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EUREKA - Operation Nunalivut patrollers returned to the Fort Eureka military base on April 17 after nearly three weeks of patrolling Ellesmere Island and Axel Heiberg Island.

Patrols of Rangers and military personnel left from Fort Eureka beginning on April 4 and travelled along the eastern coast of Ellesmere Island and circumnavigated Axel Heiberg Island to gain knowledge and test equipment for future operations in the High Arctic.

Commander of Joint Task Force North David Millar, Premier Eva Aariak and Chief Warrant Officer Mark Saulnier welcome patrols back to the Fort Eureka military base on April 17. - Kassina Ryder/NNSL photo

This year's operation included a number of firsts, including using radar imaging to determine ice conditions and including search and rescue technicians with the patrols.

"They came up here as an exchange to be part of the patrols," said Maj. Luc Chang, commanding officer for the 1st Canadian Ranger Patrol Group. "It was also a good way for us to increase the safety levels of those patrols by adding an expert in terms of medical and first aid."

During the operation, a Ranger had to be evacuated and sent to hospital in Ottawa following an accident with his snowmobile.

"We had one air medevac, an accident (with) one of the Rangers with his snowmobile," Chang said. "He was air medevaced, taken care of properly, everything went extremely well with the medevac plan that we had put in place."

Another first was to test a GPS system to track the movement of patrol units, but it didn't work because of limited satellite access, said Brig.-Gen. David Millar, commander of Joint Task Force North.

"The majority of the satellites are operable below 70 degrees latitude," Millar said. "This sort of GPS technology didn't work because we didn't have satellite access, so we're going to go back to the drawing board to find another system that's available on the open market to determine if for next year we can get a better piece of equipment."

In a presentation at Fort Eureka on April 17, Millar said polar orbiting satellites are needed to improve the communication abilities.

Maj. Tom Bachelder, communications adviser to Millar, said because most satellites run along the equator, it can be impossible to get a satellite signal as far north as Ellesmere Island. Iridium satellite phones are used by Rangers because the Iridium satellite runs from north to south, but it's not always reliable.

"When they (satellites) cross the North Pole, because of the lack of population they power down, which means you may have your signal or you may not," Bachelder said.

He said Rangers also use HF (High Frequency) radios along with Iridium satellite phones to check in with personnel in Eureka during the patrols, but each method comes with its own set of challenges. HF radios can only transmit voice data and Iridium phones are battery-powered, giving Rangers only a few minutes of talk time in the Arctic cold.

Bachelder's job is to determine how Rangers are using the communications systems and how to improve them.

"I know they're using HF and Iridium, but how often do they use it? Is it better in the morning? When is it good during the day?" Bachelder said.

Danish Rear-Admiral Henrik Kudsk, commander of Greenland Command, participated in an exchange visit with Millar during the operation. Operation Nunalivut 2010 will include personnel from Greenland who will use dog teams to accompany the Canadian Rangers on patrol.

The cost of this year's operation was $1.336 million, with funds primarily spent on air transportation and consumables such as fuel and food, according to Millar.