ARLA/CLUSTER: O radioamadorismo desde Nunavut, o lugar habitado permanentemente mais a Norte do Mundo

[João Costa > CT1FBF]

Ham radio at the top of the world

An article about the wireless facilities at the Alert base in Nunavut
describes amateur radio operation at the northernmost permanently
inhabited place in the world

Amateur radio played a key role in helping to maintain high morale
among the station's personnel -  both for its operators and those
wishing to pass messages or using a phone patch to keep in  touch with
home.
It was especially important in the days when mail came every 6 weeks.
The "ham rig" was always referred to as the "backup" communications
system, hence the justification for its existence.

Amateur radio saw its beginnings at Alert Wireless Station in 1957,
when Earle Smith was authorized by the Department of Transport (DoT)
to use his own call sign VE8AT for the very first station . This was
the same call sign which he used in Whitehorse, Yukon where he was
issued VE8AT in 1954 upon being transferred in from 408 Squadron Goose
Bay, Labrador where he was on Temporary Duty during SHORAN operations.
Earle's first call sign,  issued in 1948, was VE1SA.

Read the full article at
http://jproc.ca/rrp/alert.html