I was fortunate to work JW8AJA on Svalbard during the CQWW CW contest last weekend. An ATNO for me and a unique location that is one of the most northerly inhabited places on the planet. Located midway between the northern coast of Norway and the North Pole, and north of the Arctic Circle, it experiences midnight sun in summer and polar night in winter. At 74° north, the midnight sun lasts 99 days and polar night 84 days which means my 20 meter CW radio contact was made during their “polar night”.

This is all even more interesting to me because I have long followed the life and times of Cecilia Blomdahl and her partner on Svalbard via her YouTube channel. She’s been sharing their life among the glaciers for several years. The unique location, pristine environment and uncommon lifestyle presented with excellent videography makes for an interesting viewing experience.

I don’t believe any radio hams actually reside on Svalbard (?), but they do travel and operate there enough to make it only 204 on the Most Wanted list.