"S/Y BONA TERRA" sailing Antarctic waters

Janusz Slowinsk SP9YI is the skipper of Bona Terra , a 14 mts Sailing Yacht, which is actually on Antarctic waters  up and down between King George Island (Polish Base Henryk Arctowski), Ushuaia and the Falklands.

The "S/Y BONA TERRA" will sail that area until February 2008. Janusz  operates as SP9YI/MM from onboard using an ICOM HF/VHF/UHF . He prefers digital modes(PSK31),  but he can operate SSB and CW on 20 mts.
Web Page of his program is on:
http://www.antarktyda.pl/

TNX IT9MRM Alberto Mattei

New Bases:

WAP Directory has been updated with some New Bases active and activated as follow:

Multi-National
Nordenskiöld Base, Nunatak Basen, Western Dronning Maud Land  73°03' S, 13° 25' W (Finland-Sweden) (WAP MNB-xxx).

Pakistan:
Muhamad Ali Jinnah Base,
Reine Mary Coast, 70° 24' S,  25° 45' E  (WAP PAK-xxx) 

Spain:

Base Orcadas, Coronation Island.  South Orkneys,  60° 44' S,  44°44' W  (WAP ESP-Ø3). Operation done in January & February 1991 by EDØBOD. This station was credited so far as WAP ARG-15. When submitting next up date, WAP Awards chasers will get their contact with   EDØBOD  automatically converted on WAP ESP-Ø3 .

This 3 new instertions will be on the next release of WAP Directory 2008. 

Enjoy Antarctica ...WAP is the right site to do it!

Discovering Polar Ships:
M/V L’Astrolabe
Built in 1986, the L'Astrolabe is a French multi-purpose vessel also used for oceanographic cruises and marine science. The L'Astrolabe is the main resupply vessel used by The Institute Polaire  Francais for supply the French base, Dumont D’Urville (WAP FRA-Ø1), in Adelie Land. The vessel has been used every year since the 1988-89 summer season to resupply Dumont D'Urville. In addition, it regularly carries passengers and cargo for the joint French and Italian station of Concordia at Dome C. In August 1991, the L'Astrolabe became the first European ship since 1922 to complete the Northeast Passage through the Arctic to Japan during a collaborative French, Japanese and Russian expedition.
According to http://www.sailwx.info/shiptrack/shiplocations.phtml today 30 October 2007, L’Astrolabe is located at 54°12' South, 145°06 East sailing South in Antarctic waters heading French DDU  Base.

ABOA Research Station, Finland.

WAP FIN-Ø1 

The Finnish Antarctic Research Station Aboa (73° 03' South, 13° 25' West) was built in Western Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, in 1988 at about 400 mts above the sea level. Aboa is located 130 km from the shore, on the Nunatak Basen partially snow covered surface, in the Vestfjella Mountains. It was designed and built by the Technical Research Centre of Finland, the work being funded by the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

With a maximum summer population of  20, Aboa is designed to provide for normal expeditions size of about 10 persons. It is refurbished during the southern summer by 6 intercontinental flights plus 10 intracontinental flights per season and one ship visit.  The station consists of a main building, 3 laboratory containers, storehouse containers, a vaulted hall, a generator building, and a vehicle hall. At the time of mid-winter on the northern hemisphere, conditions in Antarctica are most suitable for research activity, air temperature being approximately minus 0-15 °. The size of expeditions has been increasing continuously, and therefore the enlargement of Aboa has become relevant,  more working and accommodation space will be built, and  will also be developed into a more energy-saving and environment friendly facility. Aboa is occupied only during the Antarctic summer and science activities are carried out by the Finnish Antarctic Research Program (FINNARP) http://www.fimr.fi .

Studies and researches are mostly focused on Geosciences: Hardrock, Quaternary, Marine, Solid earth geophysics, paleoclimatology Continental Glaciology, Onshore geology, Geodesy and mapping Marine and atmospheric sciences (Weddell sea): marine biology, marine chemistry, marine physics, climatology and Meteorological observations. Human and medical studies such as Human biology. 
The Swedish Research Station Wasa (WAP SWE-Ø4) 73º 03’ South, 13º 25’ West is located only 200 metres from Aboa. Together the two stations form the the Nordenskiöld Base Camp (WAP MNB-NEW).
Credit & TNX to: http://www.fimr.fi/en/etelamanner/finnarp/tutkimusasema-aboa.html  

WAP Antarctic Activity Week 18-24 Febr. 2008

WAP is receiving new calls for new entries to the 5^th AAW (18-24 Fe.2007). We wish to suggest those who have not yet decided, to apply for Special Callsigns and requiring the WAP Reference number.

