The council of amateur radio 5th Ocean Club and the Greek branch of it, organizes award which is dedicated to the Greek “Malaria Control Flight”.
•History
While Greece was still under German occupation, relief plans for the war-ravaged country had already been developed at the UNRRA (United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Agency)/Balkans division offices in Cairo. Amongst other health issues suffered by the population, malaria (a scourge for all mediterranean areas since the ancient years) had reached uncontrollable proportions during the Occupation due to malnutrition, lack of basic hygiene measures, and medicines.
Immediately after the country’s liberation UNRRA arrived in Greece and purchased 18 Boeing-Stearman PT-17 aircraft from the US for $2,500 each. Ten a/c were equipped with "Thermal Aerosol Spraying" (TAS) devices for spraying the then revolutionary DDT anti malaria insecticide.
In autumn 1945 the aircraft, with spare parts, were packaged and sailed from New York to Piraeus. The “Malaria control flight” was officially established February 1946 at Elefsis air base under the Ministry of Health. The -then-Royal Hellenic Air Force taking care of the deployment of flying and technical personnel.
In June 1946 the flight was operational and a widespread campaign for DDT spraying was established over all malaria ridden areas of Greece. Aircraft were dispersed to several airstrips (Heraklion, Kalamata, Araxos, Agrinio, Ioannina, Larissa, Kozani, Thessaloniki, and Kavala) for this purpose.
By the end of 1946, malaria had decreased to 1/9 compared to previous years, and in 1947, the reduction continued, reaching 1/80!
The campaign was repeated for the next few years and from the spring of 1948, this fleet was supplemented by a number of Boeing-Stearman PT-13 aircraft provided by AMAG (American Mission for Aid to Greece). Therefore, the total number of aircraft approached 50. 31 of these were registered in the civil register in the early 1950s, (later a small number donated to Greek aero clubs).
In 1948, Greece had by far the largest and most capable malaria control fleet of aircraft in the world!
The 'Greek DDT experiment' was indeed unique worldwide, in terms of scope, methodology, and effectiveness, and it succeeded - despite the doubts of a large part of the scientific community at the time.
However, not everything was good with DDT, and many scientists had started to worry. Being non-biodegradable, it has cumulative toxic effects, and soon, side effects begin to appear: deaths of fish, birds, and various organisms in lakes and rivers. Moreover, from 1951 onwards, it was also observed that mosquitoes were developing tolerance to DDT.
The antimalaria flight continued to operate after 1951 with fewer aircraft and on a smaller scale- until its official disbandment in 1971.Greece will ultimately receive certification from the World Health Organization as a 'malaria-free country' in 1974.
•International 5th Ocean Club
The 5th Ocean Club and the Greek branch dedicate this competition in honor of SAP. The club has around 650 members worldwide and they are all radio amateurs directly related to aviation (eg pilots, paratroopers, engineers, instructors, etc.).
We are honored today to be 4 Greek amateur radio members in it:
Polydoros Stavropoulos SV1AHH #555 (Leader of the club for Greece), joined in October 2019.
Georgios Petrakis SV1GGF #556 (Director of the SVIAFA project), member since November 2019.
Stavros Panagiotopoulos SV1JFL #614, (Award designer) member since February 2022.
Georgios Tsirakis SV1QVA #626, (Award Manager) member since September 2022.
+ Zacharias Velissaris SV3GLL/ SK2022 #595, member since September 2020. Died August 2022.
+ Nikolaos Koufoudakis SV1QA/ SK2022 #612, member since February 2022. Died December 2022.
•Thanks:
We thank them very much:
Text: Alexandros Karatzas, Ilias Korombilis
Photos: United Nations Archives
•Purpose and object of the competition:
The purpose of our competition is to honor the pilots that they had a war against malaria. It is dedicated to the antimalarial warfare swarm that after World War II contributed significantly to the fight against malaria. But the adverse effects of DDT, on the fauna and flora of the place, with which the airplanes (Stearman) sprayed over the cities of our country, cannot be ignored.
•Participants:
• All licensed radio amateurs from every official radio country on the planet.
• The Short Wave Listeners (SWL).
•Award:
A color diploma (A4 size) will be awarded automatically and free of charge electronically to those who fulfill the conditions of the competition (accumulation of 46 points). The awards will be issued from the online address: https://hamlog.online/club/5ocean/
•Activators:
The four Greeks members of the Club who will activate the award are:
•Polydoros Stavropoulos SV1AHH #555 (CW)
•George Petrakis SV1GGF #556 (FT4 - FT8 - RTTY)
•Stavros Panagiotopoulos SV1JFL #614, (FT8 – SSB)
•George Tsirakis SV1QVA # 626 (SSB)
•
•Competition duration:
Start 15 April 2024 (00.00 UTC) and end 30 April 2024 (23.59 UTC)
•Modes:
Voice (SSB), CW, FT8, FT4, RTTY.
