Radio Communications

Radio communications were not very satisfactory during the sea ice season especially in the Granite Harbour area 150 km from Scott Base. Communication was established when needed although with some difficulty. The HF Codan equipment installed in NZ1 is normally good enabling comms with Scott Base using the roof mounted whip aerial but this season it worked satisfactorily only with a dipole aerial from Granite Harbour. The whip aerials and mounting should be checked by an electronics technician before next season. The small "butter box" HF sets were inadequate even from New Harbour (70 km).

The VHF communication is also inadequate. The blind coastal area from Marble Pt. northwards on the Mt. Newall repeater (channel 5) appeared to be larger than in previous years. The Mt. Erebus repeater (channel 3) did not work at all for us this season and was intermittent at best the previous season. We suggest NZAP investigate the siting of a repeater on Mt. Marston which should give good coverage within Granite Harbour and probably southwards along the coast about to Marble Pt.

The VHF equipment is also becoming dated and less reliable. NiCad batteries are always difficult to charge properly in the field and a field discharger may help improve performance. A connector to 12 VDC lead acid cells would also be an advantage for any party with vehicles. The connections to the Hi-Gain aerials also need regular checking, could be replaced with reusable fittings and a flexible cable better suited to field use should be used. New equipment should be less bulky to keep warm inside clothing, still retain the remote aerial option and have a suitable charger/discharger if powered by NiCad batteries.

The Scott Base radio schedule system has almost become too efficient and easy to initiate from the Scott Base end. It is more difficult however in the field especially when travelling and working on tasks requiring concentration over several hours.