Two Teens, a Ham Radio, and Operation Deep Freeze 

My father was one of the Seabees who took part in the first wintering over at the South Pole. Dad so appreciated the help that Jules provided in helping Dad keep in touch with his then fiancee that Jules became the best man at their wedding.

Only the HG could tie in teenagers, Ham radios, permanent Antarctic research stations, free-electron lasers, and EZ-Pass. Nowhere else would you get that tied together. Makes me recall Paul Harvey and the Rest of the Story.

I think I am going to dig out my old Hallicrafter's receiver, find a long length of wire for an antenna and take a listen to the world this evening; something I haven't done for fifty years. I hope the tubes still fire up.

I have had the honor of knowing Jules since 2015, he is a member of the radio club that I am now president of. I became aware of these accomplishments only several month ago as he has never mentioned it before. I guess to him and others who have known this it's "old news" . Seeing the story in this format makes me quite emotional, knowing you know someone with these accomplishments is quite overwhelming. Imagine you're Jimmy Olsen and you just found out Clark Kent is Superman !!. Jules is a source of tremendous knowledge and has helped me on several occasions. I always consult Jules before I flip a switch or key down on one of my crazy radio projects. Joe Sacco KC2JMS President Rip Van Winkle Amateur Radio Society

My father was on Deepfreeze 1. He was in one of the photos you featured in your video. The operation staged out of Navy base Davisville, RI.

This actually continued for a lot longer than you might have expected. I was a teenage ham in the early 1990s, and one day I was tuning around and came across an American ham running these patches for the station at the South Pole. I could hear both sides of the conversation, and all the work that went into setting up the calls too. The guy at the South Pole would give the desired American phone number, and the American ham would call the phone operator and give the details. Then the AT&T operator called the number and asked if they'd accept a collect call. I remember one where the operator (who sounded like she thought this whole thing might be a prank) asked the lady at the other end, "Will you accept a collect call from Bob at the South Pole?" The lady practically screamed "YES!!!"

My grandfather was one of the men on that small team in Operation Deep Freeze II. He spoke of his gratitude for the HAM radio operators, most notably when they were able to inform of him my aunt being born and my grandmothers good health after the birth. The news ran a story when he returned profiling his time in Antarctica along with now treasured photos of him meeting the baby for the first time, and they also mentioned how the HAM radios had let him keep in contact with his wife and newborn in a way he otherwise couldn't have during the deployment.

I'm proud to say that 20 years later, in 1975, as a young USN seaman apprentice I put in my application to winter over in Antarctica as part of Operation Deep Freeze. I wasn't accepted for the duty, seems they had no use for a Gunner's Mate striker, but in 2011 I did manage to get my ham radio license. The previous year I had married my wife, whose step-father had worked in Antarctica as a Navy Seabee. Those three facts made this presentation on your channel especially interesting and somewhat personal for me and I thank you for doing it. de NT2C, 73 OM

The AARL provided phone patches to us GIs in Vietnam in 1969. Huge morale boost. Thanks, guys.

Another great episode. HAM operators are selfless. My first military assignment in Korea, there were no cell phones, international long distance was super expensive, and the morale call system had so much demand, you could never access the trunk line out of Camp Walker. HAM to the rescue. The Military Affiliate Radio System, or MARS, did the same thing for us with voice calls to loved ones. I will never forget those people - unpaid volunteers who served in anonymity.

Never heard that story about amateur radio. My father was an early ham operator from 1933, W7DSY, and I proudly carry his call sign today.

I am a Seabee, and I truly appreciate the mention of our efforts to build these stations. Can do! :-)

Retired Seabee and amateur radio operator her. Deeply moved and impressed. I’m keeping this story.

I found myself crying when the careers that the two New Jersey teens followed. These were truly two people who deserve to be remembered. My favorite episode so far!

As a second-generation Ham radio operator, it was my privilege to have grown up around the ham shacks of several skilled operators who were able to maintain contact with Antarctica and provide phone patch services. I am also proud to say that I too have communicated with Antarctica via Ham radio. Growing up around all those radio operators, it may not be surprising that I became a US Navy Radioman myself, and eventually a General Class Amateur Radio Operator.

