raem009 (antentop.org)

On November 15, 1968,  R/V Professor Zubov,  set off on its first Antarctic voyage, carrying 250 participants of the 14th SAE (Soviet Antarctic Expedition). The scientific-research vessel Professor Zubov was bound for the shores of Antarctica to relieve its staff of winterers found there, and also for oceanographic research. Ernest Krenkel was one of the expedition members and the ship’s crew head. Krenkel was wintering at Molodezhnaya Station where the second batch of polar explorers from the fourteenth SAE was located, heading to Mirny, Vostok and Bellingshausen.

During the voyage on the R/V Zubov,  Krenkel, kept a diary. He was a gifted narrator, graphic, with apt language in which were no trite sentences or clumsy wording. Ernst Teodorovich appears before us as a very ordinary man who with boyish ardour is concerned with his daily watch on the air for radio amateurs.

In 1933, Krenkel sailed as a radio operator on the icebreaker Sibiryakov. For the first time in the history of navigation, the ship then passed the Northern Sea Route (from Murmansk to the Bering Strait) in one summer season.  

In 1934 RAEM was the callsign of the I/B Cheluskin smashed by     ice  in the North polar sea. I was the chief operatore –wrote krenkel- Since then RAEM is my personal amateur callsign.

In 1968, Krenkel was 65 years old. On the flight he was on, he was perceived as an old man. Gray-haired, tall, gaunt, bony. People treated him with respect and not because he was the flight commander, but they sympathized with him in a purely human way. His manner was conducive to that: accessibility, restrained benevolence. A person who has spent a long time in the closed, close collectives of polar stations cannot be arrogant and inaccessible. Here aside the Soviet postage stamp dedicated to Ernst Krenkel, a Soviet Arctic explorer, doctor of geographical sciences (1938), and Hero of the Soviet Union (1938).
WAP hopes the great family of the WW Radio Amateurs will join this important HF event!

TNX DX Trophy (Oleg UA6GG)

WAP Antarctic Bulletin nr. 301 relaesed today December 8th 2023 is available on line with last info and reported activity from Antarctica.
Bull 301 is downloadable at: http://www.waponline.it/wap-antarctic-bulletins/

The new graphic design of the bulletin was edited by Max IK1GPG and Betty IK1QFM and looks  modern in style, easy to read with nice relate pictures of QSLs.
Enjoy hunting Antarctic Stations and if/when possible, remind the Polar Institutes in your Countries  to promote Hamradio in Antarctica … as we get used in the past decades . Years ago,  almost all of the Scientific sites, Bases, Camps, Huts, Polar Ships in Antarctica were active on HF.
Year after year we are loosing many wondeful opportunity to lig rare Antarctic sites.  It could be that, personnel stationed in the Antarctic Bases had become a little lazy every year or that, the radio is no longer that intelligent distinctive element of connection between Antarctica and the outside world!

Grunehogna Mountain Base and Sarie Marais Field Base , at 72°Ø2’ØØ”South  Ø2°48’ØØ”West, 1047 mts of altitude, seems to be two different Antarctic Bases but really, it’s the same site which holds two names. (pic on the Left, shows Grunehogna, while pic on the Right sows Sarie Marais).

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Located 250km inland from the main SANAE IV Base (WAP ZAF-Ø3), this site that bears two names,  is a South Africa summer base which is used in support of Geological parties.

There is not much information about the Sarie Marais or Grunehogna Base on the web, but there is a NZ page Grunehogna Mountain Base, 250km inland from SANAE | Antarctica NZ  and a South Africa’s page  Sarie Marais Summer Station being raised (sun.ac.za) that shows a couple of pictures of this forgotten Base (which looks almost the same even if the pics are taken from different angles)  listed and numbered on WAP-WADA Directory as WAP ZAF-Ø4.

A QSL provided recently by Bob, K4MZU clearly show and documents a QSO dated  14 January 1992 with ZS5GMT Graham Tilbury who was operating ZS7ANT on 10 mts from Grunehogna Mountain Base as the operator detailed with a note on the rear side of the QSL card.

ZS5GMT, Graham Tilbury is currently resident in the US, his callsign is KK4FRD

Thanks o Bob K4MZU and to Olivier F6EPN (aka  Spratley Woody)  we have got some more documentation  covering this Base with two names  and who knows … after 30 years, maybe someone could try to activate it again … one day or another!

Humans didn’t discover Antarctica until 1820.

Once discovered, several nations sought to claim the continent as their own. As tension increased, some countries began working on a peaceful solution.

On December 1st, 1959 in Washington, D.C. delegates from 12 Countries (Argentina, Australia, Belgium, France, Chile, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, , Soviet Union, United Kingdom and United States), came together to sign the Antarctic Treaty which is considered to be one of the most successful achievements of the international community.

Antarctica Day , along with Midwinter Day, it is one of Antarctica’s two principal holidays.

Since then,  on December 1st, Antarctica Day recognizes the anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty  which established that Antarctica is and will remain a nature reserve dedicated to peace and science.

 It’s also a day to learn more about this cold and barren Continent, surf the pages of WAP website and enjoy Antarctica as much as we do.