Finally, the complete team has arrived at PES on Monday evening. The first days have been busy with different testing of the scientific equipment and field maintenance.
Reinhard and Lionel made a lot of tests with the low frequency radar which will be used on the Roi Baudouin ice shelf and Derwael ice rise in the coming weeks. A few days have been used to find the good configuration for the radar and the last test performed today around the base was successful.
Nicolas and Christophe (our field guide) re-visited the cGPS installed last year on Seal, 60 km north to the station yesterday. After 2.5h on skidoo from PES to Seal nunatak (close to the former Japanese Asuka station), they found the station back in a reasonable state. Some problems occurred during the winter such as the damage of the wind turbines. This reflects the extreme meteorological conditions in this region due to violent easterly winds. Seal nunatak is not protected by the Sör Rondane Mountains and the conditions are completely different compared to PEA.
Nicolas and Christophe collected the data and maintained the station (e.g. checked the receiver, removed the ice on the solar panels, ...). The wind conditions were very tough, and this work took more than 3h before they returned to the station.
Additionally, Alain and Jacques recognized the path and the spot for the new station cGPS ROB2 which will be installed next Saturday. The station, the same as ULX1, will be installed 40km southern from the PES on the Yet Nunten, a nunatak of the Söysane massif.
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