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3Y0PI DXpedition to Peter 1st Island in 1994
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3Y0PI DXpedition to Peter 1st Island in 1994
(Much of this information is drawn from, and used with the
permission of, Robert W. Schmieder, KK6EK, and the volume: 3Y0PI: Peter
Island Antartica, Cordell Expeditions Publishers, Walnut Creek California,
1994).
The most recent expedition of the South Sandwich Island DX Group to Peter I
island was voted the "DXpedition of the Year for 1994" by the ARRL DXCC
Yearbook. The expedition involved extensive planning, complex coordination, and
risk, and represented one of the biggest undertaking on a DXpedition up to this
point in time. The expediton made in excess of 60,000 contacts with amateurs on
every continent, and provided "all time new countries" for thousands of amateur
operators, and new mode and band confirmations for virtually all the rest. This
expedition was conducted under the banner of the South Sandwich Island DX Group,
with the team coordinator being Ralph Fedor, K0IR
Peter I Island was discovered by Von Bellingshausen in 1821 and the island
was named after the Russian Czar, Peter the Great. The most prominent feature of
the island is the mountain peak at the island's center which rises to
approximately 5,000 feet elevation. Peter I was later claimed by Norway after
Olstad and Larsen were successful at landing the first exploration-party on the
island in 1929. At the time of the 3Y0PI operation, Peter I Island was the most
needed country on the ARRL DXCC "needs list", and had been visited fewer times
than had the surface of the moon.. The island is located at 65 degrees, 50
minutes South and 90 degrees, 35 minutes west. It is an extinct volcanic island
of about 230 square kilometers area. The island is typically surrounded by pack
ice which prevents, or complicates any direct access to the island. Peter I had
been activated once prior to this expedition, that time by an expedition of two
Norwegian amateur radio operators (3Y2GV (Kaare Pedersen), and 3Y1EE (Einar
Enderud)). The 3Y0PI expedition was conducted from a glacier site.
The SSIDXG and Ralph Fedor (team leader) received landing permission from the
Norwegian Government in January of 1993, and made the planned operation public
at Dayton in April, 1993. The core operators were the founding members of SSIDXG
(from the South Sandwich Operation), plus several others. The team converged on
Great Britain (Heathrow) to make the military/commercial flights to Ascension
and the Falklands Islands, which was the jump-off point for the expedition.
After some quality time in Port Stanley, the equipment was transferred to the
Russian Ice-Breaker, research vessell Kapitain Khlebnikov. KK6EK and W6MKB were
first on the island, delivered by Russian helicopter at around 1520 local time.
The first Qso was made with IK4LAI on February 1, 1994.
The SSIDXG expedition was on the island for a total of 22 days (January 29,
1994-February 20, 1994) and made over 60,000 contacts in 15 days between
February 1 and February 16, 1994. The last station worked was K1TOZ at 2121Z.
Landing was made via two helicopters which ferried operators and equipment from
the Russian icebreaker Kapitain Khlebnikov to the island. Helicopter
landing was essential as the island edges are actually mammoth glacier ice flows
which break-off sharply and fall into the ocean. These ice walls are often sheer
100 foot ice walls, making harbors and anchorages logical impossibilities.
Ambient temperatures during the Austral summer varied between a balmy +11
degrees Celsius (approximately 50 degrees Farenheit), to a more Antarctic -15
degrees Celcius (approximately 5 degrees Farenheit). Beyond the temperature
extremes, gales were common with winds in excess of 70-75 miles per hour were
common and made keeping antennas and equipment up and in operation a constant
responsibility.
The dxpedition frequently had four stations on the bands simultaneously. The
antennas were set up in roughly in a line from east to west so that the path to
the earth's most populous areas was essentially perpendicular to the other
antennas, and other yagis were typically located in the other antennas side
null. The expedition used four large tents, two for SSB and CW operations, and
two for sleeping and as a cook tent. Antennas involved a Battle Creek special
antenna for 160-80-40, two low band verticals (KA9Y vertical, GAP 160, 160 wire
beam), 20 meter monobander (Cushcraft 20-3CD), 40 meter monobander (Cushcraft
40-2CD), 2 tribander yagis (Cushcraft A3S), a WARC tribander (Cushcraft A3WS),
and 15 meter monobander (Cushcraft 15-3CD), and M2 satellite antennas. The
expedition was totally self-contained as the landing vessel departed shortly
after landing and would return 3 weeks hence to remove the expedition from the
island. Power was supplied by Onan and Honda generators. Other equipment was
supplied by Heil, I.C.E., Logikey, AEA, Bencher, Timewave, and Debco. The
primary rigs were all supplied by Kenwood U.S.A., and amplifiers were provided
by ETO/Alpha.
The team was taken off the island by helicopters of a different Russian
Research vessel, ice-breaker, the Akademik Fedorov, which first landed on
February 17th, a Thursday. However, a pervasive and heavy fog
descended on the island soon after, and further helicopter flights were
impossible. There were no further helo flights Friday, and then began again on
Saturday, the 19th. Because of the delay in getting materials off the
island, the crew of the Akademic Federov may have made an attempt to
force the dxpedition members to abandon much of their remaining gear (beyond
personal gear) and climb aboard the helo. However, ON6TT, KK6Ek, WA4JQS, and
N4GCK refused to climb aboard, thus guaranteeing that the helicopter would have
to return on another day to complete the evacuation. All of the expedition's
gear (all of it !!) were successfully removed from the island at 1622 local on
February 20.
The expedition team was composed of:
- Ralph Fedor, K0IR (Team Leader)
- Tony DePrato, WA4JQS
- Rob Schmieder, KK6EK
- Terry Dubson, W6MKB
- Bob Wilber, N4GCK
- Luis Chartarifsky, XE1L
- Willie Rusch, HB9AHL
- Peter Casier, ON6TT
- Martin Tosseyn, Expedition Cook
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