Working Antarctic islands & continent

[VK2ZRH]

6m beacons were established in Antarctica and Macquarie Island in the early 1970s.

I built and operated a 6m beacon signing VK0GR from Casey over late 1970-early 1971.

IPS built two 100 W 6m beacons and installed them at Casey (VK0GR) and Mawson (VK0MA) in 1972; these were operated for a couple of years.

It was demonstrated in 1972 that the path between continental Antarctic and Australia could be bridged on 6m when the the IPS's VK0GR 100 W beacon at Casey was recorded in Sydney by Mike VK2AM (now VK2FLR) on 11/12/1972 (6UP, 1973, Vol. 2, No.1, March, pp. 14-15). The path length is about 4500 km and crosses the auroral oval (this is not to say reception was via auroral propagation). Mike was not the only one to report reception of the beacon, apparently.

The Victorian VHF Group built a 6m beacon (VK0WI) which they sent to Macquarie Island in 1972. (I'll attempt to find out from 6UP back issues). It was heard in VK2, VK3 and VK6 (at least).

The Australasian 6m DX Hall of Fame records that VK2NN worked VK0WW Macquarie Island on 10/12/1972.

The Australasian 6m DX Hall of Fame records that VK3OT worked VK0AQ (Casey) on 19/11/1993.

Macquarie Island is a single hop Es skip from VK3/VK7.

Any advances on if or when Heard Island was worked?

73, Roger Harrison VK2ZRH

[VK3OT]

FROM THE LOGS OF VK3OT:

My records.



ARA carries a blow by blow description as penned by Jim VK3AZY VHF/UHF Tropo Scatter column.

23/11/1973:
VK0WW MacQuarie

details: 0002z 23/11/1973 52.160 5x9 FTDX401 FTV650 3 el yagi. VK5XX op.


The next VK0 in my log was

VK0CK QSL by VK5CK

8/12/1984 52.071 1028 utc 5x9. 100w TS660 and PA. 4 el yagi.

HEARD ISLAND SOUTHERN OCEAN


A yatch called the ANACONDA 2 sailed from Perth
with Dave VK9ZD DAVE SHAW VK3DHF
he took IC551 ex WILLIS ISLAND on board heading also for Heard Is.

Peter kxw to provide details.

previous op 1970 10m only.


Next VK0 entry

VK9YQS 1988-1990
was next on MacQuarie I was his manager and he was on around 1989 for a year.
QSO: 13/12/88 10:00 52.050 5x9 TS670 3 el yagi. QD95
QSO: 26/01/1990 10:00 50.110

MAINLAND QSO.................as distinct from island.


VK0AQ 1993

VK3AUI gave Mark Spooner VK5AVQ a beacon to take to Casey base.
In Sept 1993 I called him at the base and asked had the beacon been activated?
He said he would put it into the ANARESAT Radom and turn it on.
In Nov 1993 I heard the beacon around 1000 utc and also heard VK3AUI on b/s from 210 degrees working into VK6.
I alerted the base with a phone call and Mark went to the hamshack.
We worked at around 1145-1200 utc.
I called VK3LK (VK4BLK) in QF01 and Trevor VK5NC in QF02 and they subsequently worked VK0AQ.
The beacon ran for one more day and a ZL3 heard it.
Mark left Casey a few days later without any further contacts.
QSO details 19/11/1993 12:08 5x5 3 el yagi 5m high. FT680R 80 watts. OC53mm.

Summer of 95
K6MYC/KC4 was at Ross shelf with 1kw and m2
we tried by eme with 1kw each all thru November 1994 but no way no qso and he left.


VK0IX CASEY OC53og
In summer of 1995
14/01/95 I heard VK0IX Beacon.
50.200 at 0745 utc to 0800 utc when we worked first time
two way ssb 5x5.
26/01/95 two way cw 50.200 539
0920 two way ssb 5x1 up to 0940
Also with Jeff VK8GF on 6 and on 10m tried to get thru. on
31/01/95 VK0IX large opening worked southern vk.
Workd Darin on 29.6 FM 5x9
He worked up as far as Mudgee VK2QF (only VK2 QSO)
and VK1RX in ACT only VK1 QSO??


