I would like to announce our SOTA DX pedition to Svalbard (JW). Me JW/LB8CG and JW/LB1RH will be active at JW from 5 to 8 August 2021.
We plan to activate 3 summits and will come with more details closer to activation dates.
Update: second activation will take place 07.08, JW/MS-087 and JW/MS-051 will be attempted activated. ETA to the first summit ca. 9.30-10 UTC. It’s good mobile coverage where, thus no problems to self-spot.
We will have 2 hours at each summit, which means that depending on weather we will have about 1 hour for running radio.
When on summits we would like to prioritize SOTA program participants, thus we would like to ask our correspondents only spot us at SOTAwatch cluster, unless not asked otherwise.
JW/LB1RH will mostly focus at SSB at 20m band.
JW/LB8CG will focus at CW at 17m/30m and possibly at 40m bands depending on propagation.
Depending on conditions/pile-up size I would probably work split on CW, so please listen for “UP” instruction.
We will use Elecraft KX2, KX3 and Yaesu 857d radios, vertical and EFHW antennas.
We are open to suggestions and hope to see a lot of old firends in the log.
I think first activation will be around 10 UTC, best chances for JA-JW will be at 20m and 30m, I will use vertical and 50W CW, if no geomagnetic events will take place chances for QSO are quire high.
Sounds amazing! I hope you’ll get really good weather and I am looking forward to reading about it afterwards.
If you haven’t been to Longyearbyen before, Fruene is probably the best place to spend any downtime.
Reading about SARK / JW5E, there seems to be quite a few radio amateurs in Longyearbyen and I’d love to visit their club house next time I’m up that way.
On another thread there was much discussion about the threat from Grizzly bears. Are you taking any special precautions in case you meet a Polar bear - or are the areas you are going to fairly safe? I guess you generally only find them near the coast.
The risk of a polar bear attack is very real. For this reason, you are not permitted to leave the settlement without a suitable gun (.308 Win calibre rifle or higher) and the ability to use it for protection. You should also have equipment to scare off polar bears, such as a flare gun.
Some weapons and other equipment can be rented in Longyearbyen, but you should check the website of the Governor for the latest information on permit availability.
The Governor recommends to keep weapons semi-loaded. This means there is ammunition in the clip, but not in the barrel to prevent accidental firing. Flare guns must not be loaded when travelling in built-up areas.
At camp, the Governor recommends there be someone on permanent polar bear watch. Trip wires and/or trained dogs can also be used as a supplemental warning system, but bears have been known to jump over trip wires.
If you come across a bear, every attempt should be made to scare it away using flare guns or other items.
We will have armed guide possibly with dogs with us which will watch for the bears. Polar bears are not a joke, so we need to take it seriously. On this reason this is so far the most expensive SOTA expedition for me.
Facts:
Population ab. 2,939
Polar bears ab. 3000
The threat is real and you can’t count on not seeing the bear. It’s just a matter of how far you will see him.
It’s nice that you approach the matter wisely and hire an armed, and above all experienced, guide who will properly assess the threat.
In such a case I would return home after some years in a jail. Bear shot even in self-defense case can cost one about 2000 USD if investigator would decide that not all sufficient measures were taken to scare bear away.
Hi Paul,
I know your comment was meant to be a joke, but I honestly consider any wild animal a beautiful creature, particularly the Polar bears, and just the insinuation of killing one to have a trophy on the wall represents a huge offense to me. I thought we had all finally understood that all these beautiful creatures sharing the planet Earth with us just don’t belong to us, bloody-humans destroyers of so many creatures and ecosystems around the World.
Long life Polar bears despite the tough life we’re giving them now after the horrible climate change we’ve created with our irrational consumption and waste of energy.
73,
That’s not fun!