5^th AAW will see again the participation of the Italian Air Force with its Special callsign; for that we wish to thank immensely the IAF General Staff for their sensitiveness.

Someone has already designed a new QSL for the event, which is the largest one in the world, to celebrate once a year the Antarctic Continent .
Congrats to the OE boys for being present once again .

TNX Gus, OE3SGA

Tracking the Polar Ship down in Antarctic waters
October is the month where Polar ships are moving south to refurbish the Antarctic Bases. It will be fine though to see the itinerary and track their location.
Ship Tracker is available at: http://www.sailwx.info and  from there we can see that:  

M/V Agulhas is sailing 46°South, quite close to Prince Edward & Marion islands.

Icebreacker Nathaniel B. Palmer is actually close to 70°S on Bellinghausen sea.

RSS James Clark Ross is at 51° South off the coast of Falkland islands.

RSS Laurence M. Gould stands at 53° South  sailing the Straight of Magellan .

Looking at the maps on the Ship tracker's web site, the dots marked with numbers are buoys and each coordinate is available on a list.
Enjoy Antarctica at WAP.... where else?

A quick note about ZS7/ZS1FAD : QSL information

ZS1FAD is the callsign issued to Anton Feun , P.O. Box 491 Rondebosch 7701   South Africa, who is actually operating from Antarctica as ZS7/ZS1FAD.

According to  Mehdi F5PFP, the request of QSL for actual activity of ZS7/ZS1FAD from SANAE IV Base (WAP ZAF-Ø3) is the following:
Hermanus Magnetic Observatory
Mister Anton Feun
PO BOX 32
Hermanus 7200,  South Africa.

WAP reminds to the readers that Anton is checking the Antarctica Net: 14315 or 14335  on week ends from 17:30Z and ahead.

Information coming from OPDX Bulletin
Nr. 828 October 15, 2007

VP8, SOUTH GEORGIA ISL.
Lars, MMØDWF, will be active from Husvik(an old whaling station) located on South Georgia Island as VP8DIF from January 27th to February 28th, 2008. Activity will be on all bands, depending on his work schedule. QSL via DJ9ZB, Franz Langner, P.O. Box 150,  D-77950 ETTENHEIM , Germany, direct or by the bureau.
Further information can be found at:
http://www.lars-boehme.de/vp8dif/index.html

WAP reminds the Chasers that Husvik Station is WAP referenced as WAP GBR-27.

Spanish Polar ship  HESPERIDES & LAS PALMAS

From: Pepe EA5KB & Medhi F5PFP
A group of EA5s operators ( EA5VN,  EA5CP, EA5YU) from URE Cartagena,  all military members, has got permission to operate on board of Antarctic polar ship Hesperides  which is attached in the port of Cartagena. The place where the Ship is anchored is within the Naval Base of the Cartagena Arsenal , a military restricted area. The operation will take place from November 3^th  to November 4^th and the call will be AO5URD (Valid for the Antarctic Challenge as Polar ship). There is a permission for 10 people issued for Sunday November 4^th  to visit M/V Hesperides,  and Pepe EA5KB will be there. He did promised us some pictures.
In addition, the same of group EA5s has good hope to obtain a permission for the other Spanish Polar ship "Las Palmas" , which  will be soon anchored for a while  to the Cartagena Arsenal  before his departure to Antarctica. This activity would not have been possible without EA3NW, EA3JL, EA5KB and their efforts. So, many thanks to all the EA friends for their help.
TNX EA5KB & F5PFP
Just remind the WAP Chasers that the Polar ships will count for WAP only if they are sailing the Antarctic or Sub-Antarctic waters, while  are OK for the Antarctic Challenge of the French Polar Team) , independently on where they are.
On 11 February 1992,  M/V Hesperides did sail below the Antarctic Polar Circle at 66' 33'' South , being the first Spanish Navvy ship sailing so far down.
See: http://www.revistaiberica.com/De_interes/hesperides.htm
Let’s hope next Spanish Antarctic Season will bring some Ham operators on board of Las Palmas and from the Spanish Juan Carlos I  Base, WAP ESP-Ø1.

