QSL cards from Antarctica via the bureau

These two cards from the Japanese research expedition in Antarctica arrived at the shack of EI2KC with the latest delivery via the IRTS bureau. They confirm QSOs made on 17m and 20m CW during 2011.

Hearing Antarctica on a coathanger!

You've probably heard amateur radio operators describing how when some stations are very strong, or propagation is very good, you could "probably work them on a coathanger". (Another version of this says you could load up a string of wet spaghetti and you would work them!) Well this video shows the signal of RI1ANF, Oleg, who is based in South Shetland Islands in Antarctica. I was listening at the time on my Icom IC-706 Mark II in the car, which is attached to - wait for it - a quarter wave whip antenna for the 4 metre (70 Mhz) band.

That's right!! He could be heard without any problem on this small antenna!

I had earlier worked EW8A in Belarus on 17m CW using just this antenna, which is probably smaller than a wire coathanger stretched out !!!!!!!