Ramon, LU1DMZ is currently active as LU1ZA from Destacemento Naval Orcadas, Isla Laurie, Sourh Orkney Islands, IOTA AN-008.
He is planning to be active until end of 2026.
Recent DX Spots LU1ZA
QTH Locator - GC79pg.
More information later.
Previous activity:
LU1ZA will be active from Destacemento Naval Orcadas, Isla Laurie, Sourh Orkney Islands, (IOTA AN-008), 17 May 2016 as LU1ZA.
Operation will be on 80, 40, 20, 10m.
QSL via LU2CN direct.
Ads for direct QSL:
SERVICIO AUXILIAR DE RADIOAFICIONADOS DE LA ARMADA - SARA, AVENIDA COSTANERA ESPAÑA 3101, CIUDAD AUTONOMA DE BUENOS AIRES C1107AML, Argentina.
Orcadas Base and Argentina's claim to Antarctica
Every year on February 22, Argentina celebrates a holiday. Argentine Antarctic Day. Argentina considers its claims to the land in Argentina to be the property of the country and, moreover, marks part of Antarctica on the map, including it within its own borders.
In addition to its claims, Argentina has seven temporary and six year-round bases. The latter includes the Orcadas base. It was built 170 m from the coastline. Its height above sea level at its highest point is 4 m. The nearest port to the base is located 1,502 km away, in the city of Ushuaia.
It was with the founding of the Orcadas base that Argentina's territorial claims to the glacier-covered lands, as well as the adjacent islands and waters, began. Officially, this happened on February 22, 1904, when the Argentine flag was raised above the station within the borders of the South Orkney Islands. It was one of the first bases on the ice continent. It was built on Laurie Island. Argentina was the only country that had a station with the capacity to accommodate scientists year-round. The country managed to maintain its leadership for 40 years, until Great Britain and then other countries began to build their bases within Antarctica.
Three years before this momentous event, an Argentine polar explorer first set foot on Antarctic soil. The pioneer was José María Sobral, a member of the Swedish expedition. José María landed to spend the winter on the continent with his colleagues, but they were only able to return home in November 1903, as the ship sent earlier was crushed by ice and sank.
Isla Laurie, South Orkney Islands, Base Orcadas. LU1ZA QSL.
A well-equipped base and beef cooked over charcoal
The Orkadas base is equipped with everything necessary for polar explorers to live there permanently. This was not always the case. Until March 30, 1927, the scientists living at the station had no way of communicating with the outside world. Help, along with provisions, arrived annually by ship. After that date, a telegraph was installed at the station. Emilio Baldoni, a non-commissioned officer in the Argentine Navy, was responsible for installing it and establishing communication with Ushuaia.
To date, 11 buildings have been erected on the territory of the Orcadas base. In the summer, about 45 people live here, and in the winter, their number decreases to 14. The surrounding area is equipped with shelters designed to store provisions and essential items. Today, most of them are abandoned.
Provisions are currently delivered to the base according to schedule, using either the country's own transport or equipment chartered from other countries. In emergency situations, neighboring bases provide assistance to each other. On Argentine Antarctic Day, scientists at the station prepare traditional Argentine beef cooked over charcoal.
Lori Island, where the base is located, is small. It was formed by sediment and is windswept. As across the entire continent, the wind can change the air temperature, raising or lowering it by several tens of degrees within 10 to 20 minutes.
Most of the Argentine representatives at the bases are scientists whose expertise lies in studying the continent's glaciers and Antarctic waters, seismic activity, and meteorological observations.
Base Orcadas, Isla Laurie, South Orkney Islands. Author - Ansilta Grizas.
Argentine Antarctica or the Chilean and British zone?
Having their own bases is very important for countries. Antarctica has long been recognized as a “treasure chest,” and many states have laid claim to its territories.
International agreements do not allow countries to officially claim land; they can only designate it in the form of claims. The latter are not recognized by governments encroaching on the same territories. This is a matter of honor, so rival states only agree to their competitors' right to make claims.
Argentina designates its territories in the Arctic as a sector stretching from local waters to the South Pole within 25–74 degrees. By a law of 1957, this area was incorporated into the Argentine province of Tierra del Fuego. Local authorities annually appoint a delegate who officially represents the interests of the state on the cold continent.
But Argentina is not the only country claiming these territories. Among its rivals are Chile and the United Kingdom. Argentina and Chile have the most disputes over territorial overlap.
The United Kingdom considers the Falkland Islands to be its territory. This includes the South Orkney Islands with the Orkadas research base. This interest is not simple. Not long ago, oil exploration began on the adjacent shelf, and the islands are officially recognized as the gateway to Antarctica. The government of Foggy Albion is unwilling to cede strategically important territories.
Base Orcadas, Isla Laurie, South Orkney Islands. Author - Javier Gallo.
