The following is an account of our Svalbard (Spitzbergen) trip in July 2004 to the Land of the Ice Bears, 600 miles from the North Pole. This trip is available on several dates each summer. You can be a part of such an adventure too.
K9PET, W3ASA, W3WKO, W3WKP
Operating MM and JW on shore
Icom 706 IIG, Shakespeare whip w/Icom AH4 tuner
Icom 706 IIG and Big SteppIR vertical on shore
We traveled to the Land of the Ice Bears — Svalbard (see map) for a week of unforgettable pleasure. From the safety of our ship, Zodiacs and kayaks, we explored the wonders of Arctic life. The sounds of walrus, reindeer and the enormous flocks of seabirds and yes, of course, the great Polar bears. We saw and photographed 20. Some were as close as we cared to get, as they snorted and licked the air to get a better scent of us. Reindeer grazed in the meadows right in the town of Longyearbyen as we arrived. While some clicked cameras, our Ham group communicated with 346 eager stations from Japan to Brazil and Asiatic Russia. In all we logged 29 countries and 7 U. S. States on SSB, CW and PSK31. This wasn’t your typical DXpedition. We enjoyed the sights as well and that was the point. Do it all and bring the family.
Jim, W3ASA summed it up so well in an email to me after I got home. “Being a person with multiple interests and hobbies the Endeavour expedition fitted my needs perfectly. My wife could hang out with “normal” people and I could play with the radios as much or as little as I wished. Since I am interested in technology and environmental issues the trip certainly had elements of both which had a lot of appeal to me. Joan, who has no interest in ham radio, had a great time – especially since I didn’t have to set up the radio in our cabin!”
You will not forget the fine food, your warm and comfortable cabin and the naturalists who return year after year to share their life’s work with groups like ours: guiding us through the Arctic beauty that few will ever see. We saw walrus, seals, beluga whales and thousands of birds everywhere. Oh yes, and did I mention “ice.” The beauty of it all was etched in my mind forever as our ship delicately “crashed” through the pack ice as it moved and shifted from day to day. This uncertainty created excitement for us and sometimes a challenge for our Captain and crew as we cautiously moved to new locations in search of nature on the wild side.
You can skim effortlessly across the surface of the Arctic in your kayak and be in the midst of a scene of frosted glass-like water, while floating past large and small icebergs. You’ll have safe and memorable experiences as well as more photos than you can imagine to document your close encounters with animals and of course the flowers of the Arctic tundra. With names like Reindeer Flats and Bear Sound, you can imagine this is only a taste of what’s to come.
In this land of the midnight sun it’s been said, sometimes the ice itself seems to come to life with more bears than one could imagine and it’s fitting to label these experiences as truly “The Land of the Bear.” The bears are just as at home in the water, which explains why sea bear in Latin describes their grace while swimming.
Some have described the birds that follow our ship as kites attached by invisible strings as they float effortlessly along with our ship. We’ll explore old whaling stations from the 16th and 17th century. Along the Continental Shelf, we may see fin whales, the second largest animal in the world: 80 feet long and 100 tons. The chances are good we’ll also see bearded seals, minke whales, walrus and hundreds of thousands of sea birds and maybe the ivory gull. Hiking to the tundra gardens frequented by reindeer, we can watch as they hurry to graze 24 hours a day to store fat for the long dark winter. We can watch the Arctic fox play among the wild poppies.
This Amateur Radio trip was our first group trip as CasualDX, but one of many for Lindblad Expeditions. They have been sharing this pristine Arctic land for many years. Your first contact should be Marc, K9PET 206-546-8952 (Seattle): email K9PET@arrl.net. After our communications to answer your radio related questions, Lindblad’s Travel office will handle the details of your travel needs for this and other CasualDX trips.
Planning for your “radio appetite” is my part. Together, we will attempt to tailor the group’s radio interests to the opportunities we see as we move along. Our exact day-to-day movement will always depend on local conditions.
For Ham Radio details like onboard conditions for operating, shore based antennas; power sources, frequencies, gear to bring, etc. contact:
Marc Weinberg, K9PET at:
K9PET@arrl.net or K9PET@casualdx.com
Remember it’s been noted earlier on this site that the group that travels on this expedition will negotiate together to attempt to give everyone the opportunity they wish based on the conditions we find.
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| Spitsbergen Island |
Close Encounters |
* NOT FOUND *
