India and Antarctica

TNX VU2VP, VU2UR & VU3BPZ

Following the previous post , WAP did receive an additional comment from Bhagwati Prasad VU2BPZ, who wrote: I am delighted to read  comments in WAP about VU3BPZ  and  our Lab director VU2VP. He is a GREAT PERSON and  participation of Hams with Indian Antartic Expedtion  was possible by his effort.  73 VU3BPZ

What can we say more?

For sure our thanks to VU2VP Dr. Ved Prakash Sandlas for having pushed and supported the Ham Radio presence in Antarctica at Maitri Indian Base. India has always done great job in paying attention to the Ham’s demand  and this is shown in the so very many different callsigns active from 1984 and ahead. Another fact that capture our attention is the visit of the Honable Minister of Tech. Mr Kapil  Sibal to MAITRI Station Ham Radio room on last 2005.

In a mail received right now from VU2VP, and we thank him immensely for his kindness, Ved reports:

As I mentioned in my emails dated Sep 6/23, AT3D was functional during 1994-1996. Infact, at that time, mine was the only related call sign (VU2VP) listed in the international call book and, therefore, I agreed to help Dinesh Mohan (VU3DEN) as QSL manager (he would be in Antarctic during Dec, 1993 – Mar, 1995 making it difficult for him to dictate postal address on air and also impossible for him to post QSLs). However, there was no such request, arrangement or plan for Lt. Harkirat Singh, Indian Navy (VU3HKQ) – but he was also present at Antarctica in the same time period – and may have also operated with his own call sign and also sent QSLs after return to India in Mar, 1995 – but I have no knowledge, contacts or communications from him in this regard. Subsequently, I QSYed from Dehradun to New Delhi in 1996 and did not keep track, except responding to some occasional email on the subject for QSL seekers. I am glad to see your waponline.it and would like to thank you and congratulate you for the effort. It is true that ATØA was made operational during Dec, 1983 – Mar, 1984 (the first Indian station operated at Antarctic) by VU2IF, Dr Ashutosh Singh (old Ashu) – in those days INMARSAT was not available and this was the only life line to keep in touch with India – from 1985 to 1993, HF radio link was maintained by the Indian Navy – I, myself assumed this responsibility in 1994, as the Director, Defence Electronics Applications Lab. (DEAL), Dehradun – now continued to be maintained by DEAL staff (mostly by Hams). If I am able to get some more info on the subject, I shall communicate with you again.

73, Ved VU2VP

While express our sincere thanks, WAP invite Dr. Ved Prakash Sandlas, VU2VP, to continue his support to Ham Radio activity in Antarctica, specially in the occasion of the opening of Bharti Base, the new Indian Research Station.

WAP, Antarctica for passion … where else? Stay with us and enjoy the Icy Continent.

Indian Antarctic Bases & QSLs

The new Indian Scientific Team of the 28^th  IAE (Indian Antarctic Expedition) likely departs in November. Expedtion vessel will sail off in January to Maitri and the new Station Bharti Base. TNX Bhagwati VU3BPZ

Additional information on past Indian Antarctic Expeditions and QSLs have been sent us by  Manohar Arasu VU2UR (picture at Left), while the following report is coming from Ved Prakash Sandlas, VU2VP (picture at Right).

AT3D. This call was issued by WPC c/o my name and was functional and operational at least during 1994-1996 expeditions to Antarctica. Infact, I was also the QSL manager for AT3D in those days. It may be of interest to note that DEAL (Defence Electronics Applications Lab), Dehradun (of which I was  the Director during 1986-96) had been managing Antarctica communication systems since 1992; and most of the expeditions, since then, had one Ham from DEAL. Subsequently, I shifted from  Dehradun to Delhi and this station hibernated. I shall try to locate some more info for records..