OTHER


There is also records of SOJO VK0SJ on M I working 2M to VK3 which will make interesting reading.

I saw VK0ZVS cards being handed around WIA VHF group in 1973 at least for 52 m qso's

PY5CC workd LU1 Antarctic Peninsula when I was in KL7 in 1998 some suggestion it was S/S/Is,

CT1EEB worked a Rusian station in 2000??? 1st EU to ANT.



ANyone add to the time line


There are 1600 DXCC certificates in the world.

Only 2 have VK0 ANTARCTICA claimed

VK2QF and VK3OT.

25-50 contacts made

3 in 1993

the rest in 1995 some by handing the mike around at a field day site.

VK1 VK2 VK3 VK5 only maybe VK7 unsure.

In 1998 PY5CC to LU1

In 2000 CT1EEB to Russian base Smirny?

That is all I have.................

[VK2ZRH]

Further to what I posted above:

• It was demonstrated in 1972 that the path between continental Antarctic and Australia could be bridged on 6m when the the IPS's VK0GR 100 W beacon at Casey was recorded in Sydney by Mike VK2AM (now VK2FLR) on 11/12/1972 (6UP, 1973, Vol. 2, No.1, March, pp. 14-15).

Here's what was published in the "6UP Country - Post Mortem" column in 6UP March 1973.

VK0 was worked for the first time on six metres when VK0WI (a beacon constructed by the VK3VHF group) was heard on sunday Dec. 10th. Although the beacon had been heard several times previously, VK0WW was alerted via 20 metres and was able to provide an SSB signal on 52.160 MHz for the waiting dogpile. Ron worked VK1,2,3,4,5, & 7 during the opening, all operation was transceive on Ron's frequency, and when he finished VK0ZVS gave the pack another VK0 contact. Operators who worked Macquarie Is. during the first opening were: VK2NN, 2BHO, 3AMK, 3AOT, 3BFG, 3ANP, 2ZNS, 3ASQ, 3ZNJ, 3ZYO, 3BDL, 2DC, 2ZRH, 2ZHF, 7ZNR, 4ZJH, 3AUU, 2AM, 2ZSL, 3AQR/3, 2BDN, 3ZSR, 2HZ and VK3FF/3.

On the following evening Dec. 11th, Macquarie Is. was in again. Also, history was made when the beacon at Casey, VK0GR, was heard in Sydney for the first time since it was installed at Casey by the IPSD in Jan. 1972. The path length is some 3900 mls, 6250km [sic - an error].

During a subsequent opening, VK0WI was heard in Bunbury W.A. The path length here also approaches 6300km.

That 2ZRH callsign up there is not me, it was Roger Hord - I was VK2ZTB at the time. I'm not in that list (damn!) because I was living and working on Cocos-Keeling Is. at the time (what rotten luck ! - Neddy Seagoon).

Steve - I think VK0ZVS 6m QSL cards were most likely being handed round at VK3 VHF Group meetings early in 1973.

73, Roger Harrison VK2ZRH

[VK6ZRY]

Myles VK6ZRY, I remember working Sojo and also VK0CK way in the past from Perth.
We worked Heard island twice from memory, and no, I don't bother with logs any more.
I got disillusioned with QSLing because all my cards were lost by the WIA. I was not a member ....

[VK3OT]

The first activation of Heard Island was in 1948 by the late Allan Campbell-Drury VK3CD who signed VK3ACD/Heard, as part of the Australian National Antactic Research Expedition for 15 months. He returned for the two following years.

Various others including DXPeditions activated the island controversy surrounding a few of them is well known.

Among the callsigns used to activated the island are VK1HV/Heard (1948-50), VK0NL (1963), VK1RA (1963), VK2ADY/VK0 (1966), VK0WR (1969), and VK0HM (1976).

Other short stops by opportunists were reported signing VK0HM and VK0RM, but nothing reported between 1980 and 1983, until organised DXpeditions were combined with scientific expeditions.

In early 1983 two were organised. The West Australian VK6 DX Chasers Club combined with a mountaineering group between 21 January to 21 February 1983 to make 30,000 contacts signing VKØHI and VKØCW. The operators were Dave Shaw VK3DHF and Al Fisher K8CW.