I have been a licensed Ham radio operator since 1976 and in the mid 70's I spoke with a radio operator in Antarctica, he was a medic and we had a discussion about what it is like to live there. I handled phone patch traffic after the 1976 Guatemala earthquake when Ham radio was the only means of communication. I handled phone patch traffic for the Peoples Temple religious group, that's right Jim Jones in Georgetown, Guyana (Jonestown) and all I can say is that the radio operators seemed sane and people just wanted to speak with loved ones back in California. All the traffic I handled for them was into California... K5AZE - Texas

Ham operators have had a positive impact on many people. Most of that impact goes with out recognition. I was in Thailand in 1972 when I discovered that the MARS unit would help you place a collect call for you to a stateside number. I managed during the year I was in Thailand to talk to my mother and others in my family. It was a big help to my wellbeing. MARS stands for Military Auxiliary Radio Stations and they are Ham operators that had many types of service actions in addition to helping make phone calls. This was long before Cell phones of course. I don’t know what functions they still perform, but the US Army and Air Force still supports the group. Thank you MARS. And thank you Mr. History Guy for this story!

Ham Radio patches were a morale booster when I was aboard my first ship. The OpsO. had a 50 watt radio and used it while we were in the Coral Sea and elsewhere. My mother couldn't understand why her son at sea was calling her collect at 4:00 am over a radio with an operator in MS. Why couldn't he call at regular hours??😆??? She was not Tech Savy in '72. 😁😆 Next time was in Byrd Surface Camp in Antarctica. We had problems with no ground and constantly blowing fuzes with really old equipment. Our call sign was KC4USB if I remember correctly. Was there from '70-'81 summer support (VXE-6) Fond memories down there ....................... enjoy

Thank you for the excellent historical coverage of those exciting years of exploration! I had almost forgotten about meeting Dr. John Wheeler which had later implications. Howard Shrader, whose tube collection we went to see, was a relative of our next door neighbor in Clark and would come over every weekend to tape record concerts of the Boston Pops over WQXR which did not have good reception at his Princeton location. My brother and I always went next door to watch Howard set up his home made tape recorder and, so learned about the tube collection. Brother John, in 2002 began to look more carefully at Dr. Wheeler and Dr. Richard Feynman's paper which discussed implications of the time symmetry of Maxwell's famous equations of electromagnetism and which inspired John to consider experimental proof of the existence of the so-called 'advanced wave'; his passing in 2016 did not allow him to complete that work. Have to correct one thing in the presentation. My good friend and business associate WB2LKZ, Jim Hedrick, and I were hired by the Thruway in 1985 to help modernize their toll collection system. I wound up dealing with hardware issues ... toll lane infrastructure, and Jim designed and programmed the dedicated computer which collected, stored and forwarded all of the toll plaza information. When around 1989-1990, a consortium of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania transportation agencies decided the only way to improve worsening congestion was to adopt wireless non-stop toll collection, the Thruway was assigned as the lead technical agency of the group and so it fell to us and our team of engineers and techs to evaluate and test available systems for the EZPass Group. That work resulted in the first EZPass lanes at the Thruway's Spring Valley, NY, toll barrier, opening on August 2, 1993. The rest is .... history. 73 Jules Madey - K2KGJ

Thank you for this wonderful episode. I have had my "ham radio" license since 1974 and it is often difficult to make people understand the importance of this activity even in this day and age.

One other famous HAM radio operator not mentioned here: my Father, Kenneth Noal Wright (WA5ULG). In the late 60's through the mid 70's he established relationships with many other HAM's around the world, including merchant marines, missionaries on remote continents and, on a few occasions, the guys at the South Pole. He would run Phone Patches for them so they could talk to family back home...wherever that might have been. I think of my DAD as a true hero for doing this service. On many occasions I would sit in his radio room and soak it all in as a kid. Those were the days of true pioneers in technology. THANK YOU FOR SHARING!!! Brings back many wonderful memories!

My Grandfather was a big HAM radio enthusiast. He was an active member of the Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS) for many years up until his passing in 2006. I remember fondly him and others in the program doing MARS calls for service members serving away from home over the holidays. I still remember his call sign and that's something that I haven't thought about in 16 years. WA1BER. Thanks for the memories, HG.