Out the AT3D operations in Antarctica from 1994, VU2VP is giving some additional details on Antarctica operations by DEAL, Dehradun Hams:

1994 – Dinesh Mohan (VU3DEN), Harkirat Singh (VU3HKQ)

1996 – Manoj Kumar Dhaka (VU3MKE), Abhey Joshi (VU3NHQ) and Prabhu Dayal Dandriyal (VU2AXA)

1997 – Pinaki Sen (VU3PMG), Kaliram (VU2RAY), Jagdish Kumar (VU3JBK)

2001-2005 – Bhagwati Prasad Semwal (VU3BPZ)

TNX VU2VP & VU2UR Awards Mgr, Contest Mgr, Monitoring Systems Coord. @ Amateur Radio Society of India (ARSI)

We are so proud to have got some useful information from the  Director of DEAL Lab. VU2VP, Ham as we are. We’ll be looking forward to get some new call from Maitri (WAP-IND-Ø3) and Bharti Base (WAP IND-NEW). We still recall with pleasure and plaude  the great activity done by VU3BPZ during his last long stay in Antarctica few years ago.

DCI-WAP Meeting - Sept. 20 & 21, 2008

The 2008 5th WAP Meeting was held in the wonderful frame of  Vicoforte- Mondovì, a place in North west Italy, near the French border.

Vicoforte  has a long history. The Romans occupied this area, taking it over from the Ligurian Celts in the Ist Century B.C.. It became an important Roman village, later belonging to the Bredulo Committee, under the control of the Bishop of Asti. What has made famous this place is the admirable work of art and architecture; the basilica of Madonna “Regina Montis Regalis”  whose construction was property of Duke Carlo Emanuele I of Savoy who was impressed by the growth of devotion and the welcome to pilgrims around a statue of the Madonna which hit in error by a hunter in 1592. Work begun in 1596 under the architect Ascanio Vitozzi of Orvieto , but it was only between 1706 and 1732 that the genius of a local man, Francesco  Gallo allowed the building of the circular tower and the dome above the largest elliptical  dome in the world.

The place though was superb and participants have found a particular atmosphere of friendship.

DCI (Diploma Castelli d’Italia) and WAP Meeting, are joint together since 2004 as the ARI section of Mondovì manages both DCI & WAP Awards.

WAP was introduced by Alessandro Lastruci IZ1HKE, WAP web Master, by Massimo Balsamo IK1GPG Technical Award manager and Gianni Varetto I1HYW WAP content manager. Guest lecturer this year, was Dr. Volker Strecke DL8JDX Antarctic veteran who has made several mission in Antarctica as Y88POL & DPØGVN. It was great for the WAP Staff having a chance to meet such a nice person, one of the rare DX we got in the eighties from Antarctica.

Dr. Volker made a very nice presentation of Georg Forster and Neumayer Stations with interesting comments followed by his experience.

A lot of pictures, nice food, great atmosphere with about 200 participants, from France Belgium, Switzerland and Italy, which of course was represented by almost all the Italian call areas. Some of those Hams are interested in DCI, others are interested in WAP but all of them are DXers.

TNX to Dr. Volker DL8JDX (Y88POL-DP0GVN) for having spent his time with us and told us a bit of his life down on the icy Continent. Thanks ARI Mondovì  for such a professional organization. Next Meeting is scheduled for Sept. 2009. Hope to see many of you there again. Several pictures of the event will be loaded within today on the WAP Photo Gallery. Just click the WAP Photo Gallery logo from the WAP Home page to get access to the WAP Photo Albums.

TNX WAP Staff

Arctowski Base Light House, Antarctica
The operator at HFØPOL/LH is Marek, SP3GVX (not Tomek SP3WVL as stated before). Marek operates from a shelter located next to a small lighthouse (which explains the /LH suffix being used) that is situated on rocks approx. 100m from the Arctowski’s base, right next to shore line (see picture at left). This stands for probably a very first amateur radio activity of that kind from Antarctica. We’ve been suffering from very strong winds recently - says Marek SP3GVX- one day we experienced gusts exceeding more than 200km/h. And the strongest - a record one - reached 285km/h (approx. 177 mph). Another one with wind speed of 280km/h hit us just few days ago. One of the two antennas I brought with me is already a piece of scrap. The other one is bent badly. I will try to work as HFØPOL/LH from the lighthouse some longer. There are approx. 50 days left until departure day - adds Marek.  QSL route via SP3WVL (both bureau or direct).

