Permits: Landing and camping at South Orkney requires permission from several government agencies. This multi step process takes months to complete. We recently received our final approval, the “Antarctic Conservation Act Permit” from the National Science Foundation. Other agencies in the process were: the US Department of State and the Environmental Protection Agency. We appreciate the cooperation and assistance we received from these agencies to complete and submit the detailed applications and other required documentation.
New Corporate Sponsor: Joining the list of corporate sponsors is The DX Store, a supplier of quality products for the amateur radio market.
Equipment Status: After 8 weeks our sea container arrived in Punta Arenas, Chile on January 13, 2020.
Operating Schedule: The team will follow a rotating 4 hours on and 8 hours off schedule. In their off-time they’ll catch up on sleep, perform equipment / campsite maintenance, operate from positions available for roving operators, or (weather permitting) go back to Braveheart for a shower and hot meal.
Island Assignments: Each team member is assigned tasks while on the island. Major activities are prioritized and staffed accordingly. The Braveheart crew will help with the heavy lifting and other setup activities. After landing, designated teams will first erect the WeatherPort shelters, install the power grid, and furnish the sleeping and operating shelters. Meanwhile the antenna teams will install the HF antennas, followed by the low band antennas. Weather permitting, setup is expected to take approximately two days.
Fundraising: We appreciate the support from the worldwide DX and amateur radio community. With the addition of Japan’s Nara DX Association, The Spokane DX Association and W4DXCC By SEDCO Convention, we currently have fifty-two clubs / foundations signed on, over 500 individuals and 60 Premier Sponsors who each donated $200(USD), or more. We continue to make progress towards our goal of the radio team paying 50% of the project cost with sponsorships paying the remainder. Is your DX club listed on our website?
Thanks for your continued interest and support of our project, we’ll publish one more press release before leaving home in early February.
Good luck in the pileups.
73, Team VP8PJ Website: https://sorkney.com/ Please direct your questions to: [email protected]
