EXPEDITION NORTH POLE “Spedizione Comandante Simone Orlandini” callsign IQ9MQ/MM

Dear Sparks,

please read carefully the following News about the Expedition to North Pole by Italian Navy, according to last info received, Captain Orlandini will mantain daily radio watches as follow (except when in ports):

Callsign IQ9MQ/MM

From 07.00 UTC up to 16.00 UTC on 14300.0 kHz USB

From 16.01 UTC up to 06.59 UTC on 7183.0 kHz LSB

No CW activity

While writing this post the S/V MELORIA is sailing between Brest to the Ile of Wight.

HF ACTIVITIES AT THE NORTH POLO

The communications on this expedition will be fundamental, as besides letting the entire world of the radio know the activity we are going to carry out, we will be constantly in contact with various Italian radio operators who will support us during the outward and return journey.

We will establish radio contacts in short waves and we will have the opportunity to make ourselves heard all over the globe supported by the Radio Amateurs of the A.R.M.I., an association that counts thousands amateur radio operators in Italy and in the world.

This is similar to what was done in 1928 between the ship of the Royal Navy “Citta di Milano” IGJ (ship used for the radiotelegraphic support to the dirigible ITALY) that kept the radio contacts in short waves, with the radiotelegraphic station of the Royal Navy Rome-San Paolo (IDO) and the airship ITALY.

Now modern means are avant-garde and allow us real-time communications with totally different emission modes since then. The equipment is very low, for example we will use an ICOM transceiver an IC-7300 with a radiating power of 100 watts, and a myriad of functionalities, from digital communications to those in voice or in clamps.

Our transceiver is very compact and not bulky, about 25 cm wide, just under 10 cm high and 23 cm deep, imagine that ONDINA the transceiver used by Biagi to send the emergency call (SOS) from the Red Tent from similar dimensions to a wooden trunk.

The antenna that we will use on board is a vertical glass fiber resistant to wind and cold icy Arctic, is 7.50 meters long and is functional across the spectrum of HF (1.3 to 30 MHz) .

The radio contacts with our station on board the Meloria, will be confirmed by cards called QSL which in radioamateur jargon means “confirmation of radio contact” and will be sent to all the amateur radio operators who will have connected us. It’s a way to get a confirmation from these polar latitudes that unfortunately they are not inhabited by any amateur radio

73’s

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