At 21, my new wife and I were teaching in Bolivia, and we called home several times - going to the telephone business office, using a telephone there to call the States, and being "Patched Through" to our parents' home phones via those wonderful Ham Radio Operators!! Special!!

Famous ham radio enthusiast, Al Gross (W8PAL), is worthy of show. Not the politician. Al invented the walkie-talkie, ground to air communication, and the garage door opener. He inspired the wrist watch for Dick Tracy.

I had heard a very little bit of this story as a kid in the early 70s, the barest facts...."There once was an expedition to Antarctica and some young fellows with a HAM-radio were communicating with them..." Thanks for filling in a ton of empty spaces on this one. It appears that I knew almost NOTHING about something that happened just a few years before I was born. I am grateful that you're making these videos, I always learn something from them. It's my belief that if you don't learn anything through the course of a day, then that day has been wasted and all the possibilities that it contained were lost forever. Watching your channel has kept me from wasting any days for a few years now. That is a huge public service. 🥇

As a Ham and being from a large family of Hams, thank you for this. Great story!

I was a USAF MARS operator in the 80’s. My callsign was AFB4FL, and I had a blast & learned a lot while a member of MARS. I’ve been a Ham since 1976, and my current Ham callsign is W5JN.

Man O'man THG, you never disappoint with great stories.

And we hams are still out there! Having fun and serving. Why not take the test and join us? Only a 35 question multiple choice test gets you started. No Morse code required at any of the three levels. And the questions and answers are available on line! We have more fun than should be legal!🤣 73, Keith AC0SV of the Egyptian Amateur Radio Club, St. Louis area, Illinois.

My Dad was part of operation Deep Freeze in the late 1950’s. He was a Seabee who helped to build the science stations in Little America and McMurdo Sound. I remember late night calls when we got to speak with him with ham radio operators patching him through. Five little kids all lined up to say, “Hello Daddy, we love you!” This really is a history that should be better known.

I have always respected and admired the Seabbes. I heard their motto is: "the difficult we do right away, the impossible takes a little longer"

This is right up there as one of my favorites of all the excellent videos you've produced! A story of people helping each other, for no other reason than because they can, and they want to. Wonderful!

My brother got his Ham ticket (WB6RBA) in the early 60’s and the bug bit me as I listened to these and many other stories in my childhood. I eventually conquered Morse code to become a licensed Ham in 1978 and was our local EC during a flood event. Ham Radio Operators volunteer their time and skill everyday when disaster strikes. Great episode! 73, de N6NII

One of THE best ones you have done so far. What an amazing story. Can you imagine how easily this international story of the Bros could have not happened? If the Parents of these two, instead of helping/encouraging them ( You think the kids built the 110 foot antenna???) they stopped all of it? These two deserve a Movie made of them.

Thank you for the lesson. You came in 5 x 5 this morning.

Fantastic story!!! 73, W8QAS

Super cool to have a subject of a THG video still be alive

As a relative new "HAM" I really enjoyed some history of short wave radio and the service that it has provided in the past. Much service is still happening including disaster communication where other systems are too busy or not available. Thanks to all the "HAMS" world wide that participate in service to others in need, KI7RJS ...

Thanks for highlighting just one important attribute of the amateur radio hobby!

My family were missionaries and we lived deep in the Amazon jungle on a mission "base". Our radioman, a retired Marine, would contact other HAM operators in the US and they would phone our relatives and make a patch so we could talk with our families. I'll never forget that. "How's aunt Betty, over?" "She is doing fine, over." And the radio guys using codewords... "zulu, tango, foxtrot, alpha", that was sooo cool! What is wonderful is that they're still at it today, helping isolated families connect using their "hobby".

My uncle was one of the Seabees in Antarctica on two tours of duty, with the second one wintering over at McMurdo Sound. My father was able to talk to him periodically through a friend of his named Tony Gupta (sp?) who was a Ham Radio Operator. My uncle sent us many things including a 8mm movie of him wrestling a penguin and such things as their food menu and other souvenirs. Thank you for this video. I wish my uncle was still alive to watch it.