Jim Smith VK9NS was the leader of the other group, Heard Island DX Association that had been from in 1980 to activate the rare DXCC entity. It visits the island at about the same time as the VK6 DX Chasers Club. HIDXA with five operators signing VK0JS made 14,000 contacts.

They made the hazardous trip in an old whaler Cheyness II with a departure and returning point of Albany, Western Australia.

(Incorrect Cheyness sailed from Hobart)


VK2BCC operating as VK0CC is recorded in October and November 1985, and VK2EBQ as VK0DA between December 1986 and January 1987.

Returning to Heard in December 1987 was VK3DHF. The last activation appears to have been in January 1997 with a DXpedition VK0IR logging more than 80,000.
- Amateur Radio Victoria.
1/2/06


If there was a qso ERIC VK5LP would have posted it in AR for sure.
Today I will research the following.
HIDXA records.
VK3AMK awards manager who issued all WAVKCA VHF awards from number 1 to see if ANYONE had Heard IslAnd as a qualifier. (ANSWER 0800 NO).
VK5LP VHF World above 50 Megs. (First worked draft copies and mag reports)
ARA issues from 1978-1992 in particular VK3AZY reports.

[VK3OT]

Time line is getting rather blurred..

VK3DUT Hi Joe, Steve, I found my log entry for 6m & 2m on 24/1/86 @ around 0950z, Sojo VK0SJ was 5x9 on both bands

That was 3 years after Sojo went to VK0 heard.


http://www.jm1szy.com/audio/vk3ot.html


VK0IX's Beacon(The Antarctic)
VK0IX's Beacon(The Antarctic) (Normal RA file)
The Beacon of VK0IX was heard in VK3 on Jan 21,1995. VK0IX was located in the Antarctic.



VK0CK was on MacQuarie 1984.

http://vk6ro.amateur-radio.ca/modules/d ... php?file=8

Above is link the VK0CK beacon into Perth date unknown.

A very rare appearance of the VK0GR beacon from Casey Base on the Antarctic mainland, 12 December 1972 (39KB). VK2FLR

http://www.minecost.com/hamstuff/

[VK2JDS]

there is some really interesting information in this thread. real history.
log from vk2kfj and myself records MacQuarie Isl VK0CK Dave was worked from kanagra walls portable on 25-12-1983 at 08:36 UTC
still hunting for more log records here

it must have been a good time for dx as we worked plenty of stations at the time including A35GW Gary 26-12-1983 at 01:31 UTC and Steve VK3OT 26-12-1983 at 23:37 UTC
73's

[VK3OT]

As expected the hooh hah about who worked what first has died with the E layer dust.
No one worked Heard island on 6M.
Most worked MacQuarie and a lucky few worked the mainland.

It is OK to have aspirations.
If at times those who have been around longer than you and have worked serious dx,
seem to be aloof arrogant and adopt a superieristic attitude to the dx they have worked.
You are probably right.
I think it comes after years and years (No Decades) of fending off the sort of verbal garbage that just emerged over VK0.
It is sad to see the Aussie tall poppy syndrome is alive and well.

It could get worse, we could have an annual musical chairs at Gippstech and ask people to sit down as they count thru the countries worked until one person is left upstanding.
If you think its bad on VHF wait until you get into the HF DXCC scene.

Or need I remind people of the debacle over grid standings competition elevated by the guy in VK2 to chaos?


SO as it stands

VK3OT VK3LK (VK4BLK) and VK5NC worked VK0 M/L 1st in 1993.

As a result in
VK2SIX (as VK2QF) in 1995
and
VK3SIX (As VK3OT) 1993
are the only 2 Amateurs in the world out of 1600 6M DXCC Holders who claimed VK0 Antarctica as their 100th countries and have them listed at ARRL HQ.
PY5CC and CT1EEB have Antarctica listed in their updates.
Thats 4 people out of 1600.

Who cares (to quote a famous Tasmanian DXer).

We do.

And until you achieve something as remotely significant as the above, go work your own dx and stop hanging s**t on things you could not possibly understand.
I would go lament on the lack of e layer or prepare the stations for weak signal chasing in the coming few years.
I have neither the time nor inclination to defend myself against every would be could be dx contender on the 6M band.

And as a final word listen more call less.



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