Antarctica

The British Antarctic Survey purchased their first Davis Vantage Pro from us in 2004 to use on the air strip at Sky-Blu, http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/Living_and_Working/Stations/Sky_Blu/index.html. The instrument is used to give reliable information to their support aircraft during take off and landings. The groomed blue ice runway is up to 1.2 km in length and 50 m wide, permanently marked by flags.

A second purchase in 2005 means the new Davis Vantage Pro 2, with its increased transmission range of up to 300 metres, is to be located at Fossil Bluff later in the year, http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/Living_and_Working/Stations/Fossil_Bluff/index.html. This site is a facility for refueling aircraft and forms a transit station for summer groups. You land on a snow/ice runway 1200 m in length approximately 1 mile away from the hut. Rows of drums mark the runway and contain fuel for refueling the aircraft.

The readings given to support aircraft by the Davis instruments is invaluable for transporting people, supplies and fuel safely in the harsh weather conditions experienced.

Interestingly whilst the manufacturer, Davis Instruments, claimed only 100 meters wireless range for this equipment; BAS found that they could get many times that because of the low background noise level.

skybluvp-1skybluvp-2

Footnote:- Since their original purchase BAS bought a selection of spare parts to extend the life of their original VPs. The main problem they had with them was on the crews return to the ice after the Antarctic winter and finding the transmitter boards frozen solid in very salty ice which did not do them a lot of good. However a quick service soon got them back up and working again.