Fantastic story. Great to show the effect one person who cares can have on the world.

My grandfather was a pilot and an amateur radio operator. When he retired as chief pilot of a company that built large underground caverns in North America, he spent several years working for the same company, building and operating their HAM station in the Aleutian Islands. Though certainly not as harsh as Antarctica, he did describe the climate as cold and uninviting. I remember hearing him over the phone through a patch with a local HAM operator.

Man, I love ham radio. And so glad to hear that Jules is still alive! What a tale. Communication really can change everything.

I'm a huge fan of Antarctic history (Shackleton especially) and the IGY, but I had never heard of the HAMs that gave of their time and talents to help out. Thanks for uncovering this gem of history!

My dad told me one time when he was in Vietnam as an infantryman, he and somebody's got the opportunity to do a ham radio phone patch call. But a lot of the times when they would call their mothers on the other end and the mother would not understand how the technology was working.

Great presentation of history! Even as late as the late 60's and 70's during Viet Nam, the only way to get to hear a familiar comforting voice from home was ham radio operators who would patch us thru. I was so impressed with their dedication and support that I finally became one myself - N7HNO. Having been licensed since the early 80's I'm amazed at the many technological advancements that the hams have made. We are a community of pretty selfless volunteers who stand ready to help their communities or fellow man in times of need, or just relax in the station ready for a ragchew.

I wintered over in 85/86. I used the Ham-a-gram and called home a few times. My folks couldn’t get the hang of saying over when they were done talking. Great bunch of people the Ham operators.

Wow Lance-not what I expected from the title. Outstanding EPISODE!!!! Now you have awakened a big in me lol As a twelve year old I saved my paper route money and bought a largish amateur station setup for sed. My father humored my drive and assisted in setting up the MASSIVE antennae array over our small home lol I believe it actually stretched over our tolerant elderly neighbors home as well…. Now I will need to have a little radio talk with my 17 year old

This is a great bit of history that I can somewhat relate to. I’ve been to Antarctica, on a ship, in the summer, and it was still bloody cold. It was actually quite beautiful, which I wasn’t expecting. Still, I can’t fathom spending a winter there. The cold, the darkness, the isolation, and the monotony would drive most anyone crazy.

Good morning from Chicago heights Illinois. It's Always a pleasure to be with THG and Friends.

My father was an electronics engineer and designer, specializing in RF. We had 5 huge towers (165' - 220') in our back yard, all with beam antennas at the top that could be pointed. The cables going to the towers were 3" easily. He scratch-built a box with a flat map of the Earth and knobs for each beam antenna. Crank a knob and the antenna moves. He was running kilowatts. He could talk to people virtually anywhere. Could also hear people all over the world. Lots of Morse code too. That was his HAM radio rig.

Thank you, as always, for your dedication and presentation expertise. Your topic is really the tip of the iceberg, (pun almost intended) concerning Ham Radio and the many services they perform. As a Ham stationed in Barbers Point, Hawaii, I found that the Coast Guard had a navigational ship halfway between Hawaii and California. The name of the ship was Ocean Station November. Its mission was to provide navigation to overflying aircraft to insure the accuracy of their navigation. This ship was based in Hawaii and would be on station for weeks at a time. I was able to establish many phone patches with the ship over the course of months. My mission was to connect them with their family's. I did this in the years of 1965-1966. My reward was simply knowing that this communication was certainly morale building. I spent time in Adak, Alaska and of course the Southeast Asia activities, where ham radio was a morale booster way before internet and cell phone activity. My handle at the time was MAC and my call was WA8VCP. I also used the NAS station club, KH6AHQ. My present call is K9FLY. Once again many thanks for sharing this aspect of history.

Another incredible story that I would never have known if not for you,THANK YOU!

Hello History Guy! I just want to say thanks so much for such a great video. It was extra special to me because I am a Ham! I'm WB8YMV in Michigan. I've had an amateur radio license since my senior year of high school in 1976. Ham radio has a great tradition of the older hams mentoring and teaching the younger ones. My mentor was a man named Fred Schelter who's callsign was K8IVC. Fred is no longer with us but I will never forget him. Thanks again for a really great video and as we say on the air 73 (best regards!)

