Frequently Asked Questions
1.
Why has the MDXC
decided to establish the Antarctica Award?
2.
What relations
are there between the MDXC and the Diamond DX Club?
3.
Why do you use the WABA
Directory 2003 for the Antarctica Award?
4.
Why does the Antarctica
Award not issue its own reference numbers?
6.
What relations
are there between the MDXC and the RSGB IOTA Programme’s management?
7.
Why have you included IOTA
Reference Numbers for the bases?
8.
Will the MDXC appoint
local Checkpoints for the Antarctica Award?
9.
Will the
participants’ scores be published?
10. Does the MDXC envisage to make profit on the Antarctica
Award?
11. Is the MDXC open to co-operation?
Why has the
MDXC decided to establish the Antarctica Award?
What relations
are there between the MDXC and the Diamond DX Club?
There is not any
relation of any kind, and the MDXC is not and has never been interested in
passing judgement on matters unconnected with the Club’s own activities.
Why do you use the WABA Directory 2003 for
the Antarctica Award?
Because in our judgement its
scientific and historical approach to the matter makes it by far the current
most reliable source of information on Antarctic bases.
Why does the Antarctica Award not
issue its own reference numbers?
We have adopetd
the WABA Directory 2003 reference numbers in order to avoid confusion, as
A recent new Antarctic Directory, published
a couple of weeks after yours, bears a certain resemblance to the Antarctica
Award list. Can you explain why?
The Antarctica
Award openly makes declared use of the WABA Directory 2003, a valuable
piece of work that resulted from an extensive revision exercise. The WABA
Directory 2003 was first presented at the XVIII Italian HF-DX Convention in
September 2002 (see 425
DX News #587), later
on it was made available on-line for free consultation (425 DX News #598) and downloading (425 DX News #609). An in-depth study
of the revised WABA Directory, including detailed explanations on the changes
made (corrections, integrations, etc), was published in the March 2003 issue of
Radio Rivista, the monthly journal of ARI, the Italian amateur radio
IARU society (click here
for a .pdf copy of the article – in Italian). Having said that, we neither know
nor are insterested in knowing where that «recent new Antarctic Directory» took
its data from: a certain degree of resemblance is quite obvious, as Antarctic
bases cannot be relocated somewhere else according to one’s liking. At all
events,
What
relations are there between the MDXC and the RSGB IOTA Programme’s management?
There is not any
relation of any kind.
Why have you included IOTA Reference
Numbers for the bases?
Because it is
common knowledge that the MDXC is interested in amateur radio activities that
take place from islands, and all of the Antarctic bases – even the
Amundsen-Scott Station at the South Pole – are located on islands that count
for IOTA. The Antarctica Award makes use of the WABA Directory 2003,
which is the official source of information for the IOTA Programme as far as
Antarctic Base locations are concerned.
Will the MDXC appoint local Checkpoints for
the Antarctica Award?
Yes, the MDXC
intends appointing local Checkpoints. They shall be selected preferably among
the club members, but we do not exclude to turn also to non-members. The list
of appointed Checkpoints will be published on this web site.
Will the participants’ scores be published?
Yes, the scores
will be published on this web site. Participants are encouraged to increase
their scores whenever they want and for as many times in the calendar year as
they want. However, the deadline for mailing an update in order to have
up-to-date scores included in the next year’s Antarctica Award listing
is 30 November.
Does the MDXC envisage to make profit on
the Antarctica Award?
The Mediterraneo
DX Club is a non-profit organization. The members of the MDXC Board of
Directors have no business relations of any kind with the amateur radio sector,
including, but not limited to, equipment and accessory trade, contributions to
specialized trade magazines, production of marketable software, books and
booklets. The Antarctica Award Directory is available free of charge and
the MDXC undertakes to use any and all proceeds beyond out-of-pocket expenses
to support amateur radio operations from Antarctica by the printing of QSL
cards for stations in need (as we have already done for AY1ZA’s operation from
the South Orkneys).
Is the MDXC open to co-operation?
It is a
tradition for the MDXC to co-operate in projects promoted in the common
interest of amateur radio, with no bias against anybody. Whereas we are not
interested in either stirring up or participating in controversy, we are
prepared to open confrontation on technical matters, as long as judgements are
based on facts and mutual respect for the people involved is preserved.
Further inquiries should be
sent to