Home|Glossary|Links|Journal|Maps
Terranova,
Terranova, this is the field safety training camp, come in, over
Part of our outdoor training
involved learning how to set up and use radios. In field camps
or when on trail, radios are sometimes our only contact with
the outside world.
The U.S. Antarctic Program
mainly makes use of two types- high frequency radios
(HFs) and very high frequency radios (VHFs).
VHFs are small handheld units that are easy to carry around
in jackets or backpacks. They require a direct line of sight.
In other words, the antenna cannot transmit through solid
barriers such as land formations. So, it must have an unblocked
"view" of the antenna to which it is transmitting.
Alternatively it must be able to "see" a repeater.
Repeaters are basically antennas
set up on high locations like mountains, and they extend the
range of the VHFs because the VHF can transmit to the repeater
and the repeater can then relay the message to its final destination.
The McMurdo Sound region has repeaters on places like Mt.
Terror and Mt. Aurora. But the ones we make use of most often
in the Dry Valleys are the on Mt Coates and Mt Newall.
|
Radioese
You may have heard truckers, airport personnel, or people
in movies use radio lingo. Here's what some of it means.
Copy that?
- Come in: You just radioed someone and you're
asking them to let you know that they heard you.
- Over: You're done saying what you wanted to
say.
- Do you copy?: You're asking someone if they
understood everything that you have said.
- Copy that: You understood what was said
- Repeat: You didn't hear what the said.
- Clear: You're done talking but you're keeping
your radio on.
- Out: You're done talking and you're turning
your radio off.
"This
is the Stream Team, over and clear"
|
|
In contrast to VHFs, HFs are big and bulky,
and their antennas may extend some 50 feet. Because of this, they typically
stay at a base camp. The big advantage to HFs is that you don't need
a direct line of sight or a repeater to use them. They transmit information
by bouncing radio waves off the earth or the ionosphere. You can use
an HF radio on the McMurdo Ice Shelf to contact the South Pole Station
some 700 miles away.
In the spirit of international
cooperation - and for fun- we decided that for our practice HF call,
we would contact the Italian station, Terranova, By Terranova Bay,
and find out what they were having for lunch. Since I speak a little
bit of Italian, I got to do the actual talking. "Who is speaking
Italian over the radio?!," was the surprised reply.
But then an aircraft broke into
our communications because it was landing. So we never did find out
what the Italians were having that day.
Next>>
