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skitrk11
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1988-04-12
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TRANSPOLAR SKITREK PROGRESS REPORT #11: April 9, 1988
Prepared by Rich Ensign, N8IWJ, AMSAT Science Education Advisor
For Use With The AMSAT Teachers Guide
"Exploring The High Arctic From Your Classroom"
Our report on the Amateur Radio Supported Transpolar Skitrek Expedition
this week comes from the Soviet Union and was filed by Rick Burke, VO1SA,
Portable UA0, to his Soviet friends as he left that country. Rick spent a
month in the Soviet Arctic as Canadian representative to the communications
team supporting the expedition.
QST FROM VO1SA/UA0. MY NAME IS RICK. IT IS MY PLEASURE TO OPERATE FROM
SREDNIY ISLAND. 79 DEG 33 MIN NORTH 90 DEG 13 MIN EAST. SREDNIY ISLAND IS
PART OF (THE) SEVERNAYA ZEMLYA GROUP AND 627 NAUTICAL MILES FROM THE NORTH
POLE. THIS SITE IS IN SUPPORT OF THE MOST NORTHERLY LARGE AIRPORT IN THE
USSR.
(THE) AMATEUR RADIO OPERATION FROM THIS LOCATION IS IN SUPPORT OF A JOINT
CANADIAN USSR POLAR SKI TREK VIA THE NORTH POLE. 9 SOVIET AND 4 CANADIAN
SKIERS MAKE UP THE MOVING GROUP. OTHER COMMUNICATION SITES LOCATED AT
DIXON ISLAND/USSR, RESOLUTE BAY/CANADA AND NP28, AN ICE ISLAND NEAR THE NORTH
POLE, SUPPORT THE THE PROJECT. THE AIM OF THE SKI TREK IS TO JOIN THE TWO
COUNTRIES BY A WALK TO SHOW HOW CLOSE THEY ARE AND HOW MUCH THE TWO NATIONS
HAVE IN COMMON. MY PRESENCE HERE WITH RECIPROCAL OPERATING PRIVILEGES IS
PART OF A VERY HISTORIC EVENT FOR THE SOVIET UNION AND FOR AMATEUR RADIO WITH
THE FOLLOWING FIRSTS:
1ST THIRD PARTY AND RECIPROCAL LICENSING AGREEMENTS BY THE USSR.
1ST FOREIGN AMATEUR TO OPERATE INSIDE THE SOVIET ARCTIC CIRCLE.
1ST EVER PHONE PATCH TO OUTSIDE THE USSR AND DONE BY A NON-SOVIET AMATEUR.
(VO1SA/UA0 WITH VO1CU)
OTHER FIRSTS BY A NON-SOVIET CITIZEN:
PACKET (RADIO) QSO VO1SA-1 TO RA3APR.
CW SATELLITE QSO VO1SA/UA0 WITH CI8CW.
SSB SATELLITE QSO CI8CW AND VO1SA/UA0.
MY THANKS TO A MASTER SATELLITE MAN FOR HIS PATIENT INSTRUCTIONS IN THAT
FIELD, (LEONID LABUTIN) EX0CR/UA3CR.
AERONAUTICAL MOBILE OPERATION BY A FOREIGN AMATEUR ONBOARD A SOVIET
AIRCRAFT. APPROXIMATELY 40 SSB QSO'S MADE AS VO1SA/A.M. REGION 1 OVER
SOVIET ARCTIC.
MANY OTHER FIRSTS RECORDED BUT (THEY ARE) TOO NUMEROUS TO MENTION HERE.
ON MARCH 29/88 I HAD THE PLEASURE OF ASSISTING IN THE PREPARATION OF, AND
ATTENDING THE SECOND DROP TO THE SKI TREK. SKILLFUL FLYING BY THE AIRCRAFT
CAPTAIN AND ACCURATE RELEASES BY THE DROP MASTER MADE FOR A VERY SUCCESSFUL
AND EXCITING OPERATION. TEN PARACHUTE DESCENTS AND A FINAL LOW PASS OVER
THE GROUP AND WE WERE CLIMBING TO 9000 METERS AND SETTING COURSE FOR SREDNIY
ISLAND, THE AIRCRAFT EMPTY EXCEPT FOR A TELEVISION CREW AND US FEW
PASSENGERS.
MANY RADIO, TELEVISION AND PRESS INTERVIEWS (TOOK PLACE) IN THIS COUNTRY
DURING MY STAY. THERE IS MUCH INTEREST IN THIS FOREIGN (CANADIAN) AMATEUR
RADIO OPERATOR WORKING IN THEIR HIGH ARCTIC WITH THE SAME PRIVILEGES AS A
SOVIET CITIZEN. AMATEUR RADIO PLAYED A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN SOME OF THESE
STORIES AS TELEPHONE PATCHES WERE USED BETWEEN THE REPORTER AND THIS
LOCATION.
IT WAS MOST INTERESTING TO VISIT THE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH ICE DRIFTING STATION
(ICE ISLAND), NORTH POLE 28, ON APRIL 2/88. THE LOCATION OF 4K0DC, 4K0D AND
FUTURE LOCATION OF 4K0DX. VE3CDX (BARRY GARRATT) WILL OPERATE THAT CALLSIGN
FROM NP28 IN APRIL AND MAY OF 1988.
