DJ9KH, DK9BDN, DL6KAC will be active again from Ascension Island 2 February - 6 March 2015 as ZD8D.
They will operate on 160- 6 m including 60m band CW, SSB, RTTY.
QSL via DL9HO.
Ascension Island
The Ascension Island is located in the equatorial waters of the South Atlantic Ocean. One of the amazing factors of the Island is that it is named after the day of its actual recorded discovery. It is located in between two continents that include the Coast of Africa and the Coast of the South American continent. Due to its location, it has become one of the most important safe havens for the following activities:
- Coaling
- Marine life
- Commercial airliners
It is technically one of the locations that a lot of discoveries were made. During the Second World War, the island was one of the cores naval and air stations because of the availability of the flying boats. It was therefore extensively used by the British militants and this gives us the opportunity of understanding the history of the Ascension Island.
History
The Island was first discovered by the Portuguese and named it the Dry and Barren Island but it name later on changed to the present name, The Ascension Island. The capital city of the Ascension Island is Georgetown and being one of the British Crown territories, it is headed by Queen Elizabeth the second. The other dignitaries in the Island include the governor and an administrator. The population of the Island is approximately 880 and it is sparse. This makes it one of the less populated locations in the world. One factor that makes the Island different and distinct from other areas is because of its location. It is one of the key stopping points of most ship and communicators in the Southern Atlantic Ocean.
Geography
The Ascension Island is small in size and covers approximately 88 kilometers. It is mainly composed of a volcanic peak that rises in the West of the Mid Atlantic Ridge. The other features that are found in the region include lava flows and the cinder cones. It is basically a wasteland for the remains of the volcanic action that is why it is also referred to as the volcanic island. In addition there are more than forty craters that have been discovered and they have been idle for the longest period. In spite of its formation, it supports plants and animals and the other contributing factor is the kind of climate that is experienced in the region.
Climate
The climate present in the Ascension Island is the tropical type whereby rain showers usually occur at any time during the year, though there are usually heavy occurrences between June and September. Near the Coastal region, the temperatures are relatively high compared to the main land and they are likely to rise to a maximum of thirty one degrees centigrade. Just like any other tropical region, the region experiences both the coolest and the hottest periods. The advantage of this region is that there are no occurrences of winds that are destructive and there are also rare occurrences of hurricanes. The region is also quite humid and with this there are other inhabitants apart from the humans.
Flora and Fauna
It is one of the only islands had its own plants and animals before it was inhabited and discovered by the humans. Some of the endemic plants that were found on the island included: asplenium asnensiosis as well as Euphorbia origanoides as well as the extinct kind oldenlandia adseniosis, pteris adscensions,sporobulus duru and plus dryopteris ascensionsis the recently find once more anogramma (Ascension-Island/parsley-fern) or the (Mexican/Thorn), and prosopis juliflora is an introduced class. Most of these species have thrived in the barren land and made the island lively.
It is unfortunate that some of these plants are extinct especially after man discovered the island. One of the reasons is that they introduced animals that consumed these plants. So what are the fauna that can survive in the Ascension Island?
Animals
Most of the animals that are found in the Island were introduced by the humans like goats, rabbits, sheep, cats, donkeys among others. There are the endemic mammals that were initially found in the Island and they include: reptiles that only consist of two species of lizards, insects like the minute and wingless Psocopteran and the Troglotrocotes. They were discovered in the caves and in between the blocks of lava. There are also flies that are very problematic especially in the summer. In water or on the offshore there are a variety of the open ocean fish like salfish, Wahoo, tuna, black fish, marlin, and bonito among others. The largest land animal is the land crab while one of the best discoveries in the island is the turtle. It lays its eggs ashore from Nov to May.
Birds
There are also several species of birds that are specifically located on this island. They exist because of the availability of shelter, food and the presence of the tropical climate. This is therefore one of the tourist attraction destination on the Ascension Island. It is believed that humans discovered the island through some peculiar bird species. Most of the bird species became extinct when the humans invaded the island because of the animals that they introduced in the island. In spite of the human invasion, there are some species that still survive and are a perfect definition of survival for the fittest.
Economy
The Ascension Island is a tourist attraction site and hence it is the major contributors to the economy of the region. The region also specializes in the military bases because of the availability of the necessary equipment and the military bases that were established during the Second World War. The Island mainly exports postage stamps and this has fairly contributed to the economy of the region. It is also the host of most communication channels because of its accessibility and the fact that it’s located between the African and the American continents. In order to access the island, you can use air transport or the flying boats that is a combination of water and air. The Ascension Island is one of the best locations to visit in the continent.
Video Ascension Island