The last Word of the Day post highlighted the Islands on the Air (IOTA) program, which encourages Amateur Radio operators to makes QSOs with stations operating from the Earth’s vast array of diverse island groups. Today, we turn our attention to one of the hard-to-reach IOTA entities—South Orkney Islands, located in the Southern Ocean about 375 miles northeast of the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. The Perseverance DX Group is making plans to operate there from February 21 through March 25, 2020. The international team of experienced operators, led by Dave K3EL, will be QRV from Signy Island on 160-10 meters, SSB, CW, RTTY and FT8.
Ice-blanketed Signy Island, one of the larger islands in the group (IOTA AN-008), is home to the British Antarctic Survey, where scientists do biological research from November to April. Also joining the team on the four mile long, three mile wide island will be chinstrap, Adelie and Gentoo penguins, along with terns, petrels and Antarctic fur seals.
“Our campsite will be sited to avoid disturbance to the wildlife. Establishing a camp site requires extensive research, documentation and permission from multiple government agencies, all of which we have contacted,” the team noted on its official website.
DX Engineering is a proud equipment sponsor of the DXpedition—the first major activation of South Orkney Islands since January/February 2011.
