HAM Radio 3/hamradioversion3.0examsandprograms1992.iso/news/skitrek6/skitrek6.txt

Text File | 1988-03-07 | 6KB | 99 lines

             TRANSPOLAR SKITREK PROGRESS REPORT #6: March 3, 1988

       Prepared by Rich Ensign, N8IWJ, AMSAT Science Education Advisor
                    For Use With The AMSAT Teachers Guide
               "Exploring The High Arctic From Your Classroom"

The Russian-Canadian Transpolar Skitrek Expedition has begun its more than
three month journey across the polar ice cap. The trek began on the afternoon
of March 3 at 1331 hours local time (0731 hours March 3 UTC) as the small
group, made up of nine Russians and four Canadians, moved northward onto the
smooth land ice beyond Cape Arctic, at the top of the Severnaya Zemlya
Islands. Equipped with only their skis, radios and heavily loaded backpacks,
the skiers are heading for the North Pole and then directly on to Cape
Columbia at the northern tip of Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic. The
following positions (in decimal degrees) will be helpful to those plotting
the trek:

Starting Point - Cape Arctic: 81 deg 15 min N,  95 deg 40 min E
Ice Island North Pole 28:     87 deg 48 min N, 142 deg 00 min E
                              (Communications Support Base)
End Point - Cape Columbia:    83 deg 06 min N,  70 deg 35.4 min W

The skiers' daily routine consists of alternating 50 minutes of sking with
10 minutes of rest for 8 to 12 hours. They then set up their single large
tent, have a meal together, a few minutes on the HF radio and a well deserved
night's rest. The morning routine includes a quick breakfast and tent
take-down as they trigger their Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) during a
SARSAT/COSPAS Search and Rescue Satellite pass. The Russian COSPAS Control
Center will determine the latitude and longitude of the skiers and telex this
information to the University of Surrey in the U.K. Surrey will then program
the Digitalker on the UoSAT OSCAR 11 Satellite to articulate the skiers'
position back to them. This unprecedented hybrid link-up, known as NORDSKI
COMM, is the co-primary navigation tool for the skiers. Celestial navigation
is the other (and more traditional) method.

Later, as the trekkers cross the pole and finish the second leg of their
journey to Canada, SARSAT responsibility will be picked up by the Canadian
SARSAT control center at Trent, Ontario. From there, the data will be
flashed to a coordination center which has been established in Ottawa at the
facilities of Telesat Canada, a commercial satellite company which has agreed
to help with NORDSKI COMM. When SARSAT Tracking responsibility comes to the
Canadians, engineers at Telesat will telex the trekkers' position to Surrey
to insure navigation continuity.

The format for the 145.825 MHz FM UoSAT Digitalker transmissions in plain
English include:
                     Position Report Number
                     Priority Code
                     Date
                     Time
                     Latitude (either in decimal or degrees & minutes)
                     Longitude       "                      "
                     Occasional other info from the skiers like temperatures

The digitalker has been speaking for about 1 minute followed by 3 or 4
minutes of telemetry and bulletins. The skiers have had some difficulty with
this format and have asked for the amount of time the digitalker is on to be
increased. Surrey should comply with this request in the next several days
easing everyones reception of the Digitalker.

Starting conditions were difficult for the trekkers with the temperature at
-45 degrees Celsius and high winds. The skiers reported the UoSAT Digitalker
signals were "good copy" on their special ICOM micro 2AT radios.

All Digitalker transmissions will be placed in a log on the W0RPK AMSAT
Bulletin Board to aid in plotting the skiers' progress. The Priority Code is
for emergency communications feedback to the skiers should HF propagation
between the Communications Support Bases and the skiers fail. Arctic
Communications Support Bases are located at:

               Resolute Bay in the Canadian Arctic (CI8C)
               Sredny Island in the Soviet Arctic (EK0QCG)
               Soviet Ice Island North Pole 28 (4K0DCG)

Current call signs of individuals at Resolute are Garth Hamilton (CI8HO) and,
beginning Friday March 4th, Andy McLellan (CI8CW). Leonid Labutin (UA3CR) has
been using the call EK0CR at the Sredny Island Support Base. Listen for these
calls on the lower Canadian phone portion of the 20 meter band around 1600
UTC. As they talk they often refer to the skiers as the moving group.
Remember, HF links are the skiers lifeline. Direct communication with the
skiers will not be possible.  All Support Base Operators (SBO's) are avid
DX'ers and will be happy to set up a phone or CW QSO with you after their
business is done. Resolute, and later Sredny and Ice Island SBO's are keeping
weather logs for educators and will be happy to pass this data on to them via
QSO. Weather logs will also appear on the W0RPK AMSAT Bulletin Board version
of these Progress Reports.

In press interviews before they began, both Expedition Leader Dimitri Shparo,
UA3AJH, and Canadian Leader Richard Weber, VE8RW, spoke of the friendship and
cross cultural nature of this adventure on the ice. We wish them well and
appreciate this unique opportunity to involve Amateur Radio.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

A continuing series of Progress Reports like this one may be accessed via
packet BBS, AMSAT Nets and the main educator source, the W0RPK AMSAT Bulletin
Board (1-515-961-3325). Comments and questions about the reports should be
addressed to Rich Ensign, 421 N. Military, Dearborn, MI 48124, U.S.A.