Experimental Tests and Performance Evaluation of a VHF Data Transceiver Prototype for Operation in the Antarctic Regions

This paper presents the study and implementation results of a point to point radio data link carried out by the PERMASNOW project Research Team in the Gabriel de Castilla (GdC) Spanish Antarctic Station (Deception Island, South Shetland archipelago, Antarctica) under challenging Non Line-of Sight (NLOS) conditions. Our final goal is to succeed in the remote data access of the multiple and dispersed measurement stations deployed in the surrounding area of the Antarctic Stations without the use of costly satellite communication systems. For so, a wireless sensor network scheme is proposed in which the key element is the node radio data transceiver characterized in this paper. The main design driver is the harsh Antarctic environmental conditions, which leads to a low power and rugged wireless solution. This study confirms the usefulness of the amateur-radio bands and equipment, which mainly give versatility in frequencies, modulations and power configurations. The terrain topography shows to be the key factor in the short-range segment, notably affecting the propagation conditions. For the long-range segment, the best solution still shows to be a satellite link but promising ionospheric data link has been successfully tested.