•Bands:
The amateur radio bands in the shortwave (HF), VHF, UHF,
{160M, 80M, 40M, 30M, 20M, 17M, 15M, 12M, 10M, 6M, 2M and 70CM},
•Awarding - Rating:
The required number of points to be accumulated to qualify for the award (diploma) is 46.
For each radio contact (QSO) or for reception by listeners (SWL= Short Wave Listener) with:
• the special call sign SX46SAP is given 6 points.
• members of the "5th Ocean" club are given 3 points.
• members of the "5th Ocean" club on VHF, UHF and the 160 meter band with radio amateurs, 3 points extra.
Repeated QSOs are only allowed on different bands and different modulation modes.
All types of digital communications (RTTY, PSK, MFSK, SSTV, JT65, FT8, FT4) count as a DIGI type.
•Confirmation of Reception (QSL) Cards:
QSL cards will be sent, the next day free of charge electronically to all radio amateurs who come into radio contact (QSO) with the special call sign SX46SAP. The shipment will be made through the two websites eQSL and Hamlog.online. Contacts (adif files) will be posted at the end of each day on the eQSL, Hamlog.online, QRZCQ, QRZ, Clublog and LotW websites.
•Prohibitory term:
•Paper cards will not be received or sent by post or Bureau.
•No allowed to send to the activators: ◦money in any way (IBAN, Paypal, etc.)
â—¦international postal coupons (I.R.C.)
â—¦U.S.D. (green stamps)
•Additional terms:
Please:
•follow the rules provided by the legislation and the code of the International Association of Radio Amateurs,
•avoid tuning and testing to the frequency of the SX46SAP because it will not be possible to receive the stations that want to participate and there will be a long delay,
•brevity in conversation will be a joy to those who wait,
•do not use computer in CW configuration,
•read directions how you will find members of the 5th Ocean to the:
http://sv1ahh.blogspot.com/2022/06/5_17.html
alternatively you can follow the instructions at:
http://sv1ahh.blogspot.com/2022/06/o...ts-ha8tks.html
We kindly request for your patience and compliance with the terms. Let this competition be a great pleasure for all of us.
Polydoros Stavropoulos (SV1AHH) will be responsible for information and comments throughout the competition:
email: sv1ahh@yahoo.gr
73 de SX46SAP activation team.
•History
While Greece was still under German occupation, relief plans for the war-ravaged country had already been developed at the UNRRA (United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Agency)/Balkans division offices in Cairo. Amongst other health issues suffered by the population, malaria (a scourge for all mediterranean areas since the ancient years) had reached uncontrollable proportions during the Occupation due to malnutrition, lack of basic hygiene measures, and medicines.
Immediately after the country’s liberation UNRRA arrived in Greece and purchased 18 Boeing-Stearman PT-17 aircraft from the US for $2,500 each. Ten a/c were equipped with "Thermal Aerosol Spraying" (TAS) devices for spraying the then revolutionary DDT anti malaria insecticide.
In autumn 1945 the aircraft, with spare parts, were packaged and sailed from New York to Piraeus. The “Malaria control flight” was officially established February 1946 at Elefsis air base under the Ministry of Health. The -then-Royal Hellenic Air Force taking care of the deployment of flying and technical personnel.
In June 1946 the flight was operational and a widespread campaign for DDT spraying was established over all malaria ridden areas of Greece. Aircraft were dispersed to several airstrips (Heraklion, Kalamata, Araxos, Agrinio, Ioannina, Larissa, Kozani, Thessaloniki, and Kavala) for this purpose.
By the end of 1946, malaria had decreased to 1/9 compared to previous years, and in 1947, the reduction continued, reaching 1/80!
The campaign was repeated for the next few years and from the spring of 1948, this fleet was supplemented by a number of Boeing-Stearman PT-13 aircraft provided by AMAG (American Mission for Aid to Greece). Therefore, the total number of aircraft approached 50. 31 of these were registered in the civil register in the early 1950s, (later a small number donated to Greek aero clubs).
In 1948, Greece had by far the largest and most capable malaria control fleet of aircraft in the world!
The 'Greek DDT experiment' was indeed unique worldwide, in terms of scope, methodology, and effectiveness, and it succeeded - despite the doubts of a large part of the scientific community at the time.
However, not everything was good with DDT, and many scientists had started to worry. Being non-biodegradable, it has cumulative toxic effects, and soon, side effects begin to appear: deaths of fish, birds, and various organisms in lakes and rivers. Moreover, from 1951 onwards, it was also observed that mosquitoes were developing tolerance to DDT.
