Mese: Agosto 2019

WAP ECU-Ø2 is a new reference, just issued to this Antarctic Refuge.

Republica del Ecuador it’s an Antarctic Refuge located at Hennequin Point, 62°07’16” South,  58°23’42” West inside the Admiralty Bay on King George Island (or 25 de Mayo Island). It was installed by the first Antarctic expedition of Ecuador and inaugurated on January 13, 1988 with the assistance of delegations from Germany, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, United States, Poland, Russia and Uruguay, which have Bases, scientific stations and shelters in the island. Its first occupants were Ecuadorian scientists who performed hydrographic and geological works. Republica del Ecuador Refuge consists of a six-meter container that has basic medical supplies, non-perishable food and two bunk beds with a capacity for four people. It is for researchers and tourists who want to rest or study the area.

Mehdi F5PFP together with ON7ZM (see 2 pics aside), made a short stop on Republica del Ecuador Refuge on Febr.22, 2009 just before landing on Macchu Pichu Base (WAP PER-Ø1).

He was active from there as HC/FT5YJ (see pics attached)  and logged 5 QSOs with South America (LU3XPM, CX8OX, LU8XW, PY2BQA, CE8RPA), even if nobody claimed the card …!  Mehdi wrote:-we discovered an high QRM level coming from the generator that provided S7 to S9 of QRN on 20mts. We spent most of the time trying to resolve that problem but … nothing! So, Republica del Ecuador was on air even if it was a very brief!-

Ecuadorian Navy provide regular maintenance: Ecuadorian mission did repair the Refuge on February 9, 2006 working 37 days, and also from December 16, 2013 through  January 18, 2014, Officials of the INOCAR (Oceanographic Institute of the Navy), performed the integral maintenance of the Refuge including graffiti, repair of walls, ceiling and floor.(pic on the right)

See also: http://www.periodicolaprimera.com/2014/01/personal-del-inocar-efectuo.html

Now to “Republica del Ecuador Refuge” already listed on WAP-WADA Directory, at the light of the information provided by Mehdi F5PFP- HC/FT5YJ , whose  log says: -22/02/2009 from 14:05 to 14:20utc 20m SSB; LU3XPM, CX8OX, LU8XW, PY2BQA, CE8RPA-, a reference has been given as WAP ECU-Ø2

It was a brief operation due to a problem with the generator –says Mehdi–  I also remember  the refuge is not well situated to anchor  with a sailing boat due to an inappropriate depth of the sea floor , so we stayed just  maybe an hour then we moved to Machu Picchu a neighboring place of Admiralty Bay – King George Island-.

TNX F5PFP

“Sun or not, the view is  magical”.
There are no clouds, the view around Concordia Station   (WAP MNB-Ø3) seems almost endless. When it’s cloudy, the world seems to close around us, making isolation more acute.

In the end, the sun came out a couple of days later, on 12 and 13 August, even though the temperature dropped to -65, -80°C.

Antarctic winter still stands.

Welcome to the light to the overwintering Team!

Leith Harbour was a whaling station on the northeast coast of South Georgia, established and operated from 1909 until 1965. It was the largest of seven whaling stations, situated near the mouth of Stromness Bay. The whaling stations of South Georgia were laser scanned by Geometria Ltd (http://www.geometria.co.nz), with support and funding from the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and the Norwegian Foreign Ministry.

Thanks and credit to: Daniel McCurdy

This video shows interpretation of 3D laser scan data collected from the Leith Harbour whaling Station (WAP GBR-NEW), South Georgia. The buildings explored are the Boiler House and the Machine/Engineering Shop.
No Ham radio activity have been performed from this site of the South Georgia Sub Antarctic Islands, still full of Stations, and Old Refuges, quite easy to be reached and be put on air ….

Mizuho Station 70°41’58’’South, 44°16’52’’East was established as a summer Base in July, 1970 on the Mizuho Plateau, 2230 mts above sea level, 270 km south-east of Syowa Station (WAP JPN-Ø3). Mizuho Station (WAP JPN-Ø2) in one of the fourth Japanese scientific installations in Antarctica.

It was a permanent Japanese Antarctic transshipment Station (1970-1987) operated for 17 years by the Japanese National Institute of Polar Research, performing studies in meteorology, glaciology, physics of the upper atmosphere (mesosphere and exosphere).

Even if at present, Mizuho Station is being temporarily closed,  it is a logistical support point between the Syowa station and the Mount Fuji base. Mizuho Station closed in 1987,  still have installation and it is sporadically occupied for meteorological and glaciological observations.

On the Ham Radio wise, Mizuho Station  (8J1RM) was on the air at the time of it’s life and in particular on the 22^nd Antarctic Japanese Expedition (1981-1982-TNX I2MOV for QSL).