TNX Stan SQ8X & http://dx-hamspirit.com/
The lighthouse reference is POL-001. For WAP-WADA, HFØPOL/LH is POL-Ø1 while for WAP-WACA HFØPOL/LH will count as a new one call.

Antarctic Web Cams
In support of the International  Polar year  2007-2009, and the 50th anniversary of the International Geophysical Year , the National Science Foundation—Office of Polar Programs has made outdoor color images of Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station and McMurdo Station at Ross Island available to the public. Enjoy the video of Aurora at Amundsen-Scott  South Pole  Station (KC4AAA) WAP USA-21 at:
http://www.usap.gov/videoClipsAndMaps/spwebcam.cfm  
TNX USAP (US Antarctic Program) & NSF (National Science Foundation)
Scott Base  (WAP NZL-Ø1) the Webcams update every 15 minutes:
http://www.antarcticanz.govt.nz/education/2568 

HFØPOL/LH

Yesterday Sept. 15^th,  HFØPOL did show up on 7 Mhz, signing HFØPOL/LH.  A question did arise  and several chasers did ask what is the meaning of the /LH that HFØPOL has been adding to his  callsign HFØPOL/LH? 

I turned the question to Stan SQ8X, who kindly respond: I suppose /LH stands for a lighthouse operation. There's a small lighthouse in front of the base and perhaps that was the QTH yesterday. Picture of this Light House can be found at: http://dx-hamspirit.com/2008/09/16/hf0pol-south-shetlands-arctowski-base/  .
QSL for HFØPOL/LH have to be requsted via SP3WVL, direct or via bureau.
TNX SQ8X

View of the Light House at Arctowski Base is also shown on the QSL hereby at right.

For WAP Award  WADA , HFØPOL/LH will count same as Henry Arctowski Base POL-Ø1, while for WAP-WACA it will count as a new callsign.

French Station Dumond D'Urville (WAP FRA-Ø1)
Nicolas  Chatelain F4EGX, has received his assignment for the next French Scientific Expedition to Antarctica. It is a professional mission to Terre Adélie, where  Nicolas  will be active during his spare time, from November to mid-December 2008 at Dumont D'Urville .
Nicolas will use: FT857D + ATU LDG Z-100 + fishing rod antenna or a delta loop for 20 meters.  He has been issued the callsign  FT5YI. QSL via F4EGX. Visit his Web page at:  http://f4egx.homelinux.net  to get more information.
TNX F4EGX & F5NQL

Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina:

Second Edition of the Antarctica Week
8-14 September 2008
The Second Edition of the Antarctica Week, is offering a series of exhibitions, lectures and activities open to the public, with the aim of contributing to the knowledge of legal issues, scientific, historical, cultural and environmental aspects of the Antarctic continent, but essentially seeks strengthen ties of belonging and identification of the local community regarding an area of extraordinary political significance, cultural, historical and strategic for the province, for the country and the world.

People and members of the Organising Committee, representing various agencies and institutions and deeply committed functional and emotionally with the Antarctic area, have the honour to invite pleasing to residents and visitors to participate in planned activities. The Marambio Foundation , with his President MPA (R) VGM EDB-Dr. Juan Carlos Lujan, will join at Marambio Ushuaia Airport, among other speakers today Friday, September 12 at 19:00 in the Hall of Maritime Museum of the City of Ushuaia. Welcome to the second edition of the Antarctica Week. Ushuaia 2008.
TNX Marambio Foundation & Dr. J.C. Lujan