Princess Elisabeth Station: Utsteinen, Antarctica.
Belgium is celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the foundation of the first Belgian Research Station in Antarctica (Roi Baudouin Base WAP BEL-01)and the foundation of the 2nd new Station Princess Elisabeth (WAP BEL-NEW).  
Princess Elisabeth, the world's first "zero emission" scientific research station and Belgium' new Antarctic Base, functioning entirely on renewable energies., was inaugurated at Tour & Taxis in Brussels, on September 5th 2007 by H.R.H. Prince Philippe of Belgium and presented to the general public from the 6th to the 9th of September. A Special stamp , special envelope and first day of emission has been issued to celebrate the event:
http://www.post.be/site/en/postgroup/aboutus/structure/subsidiaries/philately/stamps/2007/items/12_Antarctique.html 
Thanks to Dr. Eddy De Busschere for sending one of them for the WAP web site.
Picture on the right, show Prince Philippe, after having given a trilingualspeech (French, Dutch and English) for the inauguration ceremony http://www.antarcticstation.org 
The station is currently being dismantled by the workers and ready to travel to Antarctica for the assembling. On International Polar Foundation web site, http://www.polarfoundation.org/ you can find all relevant news concerning the station's evolution. A virtual visit of the Station's interior is available at:http://www.antarcticstation.org/flash/virtual/index.html .This virtual animation created by Eyecone allows you to visit the interior of the new polar station as though you were inside the station. In order to discover theinside of the Princess Elisabeth Station, all you need to do, is to choose the room you wish to visit and select the red dot on the adjacent design map.
WAP, Antarctic passion lives here!

Falkland Islands WAP GBR-25

Being located in the Sub Antarctic zone, the Falklands are qualifying for WAP Awards, though referenced as WAP GBR-25.
Some new callsigns did show up recently on the air; one of them is VP8PTG who will be there for a long period.

Brian Adams G4RVF did write us, saying:
I am the QSL manager for Fred VP8PTG but I heard from him for quite some time. I don’t have an e-mail address for him, but you could try writing to him at:
Mr. Fred Simpson
4 Ross Road.
Stanley. Falkland Islands,  South Atlantic.

I know Fred also used to operate on 6mtrs so you might try for that as well.The latest on Fred is that he was worked on10.1Mhz at around 21:30Hrs on 7 Oct 07 CW.

TNX G4RFV

Antarctic DX-pedition
A  cruise Antarctic DX-pedition of  4 weeks with an appropriate and safe  sailing boat could be organized in January 2009 for the following  trip, departing from Ushuaia WAP ARG-23:  
1-KING  GEORGE isl.
Macchu Picchu base, WAP  PER-Ø1, Station G (traces) WAP GBR-Ø8, Rep del Ecuador Refuge WAP PER-NEW , Comdt  Ferraz WAP BRA-Ø2, Lenie field station WAP USA-NEW.
2-NELSON isl.
Gurruchaga  refuge WAP ARG-NEW

3-GREENWICH isl.
Maldonado refuge WAP ECU-Ø1, Bahia Yankee  refuge WAP CHL-NEW
4-LIVINGSTON island
Juan Carlos base WAP ESP-Ø1, Shireff  station WAP USA-NEW
5-DECEPCION
Station B (traces) WAP GBR-Ø2, Gabriel de Castrilla  station WAP ESP-Ø2.
6-   Probably 1 or 2 more islands depending of sailing conditions  then back to Ushuaia WAP ARG-23
At this stage, I'm searching 5 passengers (amateur  radio op or not) Price 6000 to 6500 euros per person (from Ushuaia to  Ushuaia).
If you are interested,  and for more details, send an email to:
Mehdi F5PFP -----> f5pfp@aliceadsl.fr
TNX Medhi, F5PFP

