Mika, OJ1ABOA has today gone with his team for a field trek carrying only a small 50W transceiver ad a wire antenna. He will be back at the main station with 1 kW and 40/20 m dipoles @17m just before the Xmas holidays during which he will be very QRV on mostly around 7053 and 14120 kHz.

I will be making a list for him if I am home at that time, otherwise I try to arrange another Finnish DXer with good signal to help him with the pileups. Mika will be in the Antarctic till Feb 15 and he will learn how to handle the pileups. I have advised him to make it split and listen 5up. 73,Jukka OH2BR [ F5PFP]

Our antennas are not installed yet because of storm. The wind at Aboa has been from Sunday between 22 to 30 m/s! I'll be on air when I'll get antennas up. Our operation will last to mid February 2008.
73 Mika - OJ1ABOA

Aboa research station. Photo Mika Kalakoski.

Good news received from JA7LMZ about an expedition to Aboa station with ham radio operation :
An expedition from Finland to Antarctica with 11 team members is getting set up.
The Aboa Scientific Base has been given the very rare call sign OJ1ABOA. They expect to go QRV December 6, Finland's Independence Day.
Team leader, OH2FFP, Mika Kalakoski, passed his basic level ham test in the spring and the highest level a month before leaving for Antarctica.

Mika says many of the team members are interested in ham radio and plan to form a club at the Marine Research Institute when they get back home.
Mika will answer QSLs when they return in three months. The base has several transceivers. Mika plans to use 1 KW to a twin dipole for 40 and 20, on a 15-meter-tall tower. He has no experience with operating or certainly with pileups, but he is an expert on survival in extreme conditions - which may help on the air!

He has written two books on extreme conditions survival. The Aboa base is located on Queen Maud land (73°03'S, 13°25'W)near the Swedish, Norwegian and German bases.

For more information about the Finnish antarctic activities, you can have a look at web site :
www.fimr.fi/en/etelamanner.html


I hope Aboa will be soon on the air and can give a new station or new call for all antarctic chasers !

73's

François
F8DVD