Antarctica always resonated with Sarabjeet Singh
Hyderabad: With a call sign of VU2CUW, 27-year-old amateur radio operator Sarabjeet Singh Chhabra will be in Antarctica as a member of the Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica (42-ISEA) on December 9. He will be accompanying the team to either Bharati or Maitri Stations in the white continent.
Sarabjeet, who got his ham radio operating license in 2015, will be one of the youngest members of the contingent and he is feeling happy and nervous at the same time as it is his first international trip ever.
He landed the opportunity while chatting with a customer, Bhagwati Prasad Semwal at his start-up Hobbytivity. Bhagwati is also a radio operator (call sign VU3BPZ) and has already been on this expedition to Antarctica. Sarabjeet also credits his father, an ex-serviceman and amateur radio operator (VU2CRS), for being his guiding light throughout his technical journey.
Sarabjeet, who was born in Ahmedabad and grew up in Delhi, worked in HF Signals in Hyderabad for six-seven months and fell in love with the city. “Hyderabad is sort of a hub for amateur radio activity and I made a lot of close friends here. I am a foodie and still miss the taste of biryani,” he said.
He is on a contract with the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) at Goa, and this expedition is conducted by them every year.
“I had a walk-in interview with a panel of 11 scientists at the Ministry of Earth Sciences in Delhi, and I was selected. I had pre-Antarctic training at Auli. I will be reporting to Goa on November 22 and will go through five-day training. After this, we will be leaving for Cape Town in South Africa and then to Antarctica,” shares Sarabjeet.
Two teams – research and logistics –will be a part of the expedition. “I will be in the logistics team; we are basically the support system to the research team. There are two radio operators on the team and I’ve opted to be posted at the Bharati Station but the posting has been kept a surprise. I will be needed to take care of the VHF communication as there is no cell coverage in Antarctica and everything has to communicate via VHF radios that are basically handheld radios,” he says.
Sarabjeet is also excited about conducting his own experiments in his leisure time and is taking HF radios, VHF radios, and other personal equipment along with him. He has a Kenwood dual band radio and it has capabilities of sending emails over the radio.
“I would like to work on the propagation of high frequencies from Antarctica to India, and other stations in my proximity. I am not sure of the success because the ham radio hobby is all about experimentation,” shares Sarabjeet who has applied for a new call sign ‘Alpha Tango 42 India’ for this expedition.
He did his Bachelor’s in Electronics and Communication at JMIT Radaur, and is also into 3D printing and designing and makes his own 3D printers. He also makes CNC machines and is into web designing as well. “I might go to the UK for my master’s in Robotics or drone technology after my expedition. I want to have my own makerspace one day, open it to the general public and work on projects. I want to be remembered even after I’m gone,” he concludes.
Indian hams who operated from Antarctica:
1. Bhagwati Prasad Semwal (VU3BPZ)
2. Rajesh Dabral (VU3LBP)
3. Dr. Ashutosh Singh (VU2IF) – First ham from India
4. Cdr. Harkirat Singh (VU3HKQ) – was active from Dakshin Gangotri, the
Antarctic Research Base Station of India
5. Lt. Cdr. MS Prakash (VU2MSW) – was active from the Maitri base in
Antarctica between 1991-1993