2007-2008 Antarctic Season is just begun!
Several bases and Antarctic sites are opening their doors and activity from Antarctic reportes are starting again as every years. For those interesting in reading news from the South, WAP is reporting now an interesting one:
POLAR NEWS is a web site that offers Polar information in German language. You can find it on:
http://www.polar-news.com/.
Do not forget The Antarctic Sun (in English) the newspaper of Mac Murdo Station (WAP USA-22) .
ATKAXPRESS,  the newspaper of  Neumayer Station (WAP DEU-Ø2), the southernmost German language newspaper is available at: 

http://www.awi.de/de/infrastruktur/stationen/neumayer_station/aktuelles_von_der_station/atkaxpress/

HONOUR ROLLS!
Congrats to:
Marc De Brabandere ON5FP for having just received his
RABA Honour Roll Nr. 25
Joe De Gasperin I2YDX for his WACA TOP HR Nr.3

Antarctic passion .. the unique one.
Here at the WAP web site ... where else?

Antarctic Videos

Some Antarctic videos  are now available here on the WAP site by clicking on WAP VIDEO gif located to the bottom left of  the topics list.

More will be add in the near future.

Enjoy it ….enjoy WAP

73 from WAP Staff

SANAE IV  (WAP ZAF-Ø3)
Anton ZS1FAD/ZS7 is showing up on schedule.
We have just received a couple of new pics from Medhi. Anton ZS1FAD is enjoying again to be on the air as in the year 2002. Check regularly on week ends 14.343 MHz at 17:30 GMT and also the spots on Packet Cluster sent by Volker ZS1Y who is following the ZS7 from Vlaeberg (Cape Town), the site of Polar departures.
In addition:
8J1RL SYOWA Base (WAP JPN-Ø3), is  also active, while Tris VP8ROT will operate at Rothera Base under VP8/MMØTJR from the "Caboose Hut" on the Antarctic DX Net as well. More details later.The show must go on, and some others great news will be announced later.
73 de Mehdi F5PFP.
TNX F5PFP
WAP Antarctica since 1979.... stay with us and enjoy it

BASE ESPERANZA

WAP-ARG-Ø4

Thanks to Medhi F5PFP we have received some recent pictures of LU1ZV operated by Edgardo. This one is often on the Antarctic Net 14.315 MHz every Saturdays and Sundays, starting  around 19:00Z together with Horacio LU4DXU who is also his QSL Manager.

SYOWA BASE WAP JPN-Ø3. 8J1RL  is also active; Kimio checks sometimes also on 14.335 around 17:00 GMT time .

TNX Mehdi F5PFP for the pics.

NORWEGIAN POLAR INSTITUTE
http://npweb.npolar.no/international 
The Norwegian Polar Institute is Norway's central institution for research, environmental monitoring and mapping of the polar regions. The Institute is the Norwegian authorities' consultant and supplier of knowledge, and contributes to the best possible administration of Norwegian polar areas.
The Norwegian Polar Institute has roots back to 1906 when the first scientific expedition to Svalbard took place. The Institute is a continuation of Norges Svalbard- og Ishavsundersøkelser (Norway’s Svalbard and Arctic Ocean Research Survey) which was established in 1928 and had as its aim the charting of sea and land areas and geological research in the Arctic. The geographical scope was extended to include Norway’s claims in the Antarctic in 1948. The area of research was expanded and the name changed to Norwegian Polar Institute. The Institute is since 1979 a directorate under the auspices of the Ministry of the Environment.

Posted by Umberto Gentili @ Italian Antarctic Research Programme
During the Antarctic Meteorological Observation, Modelling, and Forecasting Workshop in  Roma, Italy, 26-28 June 2007 was born the idea of a website collecting the links to Arctic and  Antarctic sites. New website www.polarlink.org makes this function.
The sites have been divided in categories, and, inside them , in nationality to which they belong. Currently it contains links to more than 300 sites. WAP site was added too. Polarlink can be a large instrument of job for anyone has interests in the polar fields (Research, tourism, news etc), but to have an always valid instrument.
Thanks and best regards
Umberto Gentili
Webmaster
Italian Antarctic Research Programme
gentili@casaccia.enea.it
TNX Umberto Gentili
www.polarlink.org has been insert today on "Section 7" of the WAP link pages as well.
TNX ENEA Casaccia & Umberto Gentili

SITRY Point (C3 Point)

Located at 71° 39’ 14” South, 148° 39’ 12” East, this Antarctic site is used as Fuel deposit and refuge on the way between the Italian Mario Zucchelli Station (WAP ITA-Ø1) and the French Base of  Dumond D’Urville (WAP FRA-Ø1).