AS I DEPART, THIS APRIL 3RD DATE, 1988, I LEAVE WITH MANY MIXED EMOTIONS.
I AM GLAD TO BE RETURNING TO MY HOME AND WAY OF LIFE IN ST. JOHN'S,
NEWFOUNDLAND BUT ALSO VERY SAD TO BE LEAVING THE MANY KIND GENEROUS PEOPLE
WHO BEFRIENDED THIS ONE CANASKI, WHO SPEAKS LITTLE TO NONE OF THEIR LANGUAGE,
AND MADE ME FEEL WELCOME AT ALL TIMES. I SINCERELY HOPE THIS PROJECT IS ONLY
A BEGINNING OF MANY SUCH EVENTS IN THE FUTURE OF AMATEUR RADIO.
GOODBYE DEAR FRIENDS. DOS VEE DAH' NYA. 73 VO1SA/UA0.
On April 8th the skiers reached 87 degrees north latitude with the Pole only
330 km to the north. Their lightened packs along with moderating temperatures
and good ice conditions have allowed them to make excellent progress of late.
The third air drop is scheduled to take place on Wednesday April 13th.
The "moving group" as the skiers are known will arrive at the North Pole on
or about April 24th. They will be joined by a number of dignitaries and press
from Canada and the Soviet Union who will fly in, weather permitting.
Barry Garratt, 4K0DX, will also be travelling to the Pole from Ice Island
North Pole 28.
* * * * * * * * *
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 on 515-961-3325. Progress Report #12 will be issued on April 16, 1988.
TRANSPOLAR SKITREK / PROJECT NORDSKI COMM - SKI TEAM POSITION LOG
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Daily reports are made by the team to communications support stations on
Sredniy Island, USSR, Russian ice island North Pole 28 and Resolute Bay,
Canada via amateur radio. These reports are relayed south at 1500z in
the 20m amateur radio band on 14.125mHz USB. Reports are automatically
taped at W0RPK and reduced to daily information notes for continuing logs.
DAY/TIM UTC LATITUDE LONGITUDE REMARKS
----------- --------- --------- --------------------------------------------
10Apr 11:37 87d32.6mN 93d29.5mE -30dC 272km to the pole everything ok 34km
09Apr 10:38 87d14.2mN 91d48.4mE
08Apr 11:55 87d00.2mN 91d03.5mE -28dC Best single day progress 37km
07Apr 10:08 86d40.6mN 92d38.6mE -28dC 600km total 369km to the pole 26km
06Apr 10:57 86d26.3mN 93d18.3mE -40dC Lots of ice everybody ok 27km
05Apr 11:01 86d12.4mN 92d07.2mE 421km to go to the pole 22km
04Apr 10:39 86d00.7mN 91d44.5mE -37dC 22km
03Apr 11:49 85d48.8mN 92d20.5mE -36dC Everybody ok
02Apr No position report
01Apr 11:12 85d23.2mN 93d40.0mE -37dC Slept in before starting 8km
31Mar No change <Stopped at drop point for R&R >
30Mar No change <and experiments >
29Mar 11:38 85d18.9mN 94d55.3mE -35dC 2nd air drop a success - stopped 24km
28Mar 10:26 85d07.1mN 95d17.4mE -38dC Open water a problem 12km
27Mar 10:48 85d00.1mN 95d31.5mE -45dC clear wind light good ice 31km
26Mar 12:15 84d43.1mN 95d50.5mE -42dC Clear wind NW 2-3mps 2days prog32.4km
25Mar No position report
24Mar 13:00 84d25.6mN 95d58.2mE -37dC wind 40km/hr snowstorm 0km
23Mar 13:00 84d28.9mN 96d12.4mE -33dC Strong head winds 20-40km/hr 15km
22Mar 13:02 84d19.0mN 97d02.9mE Everything good ice, temp, progress 28km
21Mar 13:00 84d03.5mN 97d40.4mE -39dC ice excellent few leads&hummocks 21km
20Mar 11:40 83d51.8mN 97d27.4mE -36dC wind 1-2mps good ice & spirits 26km
18Mar 13:00 83d37.9mN 97d21.7mE -31dC no wind or open water good cond 22km
17Mar 13:00 83d11.7mN 97d26.6mE -35dC SE wind 3-5meters/sec 24km
16Mar <1st air drop successful on 14MAR >
15Mar 13:00 82d58.7mN 97d28.9mE <Team built igloo and stayed till >
14Mar <17Mar for R&R and experiments >
13Mar 11:16 82d52.2mN 97d19.8mE -42dC wind 3-4meters/sec 24km
12Mar No position report 25km
11Mar 11:36 82d28.8mN 97d13.0mE
10MAR 11:58 82d16.9mN 97d24.6mE -45dC 20km
09Mar 12:30 82d09.3mN 97d47.0mE -30dC 12km
08Mar No position report 20km
07Mar 12:23 81d56.6mN 97d15.1mE 17km
06Mar No significant progress - Open water - Very windy - camped early 0km
05Mar 12:44 81d35.8mN 96d52.4mE -21dC Snow wind 33meters/sec 14km
04Mar 11:13 81d32.3mN 97d 0.0mE -28dC 20km
03Mar 11:24 81d21.2mN 96d12.8mE 7km
03Mar 07:31 81d15.0mN 95d50.0mE Starting point on Cape Arktichesky