WAP Awards on the Finnish Amateur Radio Magazines
Thanks to Gita OM5MF and particularly to Jukka Heikinheimo OH2BR, Secretary General of SRAL (Finnish Amateur Radio League) we have got a great surprise to see the WAP Awards: WACA and WADA publish on the July issue of RADIOAMATOORI, the official Ham Radio Magazine in Finland.
WAP, together with Antarctic Challenge, Arctic Challenge and Polar Challenge of our French friends F5NOD & F5PFP have been reported on 2 pages of July issue, while Jukka OH2BR & Gita OM5MF (picture on the left) are on August issue among the comments of the great passion of Antarctica which is involving several thousands of Hams & Chasers worldwide.
That was really a wonderful amazement. WAP Staff, sure to interpret the sentiments of our friends F5NOD & F5PFP say Thank you.
WAP,  Antarctic passion lives here. Stay with us and enjoy it.

The Antarctic Sun: New issue
By Peter Rejcek (Editor)
The 2008-09 season officially gets under way this week, with the first C-17 hitting the Ice just a couple of days ago. We've got an article about the beginning of the season at the (clik on the yellow name to the right to get access)Antarctic Sun Web site , as well as several other stories .  
An interesting article of this last issue,  is talking about wind power generators in Antarctica: The US Antarctic Program and Antarctica New Zealand have collaboratively designed and planned a proof-of-concept project to demonstrate and quantify the viability of wind power. The project will build the world’s southernmost wind farm beginning in November 2008 with construction of three, 330-kilowatt wind turbines on a site called Crater Hill overlooking New Zealand’s Scott Base.
Read the article at: http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/
TNX Peter Rejcek
Any Hams eventually involved in there?

PATIENCE and PERSISTENCE
Taken from QRZ DX  (Aug. 6th 2008)
Some weeks ago I asked for help in locating Warren Hull who operated from Macquarie Island in 1996. Several readers replied, but the information they gave had already been tried. Finally, one reader sent me an address in Australia from a 1997 callbook. An inquiry sent to that address was answered by an email from Mr. Warren Hull. He confirmed that he WAS the person I was looking for and he did have the log and ONLY ONE remaining QSL CARD for VKØWH.  I had sent him some green stamps for a reply to my inquiry and he said he would be confirming my 40 CW contact shortly. Sure enough, about two weeks later I got the card. He is no longer licensed and has not been on the air for several years. PATIENCE & PERSISTENCE WORKED FOR ME !!
TNX QRZ DX
Australian Macquarie Station counts for WAP (Sub Antarctic Areas) as WAP AUS-Ø8

International Polar Day Celebration
Posted by Nuccio Meoli, IØYKN
September 24th, 2008 marks the sixth quarterly International Polar Day. We invite all OMs with the special IPY call, to operate on this day . More information about this celebration are available at: http://www.ipy.org/index.php?/ipy/detail/people/ .
CN8YZ Youssef, and YB2TJV Dani, will be rispectively on air signing 5DØIPY and YE2IPY asking QSL via Home call. Several other IPY stations will be on the air the same day to celebrate the event.
TNX  IØYKN
The International Polar Year 2007-2008 is a huge, exciting scientific campaign focusing on the polar regions. It is also an unprecedented opportunity to demonstrate, follow, and get involved with, cutting edge science in real-time.

ANTARCTICA RESEARCH STATIONS

Huge information about Antarctica can be found at ANTARCTIC CONNECTION web site (just clik on the adress below to be directed on it):

 http://www.antarcticconnection.com/antarctic/stations/index.shtml .

Up here, readers can learn several features of the Antarctic continent, as well as details of the main Scientific Bases located all around the Antarctic coasts. For each of them, there are a lot of  details which allow the Antarctic chasers to gain knowledge of locations and activities. ANTARCTIC CONNECTION web site  is easy to be surfed  and the pleasure to do it, will be enormous!

TNX  Antarctic Connection