Great story, especially toward the end when Jules was described as precocious for recognizing the value of current news. Even in the age of satellite news, having no access to it can be a big deal. I deployed to the middle of nowhere (Bale Dogle) in Somalia in December 1992. No Stars and Stripes. No CNN. But I had a shortwave radio. My team listened to the BBC and Voice of America and produced a one-page newsletter every couple days that was cranked out on the last mimeograph machine I've seen in operation. The greatest indirect compliment I ever received was when a Soldier picked one up, read it, then folded it up and put it in his pocket.

About the only thing to look forward to on Monday!

Thank you for the memorial dedicated to ham operators worldwide. There are more stories about Ham Radio, like the founder of the American Radio Relay League, Hiram P. Maxim. He was a genius and inventor. 73 to all de WA4CIF

I was at McMurdo Station in 1997 with the Navy. That year was the first time they were able to set up internet video conferencing. I got to see and talk to my wife and 3 daughters which was pretty awesome. I had to be at the IT office at 3 AM (bright and sunny outside) and my family had to be at the IT office at NAS Point Mugu around 8 PM. At the time I thought what marvelous the technology was to be able to SEE my girls so far away, however jerky the video.

Great story. So glad the lives of the two young men were explained post the IGY. Over-achievers from an early age. Now, whenever my EZ pass email arrives telling me to update the account, I'll know who to thank, but, it is better than stopping for the tolls.

Cudos to all those HAM's who boosted the morale of us soldiers in Southeast Asia via the MARS system. I was lucky enough to travel to Antarctica (McMurdo) in the late 90's. We had internet by then though! Great video, THG!

Thank you!

Loved this episode. My father was stationed in the Air Force in New Zealand and supported Operation Deep freeze. Not sure if the used HAM radio to talk. But I do remember talking to him over HAM radio when he was stationed in Vietnam. Thx to all the HAM radio operators out there

As a ham radio operator and former Navy radioman this was a great piece.....tks again

This is my favorite kind of history. Ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Very good THG.

What an interesting story. Thanks! I have always been fascinated by Operation Deep Freeze. While in the Navy from 1969-75, I volunteered every time the list came out. Unfortunately it was a short list and each time I was either the wrong rating or wrong rank. Very frustrating for me.

I wintered-over at McMurdo in 1960. I was one of the operators of KC4USV. I had many conversations with Jules, made many many phone patch connections for our guys, and even exchanged recipes with operators at Thule Base in Greenland.

Very enjoyable! I became a ham in 1955 when I was 12 and continue to enjoy the hobby to this day. I ran phone patches during Vietnam at Barry Goldwater's home ham shack. You did an excellent description of the hobby and patch operation. Thank you very much!

My missionary parents used ham contacts and phone patches in a remote part of Brazil to reach family in the US back in the 1950’s. The alternatives were telegraph and (very) slow mail.

Thank you for this story! I became a ham myself, and I even became Section Emergency Coordinator (ARES) for the State of Minnesota. And there are thousands of similar stories out there about ham radio!

Thanks for the story and how Armature Radio was a big factor in this expedition. Armature contributions include inventing the touch tone key pad codes that are used in your mobile phone keypad today.

I used a MARS station to call home in 1977 from Germany. First time I talked to my folks in over a year. I greatly appreciated it.

I was first licensed as an Amateur Radio operator in 1956 at age 14. Now I am 80 years old and I am still active in the hobby. Ham radio communications are still occurring from Antarctica today. We have a saying, “When all else fails, Amateur Radio.” In 1974, I was working for IBM. I supported the scientific computer at NOAAs laboratory at Princeton University. They were doing weather research. Thanks for showcasing our hobby.

Dear Mr HG Thank You very much on this outstanding video. On Amateur Radio & US Navy. Being a Ham Radio operator (since 1973) & ex-US Navy sailor. I had made request for duty on South Pole. But could not match navy requirements for Operation Deep Freeze. TNX OM 73 de WB5KWK

As a HAM this was a great episode for me. Though I am going through ALL of your episodes and subbed shortly after watching the first few. An awesome channel and thank you to you and your wife for all the great lessons in history! KG7TUO Am Extra, lead license instructor, VE, and former club President.

