Mese: Gennaio 2026

The “New Depot Camp” is a seasonal base where fuel and all kinds of cargo are being reloaded. The camp is located at 70°17’57” South, 02°25’17” West,  as shown in the attached locator map, practically near the ice covered Blåskimen and Novyy Islands.

Following the great activity from Oleg ZS7ANF, mostly on 17, 20 and 30 meters, after having got pictures and details of this “new site”, a brand new WAP reference has been given as WAP MNB-23.

The “New Depot Camp” will be added on the next issue of WAP-WADA Directory (June 2026 issue) as:

MNB-23

New Depot Camp at 70°17’57” South,  02°25’17” West, located in

Princess Ragnhild Coast, Queen Maud Land, Antarctica

TNX Oleg ZS7ANF for his high performance HF operation and to Oleg UA6GG @DX Trophy for his precious support

Bull Pass at 77°26’4Ø”South, 161°51’Ø6″East, is a remote site in the Dry Valleys, Southern Victoria Land near McMurdo Station in Antarctica that hosts Huts & Communication Station; a couple of research and refuge structures being recently visited by KL5SE Andrew T Winkelman.

Andrew signing KC4/KL7SE has worked SSB and FT8 logging quite a number of QSOs  which allow WAP to issue a brand new reference to this remote site,  as WAP USA-54, which will appear on next release of WAP WADA Directory of June 2026.

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See also:  https://www.waponline.it/bull-pass-huts-communication-station-dry-valley-wap-usa-new/ .

WAP congratulates and thank Andrew KL5SE on his tireless work and thanks him for his activity from four brand new remote locations in Antarctica during his 2026 Antarctic Campaign!

Exactly 50 years ago, on January 20, 1976, with the raising flag ceremony Renato Cèpparo, I2VZP, did inaugurate the first Italian Base on the Antarctic Peninsula. Interestingly, the motor vessel Cristoforo Colombo set sail from the port of Tieste with 22 tons of prefabricated material to build the base.

The Station was set in a location of natural and strategic importance, the warmest and most easily accessible in Antarctica. At that time, a first Italian Hamradio Station operating in Antarctica from “Giacomo Bove Camp” (WAP ITA-Ø2), was on the air for a while with the call sign I1SR.

After just eight months, the Giacomo Bove Base, was dismantled by the Argentine Navy!

Tuesday, January 20, 2026, a ceremony marking the 5Ø^th Anniversary of the inauguration of the Base named after the 19th-century hydrographer, sailor Giacomo Bove, was held in Triste (Italy).

On 20 January 2026, an Historical Reenactment took place at the same pier to send a signal of friendship, peace, and scientific cooperation with raising of Argentine and Italian flags in Trieste in front of the Maritime Station.

Despite the freezing wind and poor propagation, a group of students of the Carducci-Dante High School, led by Prof. PhD Julius Fabbri (IV3CCT) did operate II3IUSR, a special call to celebrate the event, to honor the Italians who initiated Italy into the Antarctic Treaty and to strengthened friendship with Argentina, with the aim of proposing a joint nomination as a “Historic Site” for the remains of the Giacomo Bove Base; a message for peace and international scientific cooperation.

Thanks have been expressed by Julius Fabbri IV3CCTto the precious and kind participants in the mini-ceremony held in Trieste.

   

EM3ØVER (WAP-357) is the Special Event callsign issued to celebrate the 3Øth Anniversary of Ukrainian Antarctic Station    “Akademik Vernadsky”  (WAP UKR-Ø1) in Antarctica.
Ukrainian SES activity will last from 01 February 2026 to 01 March 2026.

A special Ministerial diploma will be issued to celebrate the Anniversary.

