Scott Base Calling Moscow

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30678, 18 February 1965, Page 1

Scott Base Calling Moscow

(Special Crspdt. N.Z.P.A.) SCOTT BASE, Feb. 16.

What is possibly the world’s longest distance telephone call was made from Scott Base to Moscow this afternoon.

Although the global distance from Scott Base to Moscow is 12,000 miles, the path of the call was several thousand miles longer. Making the call to Moscow was a Russian exchange scientists, Dr. Igor Zotikov, who is spending this winter at the United States McMurdo station. Dr. Zotikov came the

two miles from McMurdo station to Scott Base at 10 o’clock this morning so as to be certain of being on time for his telephone call, scheduled for 1.30 p.m. From Scott Base the call went by radiotelephone to Wellington then by toll circuit to the international telephone exchange at Auckland. Compac cable took the call on to Honolulu and Vancouver, mlerowave took it to Montreal, submarine cable to Oban, Scotland, the United Kingdom toll system to London, and finally Euro-

pean telephone connexions across to Russia.

The Scott Base radio operator, Mr T. Gawn, who worked the call, said It took about three minutes to reach Russia from the time the particular number was asked for at New Zealand’s international telephone exchange. Mr Gawn described tbe circuit to Russia as: “Very good quality.” Dr. Zotikov, with great smiles, explained in his limited English how happy his wife and family were to hear from him.