Mese: Agosto 2025

Supporting scientific research on the highest, driest, coldest, windiest, and emptiest place on Earth requires exceptional logistics and planning expertise.

A few of the unique challenges include managing the world’s longest supply chain, building airfields on ice and snow, working in the world’s worst weather conditions, managing remote field camps, maintaining ice-breaking research vessels, and maintaining the largest research stations and laboratories on a bitterly cold and isolated continent.

Leidos is the prime contractor for the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) United States Antarctic Program (USAP).

NSF and the and the USAP have been an anchoring U.S. presence in Antarctica since 1956 through an active and influential scientific research program, supporting unique fundamental discovery research that can only be conducted in Antarctica and studying the Antarctic and its interactions with the rest of the planet.

If you’re ready to apply your expertise in one of the most challenging and extraordinary environments on Earth, check “Work in Antarctica”

Read more at: https://www.leidos.com/capabilities/mission-operations/antarctic-support-contract.

TNX and Credit to: Leidos.com

The DX world and the great “Ham Radio  family” lose another important pillar!
Horacio Henrique Ledo, LU4DXU, was  70 years old (*march 9 1955, +july 10-2025). We shared a passion for Antarctica, and over nearly 50 years of activity, we joined  experiences and emotions that only radio can provide.

Horacio LU4DXU  was a great DXer with several expeditions under his belt, such as CEØY, 8Q7, and then Antarctica, which became his true strength. His great skill in organizing skeds with the Argentine bases, where he himself operated on more than one occasion, will remain in our memories.

From information gathered from friends in Buenos Aires, it seems that Horacio was victim of a fatal domestic accident that happened at the beginning of july 2025. Horacio was a volunteer civilian staff member of SARA, the Auxiliary Service of the Navy.

WAP did received  a statement:
“El Servicio de Informática, Comunicaciones y Ciberdefensa de la Armada, Departamento Comunicaciones , Servicio Auxiliar de Radioaficonados de la Armada, se dirige a todos sus integrantes, voluntarios del SARA, para expresar las más profundas condolencias, por el reciente fallecimiento, del Sr. Horacio Ledo, integrante voluntario, LU4DXU, ocurrido el día 10 de julio;  deseando que su alma descanse en paz, y que encuentren pronto la resignación a tan enorme perdida”.

With him, another great radio personality, a friendship followed for many years, has passed away. His loss leaves a great void in our hearts, but he will always be remembered for his sincerity, professionalism, and kindness.

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Ciao Horacio we’ll miss you, Rest in Peace. Our deepest sympathy to his family

The Polar DX Community, is sad for the departure of one of his veteran: Nick S Povalyaev RD2DA ex R1FJV (Heyss Island), R1FJL, RA0BC (Dickson Island), UA1O/UA0BCA and 4K2BCA (Victoria Island); it was a bad news  today to learn that  our polar friend Nick Povalyaev, 4K2BCA became S.K.

Thanks to Oleg UA6GG for the Biography  notes of Nick Povalyaev,  born in Yelets, Lipetsk region, in 1945.

From  1964-1967, Nick served in the army in the city of Tbilisi. From 1974 to 2001 he worked in the Dixon Hydrometeorological Service, to Franz Josef Land: 1977-1980, to  Rudolph island 1985-1994 and  Victoria island UA0BCA/UA1O, R1FJV, 4K2BCA from 1995 to 2001 as chief of the Polar Meteo Station Observatory,  named after Krenkel’s on Victoria Island (Pics below, show the Radio shack at Victoria Island).

               
VICTORIA ISLAND activity by Nick Povalyaev:  Previous activities (no matter how old they were)  began to be counted for this island, were only three of his  callsigns has been active at that time: UA0BCA/UA1O, 4K2BCA, R1FJ. Each specific contact  with  R1FJV, sounded from Heiss Island. In any case, the Polar Station on Victoria Island existed only until 1994, so if some chasers  have contacts  with R1FJV after that year, then this is a different island.  
TNX UA6GG @ DX Trophy

Victoria Island on the Franz Josef Land Archipelago in the Arctic (80° 9’ North, 36° 46’East) was activated  by Nikolay Povalyaev (1985-1991 as UA1O/UA0BCA, then 1991 to 1994 as 4K2BCA and, lastly 1994 when the station was closed  Nick operated from different locations as R1FJV.

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We know that North and South Poles represent two vital areas for climate regulation, scientific research, and understanding our planet. They are also areas of growing concern due to the impacts of climate change. 

Both Poles are two critical regions on Earth, playing a vital role in regulating global climate and providing unique scientific research opportunities. They are characterized by extremely cold temperatures, unique ice formations, and distinct seasonal changes, making them unlike any other place on the planet.

But, both the Arctic and Antarctic regions host numerous scientific research stations dedicated to studying polar environments. These stations, operated by various countries, facilitate research across diverse fields like atmospheric science, biology, glaciology, and more. 

Our sincere condolences  to the family, our sympathy for the emotions Nick has given us, Old Timers as him, when 40 years ago, we was delighted to hear and work him on HF.
Pictures on this article supplied by Oleg UA6GG @DX Trophy

Rest in Peace Nick S Povalyaev,  we are keeping a nice recall of you!

Arctic and Antarctic are Earth’s two polar regions, but they differ significantly in geography and climate. The Arctic is primarily an ocean covered by ice and surrounded by land, while Antarctica is a continent covered by a massive ice sheet, surrounded by ocean.

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Polar philately is a specialized area of stamp collecting that focuses on the postal history and related materials from the Arctic and Antarctic regions, including their surrounding areas. It encompasses a wide range of items such as stamps, covers (envelopes), postal stationery, and other documents related to polar expeditions, aerophilately, and military postal history.

Today, thanks from special friends, we show two covers of both Polar Emispheres for  the pleasure of fans and WAP followers.
Enjoy Antarctica (and the Arctic) as much as we do!

In September 2025, Australia’s world class research science and Icebreaking ship RSV Nuyina will make the two-week voyage from its home port of Hobart to HIMI, where it will stay for 10 days.

Australian Antarctic Division will lead expeditioners and scientists working with the Australian Antarctic Program on two voyages to Heard Island and McDonald Islands (HIMI)

Heard Island is a land of fire and ice, home to Australia’s only active volcano, with 12 major glaciers carving through the landscape and penguin and seal colonies dotting the coastline.  With the nearby McDonald Islands, they are one of Australia’s most remote territories, located in the southern Indian Ocean, 4,000km south-west of the Australian mainland.

The campaign, using Australia’s icebreaker, RSV Nuyina,  will be the Australian Antarctic Program‘s first visit to Heard Island in more than 20 years, and will check on the state of the islands’ unique flora and fauna.

Read more at: https://www.antarctica.gov.au/news/2025/australian-antarctic-program-heads-to-heard-island-for-the-first-time-in-decades/

Thanks and credit to: Australian Antarctic Program

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It will be great if the Expedition can carry on some Ham radio operators and be active from both Heard  (WAP AUS-Ø7) as well as Mc Donald islands .. this one in particular, could became a “New One”!