One QSO with EM3ØVER (National Antarctic Research Center Station) or two QSOs with different SES operated by Ukrainian Antarctic operators: EM3ØKY (op. UT1KY) WAP-359, EM3ØKCC (op. UR5KCC) WAP-360, EM3ØLV (op. UR8LV) WAP-361, EN3ØUA (op. UT7UA) WAP-362 are required to get the award available for Free in electronic format to OM & SWL.
Operators will be “On Air” all bands all modes

(Pics below show samples of  the E-Award)

                                                                                   

Application with contact details have to be sent to: em30ver@ukr.net   

TNX Pavlo UT1KY

Bull Pass Huts & Communication Station at Bull Pass Dry Valley, Southern Victoria Land at 77°26’4Ø”South, 161°51’Ø6″East, are a couple of research and refuge structures located in the Dry Valleys, near McMurdo Station in Antarctica.

Bull Pass, a low-elevation mountain pass in Victoria Land, provides a crucial link between two arid valleys, known to be among the most snow and ice-free areas on the continent. Located between McKelvey Valley and Wright Valley within the Olympus Range, it is famous for being named in honor of Dr. Colin Bull, a prominent polar explorer and geologist who worked extensively in Antarctica. Dr. Colin Bull has been the leader of the 1958-59 New Zealand UWAE expedition.

Bull Pass Huts & Communication Station are still used by scientific expeditions for study, especially in geology and biology, with older US structures remaining but designated as a decommissioned site within an Antarctic Specially Managed Area, this site offers a glimpse into the fragile, ancient ecosystems studied there.

Historically and currently the Bull Pass Huts hosts scientific facilities, including a past “Seismic Hut” are used as field camps and refuges for scientific research, particularly in the unique, ice-free areas. While older US structures remain, the site is considered decommissioned, though facilities and maintenance continue for research activities.

In essence, Bull Pass Huts are though scientific outposts known more for its unique ice-free landscape and its extreme environment, with temporary field shelters used by researchers rather than permanent historical dwellings. The Dry Valleys are famous for being ice-free, making them crucial for scientific study.

Antarctica New Zealand, records a “Seismic Hut at Bull Pass” used by researchers in the 1990s, indicating temporary scientific shelters.
(Pictures courtesy of New Zealand Antarctic Web Site)

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Dr. Colin Bruce Bradley Bull
Born (June 13, 1928) in Birmingham, England, Dr. Bull first ventured into the Arctic as part of a 1951 university expedition to the island of Spitsbergen. After taking a university job in New Zealand, Dr. Bull launched one of the first expeditions to the dry valleys of Antarctica, eerie ice-free basins where temperatures in the spring and summer, range between subzero and shirt sleeves.

Colin Bull, whose career as a scientist included many adventures in the Arctic and Antarctic, died Sept. 7^th 2010 at the age of 82 while on an Alaskan cruise.

Read more at: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/scientist-colin-bull-latter-day-polar-adventurer-dies/

Bull Pass Huts & Communication Station is listed on WAP-WADA Directory as USA-NEW.
Around mid January, Andrew KL5SE will operate from there as KC4/KL5SE. By now, the provisional reference given to Bull Pass Huts & Communication Station is WAP USA-54 As soon as he will show upon the air, the reference will be confirmed.

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WAP congratulates Andrew KL5SE on his tireless work and thanks him for his activity from “four brand new remote locations in Antarctica” during his 2025-2026 Antarctic campaign.

Newall Camp is a facilitiy at Mounth Newall  in Antarctica’s Dry Valleys, primarily housing remote monitoring equipment (seismic/infrasound) for the US Air Force and CTBO, supporting treaty monitoring and research, often serviced by rotating Air Force/University teams using helicopters from McMurdo, offering stark, scientific, and remote Antarctic field experiences. The Camp Includes the main AFTAC (Air Force Technical Applications Center) building, and a smaller New Zealand radio repeater Hut, and a separate small Survival Shelter near the helicopter pad.

