Czech expedition to Spitsbergen

Honza OK1JK, Jirka OK1JST, Pavel OK1IPS and Jirka OK1IEC will be June 5-15, 2009 work from QTH Longyearbyean in Svalbard as JW/own brand. The connection is also valid as WLOTA 0125 a IOTA EU-026.

Svalbard and Ham radio

Svalbard, also known as Svalbard, is an arctic archipelago belonging to Norway, located far to the north between 74° and 81° north latitude. Despite the harsh climatic conditions, long winters and limited infrastructure, they have become a popular destination for radio amateur expeditions. Because of its remote location and the interesting JW prefix, Svalbard is especially attractive to collectors of the countries in the program DXCC and islands in the IOTA system (EU-026).

Rádioamatéri na Špicbergoch využívajú predovšetkým základňu v meste Longyearbyen, ktoré je najsevernejšie trvalo obývané mesto sveta. Nachádza sa tu dobre vybavená klubová stanica JW5E, spravovaná skupinou nórskych rádioamatérov. Táto stanica ponúka možnosť prenájmu pre hosťujúcich operátorov a disponuje anténami pre pásma From 160 metrov až po 70 centimetrov .

Due to the polar location, however, the radio conditions on Svalbard are specific. During the winter months, the ionosphere is often unstable, causing rapid changes in signal level and loss of propagation. On the contrary, in the summer months, when the sun does not set, openings at higher ranges (e.g. 20 m and 17 m) are extremely stable and produce excellent results.

Many well-known expeditions such as JW0HS, JW7QIA or JW9JKA brought thousands of connections to the diaries of radio amateurs all over the world. In addition to the technical aspect, the operation on Spitsbergen also has a symbolic dimension - it is a demonstration of the courage, enthusiasm and international cooperation of radio amateurs who connect the world even from the northernmost corners of the planet.