Mese: Novembre 2025

Antarctica Day is an international holiday recognizing the anniversary of the signing of the Antarctic Treaty in 1959. It is celebrated on December 1 each year. Dedicating Antarctica as a “natural reserve, devoted to peace and science” the Antarctic Treaty is important to the preservation of the continent.

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Antarctica Day was established by the Foundation for the Good Governance of International Spaces in 2010 as a way to highlight the international cooperation that makes governance of the continent possible and to encourage educators to incorporate Antarctica in their curriculum. Antarctica Day was created following the Antarctic Treaty Summit in 2009 on the 50th anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty.

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Read more at: https://iaato.org/blog/celebrating-antarctica-day 

and

https://www.apecs.is/blogs/869-celebrate-antarctica-day-with-apecs-on-december-1st.html

and

https://www.utas.edu.au/about/events/antarctica-day-2025-encountering-antarctica

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40 years of the National Antarctic Research Program

On December 1, 2025, Italy is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its National Antarctic Research Program (PNRA) with an event called “Antarctica Day”. This event, promoted by the National Scientific Commission for Antarctica (CSNA), will take place at the National Research Council (CNR) in Rome and will include speeches, a live connection to research bases in Antarctica, and the inauguration of a new scientific exhibition. The day also marks the 20th anniversary of the Concordia research station and Italy hosting the 47th Antarctic Treaty meeting.

The event can be followed in streaming on the Teams platform at the link: https://l.cnr.it/0ccev

Founded in 2005, after a successful polar event in Turin-Italy, by a group of dedicated polar philatelists: V. Negro, G. Poletto, known as Gippo, G. Martina, S. Di Vita, and L. Sacchi, just to name a few, under the invaluable guidance of F. Giardini, the Turin Polar Association celebrates its 20th Anniversary.

For the occasion, a series of themed postcards with special postmarks has been created. Among these, two in particular commemorate the 50th anniversary of Renato Cepparo’s adventurous expedition to Antarctica (1975) and the construction of the “Giacomo Bove” Base, (WAP ITA-Ø2) later dismantled by Argentina.

TNX Giancarlo Poletto @ Turinpolar (http://www.turinpolar.com/)

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Giancarlo Poletto is the co-author of a series of thematic books on philately, polar expeditions and much more.

Giancarlo informs the collectors who would eventually buy Cepparo’s postcards, could write to Dr. Lodovico Sacchi, Secretary of Turin Polar.

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Email: lodovico.sacchi@gmail.com

Hillary’s Hut, or the TAE/IGY Hut, is the first construction at New Zealand’s Scott Base (WAP NZL-Ø1) in Antarctica; built in 1957 for Sir Edmund Hillary’s support Team on the Trans-Antarctic Expedition and International Geophysical Year (IGY).

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Also known as “A Hut”, this iconic, bright orange and yellow hut served as living quarters, kitchen, radio room, and office, becoming a crucial base for science and exploration, and was restored in 2017 by the Antarctic Heritage Trust to preserve its historical significance.

Hillary’s Hut has supported both the International Geophysical Year and Sir Edmund Hillary’s Trans-Antarctic Expedition, which aimed to support the first overland crossing of Antarctica.

The Hut was designated a Historic Monument (HSM-75) under the Antarctic Treaty in 2001. A major conservation effort was completed in 2017 for the 6Øth anniversary of Scott Base, which involved specialists from the Antarctic Heritage Trust.

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Video below, provides a glimpse into the history and significance of Hillary’s Hut:

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The “A Hut” of Scott Base, being the only existing Trans Antarctic Expedition 1956/1957 building in Antarctica,  sited at Pram Point, Ross Island, Ross Sea Region, Antarctica. As a designated Historic Site and Monument (HSM-75), “A Hut” is protected from damage, removal, or destruction under the Antarctic Treaty’s Protocol on Environmental Protection.
Thanks and credit to: https://nzaht.org/conserve/explorer-bases/hillarys-hut-scott-base/conservation-of-hillary-hut/

Hillary’s Hut (aka TAE/IGY Hut and “A Hut”), at 77°50′60″ South, 166°46′0″ East, Pram Point, Ross Island, Ross Sea Region, Antarctica,  has been added to the WAP WADA Directory as WAP NZL-NEW

