Snow noise disturbance in Antarctic radio communications and development of mobile antenna for snow vehicle in Antarctica

• Main Authors: Isao Fukushima, Etsuo Kubo
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: National Institute of Polar Research 1997
• Subjects: geo; info; Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.15094/00009001; https://doaj.org/article/0814a5115c89466e844bb119bf8c2b1d

Radio operators of the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition (JARE) have encountered critical radio noise disturbances caused by blizzards during oversnow travel. This noise appears to be caused by corona discharge at the edges of the vertical whip antenna. This paper describes several examples of snow noise experienced in Antarctica by JARE, the mechanism of generation of the noise, and a method of reducing the intensity of the noise. It also describes a High Effeciency Transmission Line Antenna which is small enough to mount on a snow vehicle and reduces the intensity of the snow noise.