The antimalaria flight continued to operate after 1951 with fewer aircraft and on a smaller scale- until its official disbandment in 1971.Greece will ultimately receive certification from the World Health Organization as a 'malaria-free country' in 1974.
•International 5th Ocean Club
The 5th Ocean Club and the Greek branch dedicate this competition in honor of SAP. The club has around 650 members worldwide and they are all radio amateurs directly related to aviation (eg pilots, paratroopers, engineers, instructors, etc.).
We are honored today to be 4 Greek amateur radio members in it:
Polydoros Stavropoulos SV1AHH #555 (Leader of the club for Greece), joined in October 2019.
Georgios Petrakis SV1GGF #556 (Director of the SVIAFA project), member since November 2019.
Stavros Panagiotopoulos SV1JFL #614, (Award designer) member since February 2022.
Georgios Tsirakis SV1QVA #626, (Award Manager) member since September 2022.
+ Zacharias Velissaris SV3GLL/ SK2022 #595, member since September 2020. Died August 2022.
+ Nikolaos Koufoudakis SV1QA/ SK2022 #612, member since February 2022. Died December 2022.
•Thanks:
We thank them very much:
Text: Alexandros Karatzas, Ilias Korombilis
Photos: United Nations Archives
•Purpose and object of the competition:
The purpose of our competition is to honor the pilots that they had a war against malaria. It is dedicated to the antimalarial warfare swarm that after World War II contributed significantly to the fight against malaria. But the adverse effects of DDT, on the fauna and flora of the place, with which the airplanes (Stearman) sprayed over the cities of our country, cannot be ignored.
•Participants:
• All licensed radio amateurs from every official radio country on the planet.
• The Short Wave Listeners (SWL).
•Award:
A color diploma (A4 size) will be awarded automatically and free of charge electronically to those who fulfill the conditions of the competition (accumulation of 46 points). The awards will be issued from the online address: https://hamlog.online/club/5ocean/
•Activators:
The four Greeks members of the Club who will activate the award are:
•Polydoros Stavropoulos SV1AHH #555 (CW)
•George Petrakis SV1GGF #556 (FT4 - FT8 - RTTY)
•Stavros Panagiotopoulos SV1JFL #614, (FT8 – SSB)
•George Tsirakis SV1QVA # 626 (SSB)
•
•Competition duration:
Start 15 April 2024 (00.00 UTC) and end 30 April 2024 (23.59 UTC)
•Modes:
Voice (SSB), CW, FT8, FT4, RTTY.
•Bands:
The amateur radio bands in the shortwave (HF), VHF, UHF,
{160M, 80M, 40M, 30M, 20M, 17M, 15M, 12M, 10M, 6M, 2M and 70CM},
•Awarding - Rating:
The required number of points to be accumulated to qualify for the award (diploma) is 46.
For each radio contact (QSO) or for reception by listeners (SWL= Short Wave Listener) with:
• the special call sign SX46SAP is given 6 points.
• members of the "5th Ocean" club are given 3 points.
• members of the "5th Ocean" club on VHF, UHF and the 160 meter band with radio amateurs, 3 points extra.
Repeated QSOs are only allowed on different bands and different modulation modes.
All types of digital communications (RTTY, PSK, MFSK, SSTV, JT65, FT8, FT4) count as a DIGI type.
•Confirmation of Reception (QSL) Cards:
QSL cards will be sent, the next day free of charge electronically to all radio amateurs who come into radio contact (QSO) with the special call sign SX46SAP. The shipment will be made through the two websites eQSL and Hamlog.online. Contacts (adif files) will be posted at the end of each day on the eQSL, Hamlog.online, QRZCQ, QRZ, Clublog and LotW websites.
•Prohibitory term:
•Paper cards will not be received or sent by post or Bureau.
•No allowed to send to the activators: ◦money in any way (IBAN, Paypal, etc.)
â—¦international postal coupons (I.R.C.)
â—¦U.S.D. (green stamps)
•Additional terms:
Please:
•follow the rules provided by the legislation and the code of the International Association of Radio Amateurs,
•avoid tuning and testing to the frequency of the SX46SAP because it will not be possible to receive the stations that want to participate and there will be a long delay,
•brevity in conversation will be a joy to those who wait,
•do not use computer in CW configuration,
•read directions how you will find members of the 5th Ocean to the:
http://sv1ahh.blogspot.com/2022/06/5_17.html
alternatively you can follow the instructions at:
http://sv1ahh.blogspot.com/2022/06/o...ts-ha8tks.html
We kindly request for your patience and compliance with the terms. Let this competition be a great pleasure for all of us.
Polydoros Stavropoulos (SV1AHH) will be responsible for information and comments throughout the competition:
email: sv1ahh@yahoo.gr
73 de SX46SAP activation team.