Denney George VU2DGR-AT44I, informs WAP that, Andrew T Winkelman KC4/KL5SE has been active on 20 mts FT8 last November 12 from Windless Bight Camp (WAP USA-NEW)
TNX Denney AT44I

KC4/KL5SE’s page at QRZ.com says:  I will be operating from field camps supported by McMurdo Station, Antarctica during the 2025-2026 Austral summer season.
12 Nov, 2025: At Windless Bight camp, grid RB32tg, just in time for the geomagnetic storm. I’ll be monitoring 20m WSPR for now.
14 Nov, 2025: Monitoring 20m FT8 now. Give me a shout if you hear me!

 Windless Bight  at 77°42′ South, 167°40′ East, (See: https://www.waponline.it/windless-bight-field-camp-wap-usa-new/) is a low-wind area on the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica, famous for a permanent field camp that monitors infrasound for scientific and treaty-verification purposes. Named for the calm conditions encountered by early explorers, the area is now home to a scientific station operated by the CTBTO and a support camp with a team that stays for several weeks at a time, while also supporting research operations in the area
https://www.ctbto.org/our-work/station-profiles/is55-windless-bight-antarctica-united-states

While WAP is getting ready for the 23^rd edition of the Antarctic Activity Week (16-22 February 2025), special callsign EM3ØVER (WAP-357) has been issued to celebrate the 3Øth Anniversary of the Ukrainian Scientific Antarctic Station Akademik Vernadsky (WAP UKR-Ø1) in Antarctica.
The Anniversary will falls in the middle of the AAW (Check: https://www.waponline.it/antarctic-activity-week/aaw-2026/ ) so,  one more good reason to work it!

EM3ØVER will be active from february 1^st through march 1^st 2026 together with the other calls belonging to the Ukrainaian Antarctic Veterans such as:
EM3ØKY  (op.UT1KY)   WAP-359
EM3ØKCC (op.UR5KCC)  WAP-360
EM3ØLV  (op.UR8LV)   WAP-361
EN3ØUA  (op.UT7UA)   WAP-362
For this special Anniversary, a FREE Electronic Antarctic Award “3Ø years of the Ukrainian Antarctic station “Akademik Vernadsky” will be issued.

Rules to get the Award are very simple:
EM3ØVER SES at the National Antarctic Research Center Station; only 1 QSO is OK to get the electronic award, or by working the Ukrainian Antarctic operators, 2 different SES. 2 QSOs are Ok for the Award.
Application with an extract of contact details, have to be sent to the Award Manager: em30ver@ukr.net

TNX Pavlo UT1KY

To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Antarctic Giacomo Bove Station  (WAP ITA-Ø2) under the motto: “From Trieste to the Antarctic Peninsula 1975-2025”, Friday, November 14, from approximately 08:00 to 12:30 UTC, SSB, CW & Digi 10 to 40 mts a special callsign II3NAUT will be “On Air”.  from Trieste Nautical Institute’s Sea Station.

II3NAUT (WAP-349) operated by Hams from ARI-Grado. e-QSL  through IQ3AZ

“Sea Station” of the Trieste Nautical Institute is a modern and recent facility, inaugurated in March 2024, designed to complement the school’s maritime training.

The “Sea Station” is designed to enhance the Institute’s educational offerings by enabling practical activities and experiments at sea. In other words it’s a center for teaching and practical training, also used for simulations and insurance tests. In addition to teaching activities, the “Sea Station” is also used for simulations and technical tests, for example, to test vessel reactions under various conditions.
TNX Prof. PhD Julius fabbri IV3CCT & ARI Grado

Trieste, the capital of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, in Northeastern Italy, is a port city. It occupies a narrow strip of land between the Adriatic Sea and the Slovenian border, running along the limestone Karst plateau. Italian, Austro-Hungarian, and Slovenian influences are evident throughout the city, which includes a medieval old town and a neoclassical quarter from the Austrian era.

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Actually the “Bathyscaphe Trieste” in its city, so suited to exploration: from the Marianas to the South Pole!

