Radio Communications

From all of our camp sites we were able to communicate directly with Scott Base via VHF radio; reception was always excellent. On Black Island our position behind Mt Aurora necessitated leaving the tent to establish communications. This was also the case at Cinder Hill on Mt. Bird, where we could receive Scott Base, but could not transmit from the camp site due to it's position in a natural hollow. It was a simple task to climb to a suitable vantage point. At Foster Crater radio communications were excellent and we could receive and transmit from within the tent. Using the high gain antenna improved both reception and our ability to transmit. From Mt Bird we used the Erebus Repeater with success. From Black Island and Foster Crater Channel 4.

We encountered a few problems with the battery contacts at Black Island and Foster Crater during extreme cold. This was not a problem at Mt Bird.

At Mt Bird we also set up the HF set and on one occasion communicated with Scott Base (at the put in), otherwise we did not use the Codan set.