Since 1986 no HamRadio operations have taken place from there.

Antarctica, a continent of ice and rock, was the last place on Earth to be discovered by humans, only two centuries ago, and remains almost completely uninhabited.

Larsen cairn, 64°14’13” South and 56° 35′ 7″ West, is located 2 kilometers from the facilities of Marambio Base (WAP ARG-21)direction E-N-E (76˚) and 230 meters to the S-E-S of the Chavez lighthouse, 40 meters above sea level and 70 meters from the coast.

Thanks to the joint work of Argentine scientists and diplomats, Larsen cairn will remain protected and disseminated as a new Antarctic Treaty Historic Site and Monument approved with nr. 94, on July 11 by the recent 42^nd  Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting from Argentina, Norway, Sweden and United Kingdom joint proposal, symbolizing the achievements of science and international cooperation, fundamental pillars of the Argentine Antarctic Program.
The “Cairn of Larsen” is a site where various expeditions from different countries at different times left messages of their passage through that remote place, while waiting for their rescue or looking for survivors.  In this way, this new historical monument stands as a witness to the exploration of those regions, as well as Antarctic science, being a symbol of the birth of polar paleontology.

The history of the site begins in the summer 1892/3, when Norwegian Captain Carl Anton Larsen explores that region with the idea of extending the whaling industry to the South.

Larsen would then descend on what we know today as Vicecomodoro Marambio Island, in an area near the Argentine Base, leaving the first human footprints there. On that site, Larsen did collect some invertebrate fossils, which would later be the first in Antarctica to be studied. Before leaving, he installed a stone marker on the island with a two-meter post in which he wrote the year and the name of the expedition ship Jason.

For this reason, the footprints of the first Antarctic pioneers have an extraordinary heritage value for all mankind. The historical sites of the sixth continent are so scarce, that, in all its extension, including the surrounding islands, we find less than one hundred of them, however, a new site has been added to that select list thanks to the work promoted by the Argentine Antarctic Program, promoted by the National Antarctic Directorate (DNA), through the Argentine Antarctic Institute (IAA).

Read more at: http://www.marambio.aq/mojonlarsen.html

Looking at the three abandoned whaling stations in Stromness Bay, South Georgia, from the sea. The stations said to be closed to visitors because of their dangerous state, including contamination by asbestos. The Sub-Antarctic Island of South Georgia had five main shore stations at the height of whaling in the early 1900s.

Here below the details of the five Stations;  all are  WAP GBR-NEW
(see WAP-WADA Directory-Sub Antarctic Section)

Leith Harbour Station located at Leith Harbour,  54°Ø8’27″South, 36°41’16″West

Ocean Harbour Station  at  54°2Ø’ØØ”South, 36°16’ØØ”West

Prince Olav Harbour Station  at 54°Ø4’ØØ”South, 37°Ø9’ØØ”West

Rosita Harbour Station at 54°Ø1’ØØ”South, 37°27’ØØ”West

Stromness Station,  located at Stromness Bay, 54°Ø9’36″South, 36°42’42″West

The last of them closed in the mid 1960s. This clip is attached to the monthly website newsletter on www.sgisland.gs

Hams from the US are plamming a DX-pedition for the beginning of 2020 to South Orkney Islands as VP8/VP8DXU… let’s hope one day somebody can think to operate from the South Georgia, there are a lort of new sites to activate from there!

We must thank Mr. Fabricio Tavares  for the pictures of  Refuge Cabo Gutierrez Vargas (WAP CHL-NEW) which  we were looking for since quite sometimes!

Mr. Fabricio Tavares  from Brazil, is the responsible of a Twitter account which loads so many useful Antarctic information;  he wrote: – Congratulations for the important job WAP website accomplishes! Feel free to use any info WAP  may wants from my Twitter account-.

Mr. Fabricio Tavares  collects pictures of almost every Antarctic facilities and outpost in the Icy Continent, and says: –it’s possible that I have some images you need (do not hesitate on asking those to me, if you need).  The only problem is that I have so many photos that it’s impossible for me to indicate their original sources-.

WAP  would like to express gratitude to this great friend; his Twitter account  https://twitter.com/antarctic_infra?lang=it  is a huge source of Antarctic information.

See: http://www.propolar.org/notiacutecias2013-2016/permantar-3-deception-en-el-refugio-chileno-buscando-los-sensores-abajo-130m-espesor-de-nieve

and: http://www.propolar.org/notiacutecias-2012-13/permachange-dirio-de-campanha-14-01-2013

TNX to Mr. Fabricio Tavares  and to PROPOLAR .org from which, pics of Cabo Gutierrez Vargas Refuge (WAP CHL-NEW) are coming from.