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Preparations are underway for the ceremonies marking the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Giacomo Bove Base (WAP ITA-Ø2), which was embarked in Trieste on November 13, 1975, in the hold of the Cristoforo Colombo motorboat. The Base was built on the Antarctic Peninsula on January 20, 1976, to prepare Italy for the Antarctic Treaty.
The objective, as told by Prof. PhD Julius Fabbri IV3CCT on the video below, is to continue promoting the nomination of the remains of the Bove Base on its fiftieth Anniversary, as a Historic Site, by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI).
Shortly from there, two special calls will be on air: II3NAUT (WAP349) and II3LBTS (WAP-356), stay tuned!

TNX Prof. PhD Julius Fabbri IV3CCT

The KIS3 deep field Research Camp (see: https://www.waponline.it/kamb-ice-stream-site-3-and-crary-ice-rise-site-1-two-new-mnb-camps-entering-on-wap-wada/)  is a temporary Antarctic Research Station located on the Kamb Ice Stream, which is part of the grounding zone part of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, where the West Antarctic Ice Sheet begins to float, forming the Ross Ice Shelf
The Kamb Ice Stream (KIS3) deep field research camp, used for the SWAIS2C project, is located 860 km from Scott Base, makes it extremely remote.

Scientists and support staff live in tents to conduct deep-sea sediment drilling to understand past climate change and sea level rise, and the camp is known for its remoteness, operating up to 860 km from Scott Base (WAP NZL-Ø1). The camp is equipped with heated science and mess tents, living modules, and personal sleeping tents, with logistical support from organizations like Antarctica New Zealand.

Good to know:
SWAIS2C (Sensitivity of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet to 2°C) climate research project, is an international climate research initiative to understand the sensitivity of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) to a -2° C global warming scenario. The project’s goal is to improve future sea-level rise predictions by drilling deep sediment cores beneath the Ross Ice Shelf to reconstruct past ice sheet behavior. This information will help scientists model how the marine-based WAIS will respond to a warming climate, as a significant portion of it is grounded below sea level and vulnerable to ocean warming.

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Thanks and credit to: Antarctica New Zealand: https://www.antarcticanz.govt.nz/
https://youtu.be/Zm8qroHjgFY?si=7MxmMNi1nWj_iJRK
https://www.thepost.co.nz/nz

Completing a comprehensive siting study for a land-based airfield development program for a new airport facility in Antarctica, we’re currently working with the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) on delivering an approach to year-round aviation access to the Davis Research Station (WAP AUS-Ø3).

A project of unprecedented scale and complexity due to the remote location and unique environment, we’ve undertaken aviation planning, aircraft pavement civil engineering, aerodrome building design, and environmental services for the development of a 2700m paved runway – taking the project from initial feasibility to detailed business case submission.

Known for its unique wildlife, brave exploration expeditions and inhospitable conditions, Antarctica is a world treasure and a hub for researchers of all nations. As part of the Australian Antarctic Strategy and 20 Year Action Plan, the ADD is progressing an investigation into expanded aviation connectivity between Hobart, Tasmania and Antarctica.

Beginning the initial study in 2017, we developed several airfield layout options with different runway lengths and supporting facilities based on different aircraft types. Our team of local and global aviation teams, including technical specialists and international subject matter experts, provided aviation infrastructure design, airspace constraints evaluation and guidance on environmental impacts.

Taking account of logistical challenges, as well as the sensitive environment and wildlife, we investigated three site options for the potential new runway, collaborating closely with AAD personnel with experience of the conditions. Having developed multi-criteria assessments for each site, we delivered a single recommended option within a tight timeframe and budget. Once the preferred site was identified, we undertook the feasibility design in conjunction with the AAD.  Visiting the site during the Antarctic summer of 2018, we helped field verify multiple runway airfield siting options and confirm optical landing systems, ground conditions, and aggregate material borrow sources, which consequently helped confirm a preferred airfield option for business case development.  We advanced a detailed business case for an airfield development plan with supporting budgetary costings for governmental approvals in 2019. We’re now developing technical aspects related to the construction of a surfaced runway facility for the recommended preferred airfield site.

Thanks and Credit to: https://aecom.com/projects/davis-aerodrome/
and to: https://createdigital.org.au/bold-engineering-build-new-airstrip-antarctica/