After years of not finding a way to give back to my community, I finally found my niche in the ham radio community after getting licensed in 2018. It's really fun to use my skills to help the community in a positive way. I wonder if the history of the ARRL Field Day would make for a good THG video.

As a Ham Operator this is my favorite episode thus far.

Well done. Our neighbor in Okinawa had a whole wall of HAM gear, and he would talk to the US for people to let their families know everyone was okay. Maybe that is why I got licensed today. When all else fails, grab a radio.

Great episode once again. I am primarily engaged in the study of military history and it's easy for me to forget that the past wasn't all death, destruction, and intrigue. I thank you for reminding me otherwise.

Ham radio operators did the same thing in Vietnam, allowing us to phone home onve or twice a month. Priceless!

Great story about the utility of amateur radio. Even in modern times, communication methods that don't require a network or satellite has significant value.

You did a great job in this! Kudos and 73!

My dad was a young pilot in the USAF flying C-124s into Antartica, stationed in Christ Church, during Operation Deep Freeze. I remember playing in his gear; sleeping bag, muck luc boots, gloves, facing covering, etc as a kid. He flew into Macmurdo Sound his tour. His recollection of those events were very interesting.

My father was an Amateur Ham from the 1940's until he passed away in 2012. He used to run phone patches a lot in the late sixties for the soldiers in Vietnam to talk to their families here in the states - especially during Christmas and Thanksgiving. He also did this without pay and on the weekends, he commonly spent 12-14 hours a day "on the air." His call letters were W8PCZ.

Great episode this morning. Definitely "History That Deserves To Be Remembered" .

This story makes me appreciate the history of the HAM radio operators and makes me proud to follow in thier footsteps as a licensed HAM radio operator in these modern times! This is callsign KN4POW signing off. 73.

May HAM operators worldwide stay in operation everywhere! My dad was a radio man on the USS Sicily in Korea, and used it during the '60's when we were transferred to Kuwait for his work as a petroleum engineer. We had no TV, or radio except for the Voice of America during those days. Back then, if you needed to make an overseas call, you had to go to the American Embassy, and wait,and wait and wait.

I remember that in the 1950s and 1960s you could buy the parts to build a ham radio from Benton Harbor, MI. To get a 3rd class license you had to pass radiotelegraphy, demonstrate your ability to send and receive Morse code. There were a lot of radios back then that had a short-wave capability. You could listen in but not transmit on that band. My brother and I had a large radio with a short-wave band and we built what we called a 'clothesline antenna'. We had a lot of fun with that radio. We also picked AM superstations in San Antonio, TX, and Pittsburg, PA.

As a former SeaBee myself, I was pleased to see us mentioned in this. :-)

I'm a ham radio operator and I have to admit I just learned something new.

My Dad was in the Air Force and participated in this effort. He passed last October at 87. K7JJ. 73's Dad

I'm Canadian but even I can't imagine 8 feet of snow from a single blizzard

The plot plan was labeled EXPIDITION deep freeze. In 1963, on Okinawa in the Marines I got one 3 minute HAM radio visit with my mother in 14 months. The changes in technology are staggering.

Good to know. Thanks for your hard work on the show. Son does Ham and H club. Husband's father was telegraphed. Good stuff. Thanks.

Hams have a long history of public service. The dedication shown here just underscores what for many decades was the prevailing spirit among amateur operators, always willing to donate their time and talents to a good cause. Glad to learn about this particular chapter. Though, I never personally spent much time on the air, I got my license as a teenager and still maintain it. I spent *many* hours listening on my dad's old Hallicrafters receiver.

He dropped the most impact full information in the last seconds. Fast Pass is such a blessing to our area.

Proud to be both a Seabee and a licensed ham radio operator...

Amazing! I'm a Ham doing the public service thing, but none of what I do holds a candle to this effort!

KK1X here - another great episode. Thank you.

Nice history lesson of the south pole. Ham radios are still important today .