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.

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.