Andrew KC4/KL5SE is active from Mt. Newall  since last December 30, 2025 and he thinks to be up there till about Jan 10 2026; he sent Bob K4MZU some useful info which are allowing WAP to issue tew related references:

“There are three buildings up here at Newall these days. There’s a small green Hut with adjacent tower operated by the Antarctica New Zealand to support their VHF repeaters for the area (picture to the Left). The large white building (picture to the Right), formerly featuring the wind turbine, houses the VHF repeaters for United States Antarctic Program activities in the area and a power system for year round support of the CTBT PS50 seismic array in the Wright Valley (the next and final field site I will visit this season). There is also a small black survival Hut (picture here below) operated by the USAP which serves as our camp kitchen and emergency shelter.

This info provided directly by Andrew KC4/KL5SE allow us to reference both sites under New Zealand and US references as they are two separate entities, in addition the note posted by Andrew is significant for understanding the site: «While I camp here, I prefer to sleep in my own tent rather than bunk with everyone else. That means I get my own radio room too! While the US and NZ sites are adjacent they do not share support among one another. That said, I have shared tea and biscuits up here with the Kiwi rigging team when they were servicing their VHF repeater tower.»

Recently (Jan, 2, 2026) Andrew sent Bob K4MZU the correct coordinates for both locations and more details: «Here’s some Mt Newall info and pictures to pass on to Gianni.

Mt. Newall Repeater Hut operated by Antarctica New Zealand is located at coordinates 77°.504029 South,  162°.626341 East (77°30’14” South, 162°37’32” East) and pictured in “ANZ-vhf-hut.jpg” attached.

Repeater Hut and power station operated by the US Air Force Technical Applications Center (AFTAC) and the United States Antarctic Program (USAP) is located at coordinates 77°.504288 South, 162°.625242 East (77°30’15” South, 162°37’34” East) and pictured in “AFTAC-hps-hut.jpg” attached.

The Survival Hut maintained by the United States Antarctic Program is located at coordinates 77°.504693 South, 162°.624770 East (77°30’16”South, 162°37’29” East)and pictured in “USAP-survival-hut.jpg” attached.

Pictures of my tent (at Left) and QTH (Rig and Logbook) are also attached – it’s a mountain tent with the Yaesu FT-710 rig on a crate inside with the coax and battery running out the door. The antenna is a 20m EFHW configured in a sloper about 1/2 to 2 meters off the ground.

Hope this helps. Thanks and 73, Andrew KC4/KL5SE

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At the light of all these evidences, WAP has issued a separate reference to:
Mt. Newall Repeater Hut (Remote Operating Facility’s Camp operated by Antarctica New Zealand ) at 77°30’14” South, 162°37’32” East, is WAP NZL-12,

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Mt. Newall Power station, Repeater Hut and Survival Hut (Logistics and Remote Operating Facility’s Camp operated by the US Air Force Technical Applications Center (AFTAC) and the United States Antarctic Program (USAP)  at 77°30’15” South, 162°37’34” East, are  WAP USA-53.

Power Station , Repeater Hut and Survival Hut together,  constitute the US Camp at Mt. Newall

The planned operation from KC4/KL5SE will though qualify both references: “WAP NZL-12” and “WAP USA-53” at once

Description from the Web:
Mount Newall (77° 30′ South, 162° 42′  East ) is a 7000ft high mountain peak remotely located in the Taylor Glacier Dry Valley of Antarctica, and located approximately 60 miles from McMurdo Station (77° 51′  South, 166° 40″ East), which serves as a logistics and research hub of the United States Antarctic Program. The Mount Newall Repeater Remote Operating Facility is operated by Air Force Technical Applications Center and contains equipment that supports the International Monitoring System as part of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization. The Mount Newall Repeater Remote Operating Facility is a normally unoccupied 36 feet by 11 and a half feet aluminum frame container that houses power and communication equipment, including a generator, fuel  tank and battery bank. The structure is protected by a Kidde-Fenwal  CO2 fire suppression system, which requires periodic maintenance.