An interesting article published at: https://polarjournal.ch/en/2024/01/31/meet-the-czech-scientists-who-convinced-their-government-to-go-to-antarctica/?fbclid=IwAR3oKt7Ny65_Hs8NENd4R-10MJgaub-HbZ398NfRtyBobNotHLV_OQLPDAE remind us that one of the rare Antarctic Station “Gregor Mendel” (WAP CZE-NEW), has been recently reopened . The main part of the expedition team has left on 24 January for the Mendel Polar Station on James Ross Island, where they will arrive around Febr. 9th to spend two months there.
Actually the Czech team consists of 24 participants; nine researchers (two of them women, one of them from Charles University), one doctor, four technicians and a two-member film crew consisting of Petr Horký, a traveller and documentary filmmaker, as well as an experienced polar explorer who has made expeditions to the three poles of the Earth (North, South and the Cold Pole), and Jan Šimánek, a cameraman. They will be shooting a unique documentary about the Czech Antarctic Research Programme for Czech Television.
It’s a great news for the “Antarctic Chasers”; let’s hope it could be possible that in a near future some Ham radio operation could be performed down there as well. The station is the property of Masaryk University in Brno and was named after the father of modern genetics, the meteorologist Gregor Johann Mendel
Some members of the expedition are at the Eco Nelson Base (WAP CZE-Ø1) on Nelson Island. This smaller expedition will last at Echo Nelson six weeks in total, of which, almost four weeks will be spent working on King George Island and Nelson Island. At the end of this part of the expedition, two participants will travel to the Ukrainian station Vernadsky (WAP UKR-Ø1) on Galindez Island to continue working on the joint Czech-Ukrainian research project, and will return to Europe in early May.
TNX Český antarktický výzkumný program
Mendel Polar Station is a “New One” for Radioamateurs WW, who are collecting contacts in HF with the Antarctic Bases. WAP did suggest the Český antarktický výzkumný program that it will be great if Mendel Polar Station coul be “On Air” for the 1st time. Testing HF propagation from Antarctica is not only an exercise, but something of science!
They are good and clever guys, let’s hope that our appeal will be heard!
See the interesting video at: Czech researchers depart for new Antarctic station | Radio Prague International