Most of the time refuge Sitry Point is full covered by snow.

So far only a very short operation has been made from there by KC4/IØQHM operated by NCO. Danilo Collino IZ1HKY in the year 2004, but it was not qualified for issuing a new WAP reference number..... let's hope in a next one, some day!

WAP .... Antarctic Passion lives here!

WAP and its Antarctic Links page.

Hope you have got a chance to surf the WAP Antarctic Link pages.

Some readers did it ! We’re happy  to share a message received recently from   Dr. Darryn Schneider  @ IceCube , University of Wisconsin, Madison.USA.
Darryn wrote:
Just came across your web site and thought a link to my Wilkes station  postal history page may be appropriate for your "section 5" in links.
http://antarctica.kulgun.net/History/Wilkes/postoffice.shtml
All the best, Darryn
We thanks Dr. Darryn Schneider for stopping by at WAP! The suggested link in actually on the 5^th section  of Antarctic Links page.
TNX Darryn Schneider

SANAE IV BASE (WAP ZAF-Ø3)

ZS1FAD will be active as ZS7/ZS1FAD from Sanae IV, this coming Antarctic season. ZS1FAD is the callsign  owned by Anton Feun (P.O. Box 491 Rondebosch 7701   South Africa) .

Anton has been already operating from SANAE IV Base in the past and we have his cards even though with another call sign. Pictures of the operators can be seen at:
http://www.sanap.org.za/team.html  .
For ZS-calls, if they don't appear on QRZ.com, you can always try the SARL. For ZS1FAD it would be:
http://www.sarl.org.za/callresponse.asp?callsign=ZS1FAD  

TNX Volker, ZS1Y

Check on 14315 from 19:00Z on week ends  at the Antarctica net by Medhi F5PFP  & Horacio LU4DXU. Skeds have been set up with quite a few Antarctic Stations.
TNX F5PFP

 Antarctic QSL cards

South Pole QSL cards,  is a nice web page which helps the beginners to understand how singular and fascinating  is and was the Ham radio activity in Antarctica  and some very rare QSL cards.
http://www.southpolestation.com/postcard/qsl.html 

I’m sure the OTs will remember when in the 70-80’s John A. Stagnaro W6MAB (also known as Big John) was the QSL manager  for some Antarctic Stations.

WAP is now getting quite a long list of Antarctic locations which have been named after those pioneers of radio transmission. From it, we have chosen the one referring W6MAB:

Mount Stagnaro (located 77° 10’ South , 144°20’ West)  is a mountain (1,130 m) located 3 miles (4.8 |km) east-northeast of Mount Gonzalez, Sarnoff Mountains, in the Ford Ranges, Marie Byrd Land. The mountain was surveyed and mapped by the United States Antarctic Service (USAS), 1939-41. Named by Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (US-ACAN) in 1980 after John Stagnaro W6MAB of La Crescenta, CA, who during the 1970's carried out nightly Ham radio schedules with the South Pole, McMurdo, Palmer and Siple Stations, connecting personnel at isolated research stations with family and friends in the United States. "Big John" did provide Ham radio patches over many years.

TNX: SCAR National Antarctic Place-Names Committees:  http://www.antsdi.scar.org/placenames/national
& South Pole QSL cards http://www.southpolestation.com/postcard/qsl.html

WAP … a genuine Antarctic passion!

WAP on PMnet
On PMnet (a multimedia newspaper of the Province of Cuneo, Italy) there is a report  and some pics, about the 4^th WAP Meeting celebrated in the City of Mondovì last September 15 & 16 , together with  the 6^th DCI Meeting.

TNX to Lorenzo Pellegrini (Reporter at PMnet)
Click on the adress below to see the whole article:
http://www.pmnet.it/scripts/PMnet.dll?Operation=SchedaArticolo11&CodiceS1Cat=1&CodiceS4Cat=1&CodiceCategoria=2&CodiceArticolo=3375