Contesting in Paradise

New Ham Friendly Hotel provides all the comforts of home

By Doug Priest W3CF / V26DX

Having been the 15m OP at V26B for several years I was looking for something a little less taxing physically. Getting older requires a change in approach from Win at all legal costs to operate and have a blast doing it. I think I have found the ideal compromise. The biggest obstacle was finding something that would allow me to do my thing on the radio while the YL was entertained in the fashion to which she has become accustomed.

I had been booking the hotel rooms for Team Antigua for the last 7 years or so as I was granted a special government rate by using my Federal ID. The hotel is situated on the western coast of Antigua on Deep Bay. We were down for ARRL Phone at V26S when I had a serious meeting with hotel management about allowing operation from the hotel. I would be allowed to build a station in the hotel if I would agree to schedule the amateur radio visits so that there were no irate Hams in the hotel. KD3TB. N2WKS and I immediately reserved ARRL Phone for 2003!

I had brought down an 11 meter Valor vertical that I was loaned by KB3EWB a friend from work. Failing to find a suitable mounting place on the roof (I only brought 100' of RG-8) The maintenance staff suggested the fire escape on the west end of the hotel. In less than 10 minutes we had the vertical mounted and the coax ran through the sliding glass doors from over the top of the hotel and were on the air. I was not sure this was going to work. With no radials at all and just the eight story steel fire escape as a counterpoise I punched the power button on the IC-751A. Much to my surprise the band was wall to wall! I quickly checked the SWR and it was 1:1.3 so we were in business. While hooking up the DVK I was listening to ZS6, HS0, VU, and UA9 all in QSO and LOUD! I found a spot and called CQ without realizing I had not hooked up the laptop. BIG MISTAKE! When I unkeyed they were 5 deep from the start. I quickly began logging on a tablet and ran off 80 contacts in 40 minutes. Irwin, KD3TB had come up to see if I needed any help with the antenna. He heard the pileup and I could see the gleam in his eyes. I offered to let him operate since it was his first time on V2 and he had his laptop all ready to go. I got to see Write Log in action and decided to change over from CT as soon as I got back to the states. Irwin was joined shortly by N2WKS, Zev, who was trying to network two Write Log machines and my CT so that we could all be on at once from the big station across the island. The pull of the pile-ups quickly nixed that idea and he and Irwin took turns at the far end of the pileup.

While we were playing radio, my wife Mary took off for the Casino in the lobby to check that out. Thank goodness it was closed until later in the afternoon! She then found a nice spot next to the pool to do NOTHING. No phone, no interruptions, no distractions! REST in paradise! The hotel is an all-inclusive resort so all meals and beverages (local Caribbean liquors and beers) are included. There are many excursions available to the adventurous. Circumnavigation of the island aboard one of the many Wadadli Cats catamarans is a favorite as well as the helicopter ride to neighboring Montserrat to see the active Souffre Hills volcano that has essentially covered the southern 2/3 of the island in waist deep ash. A half mile long white sandy beach sits 100 yards to the west of the hotel. The hotel faces a LARGE salt pond. I suspect this has something to do with the great reports I got from all over the world on that silly vertical. In a total of 11 hours of casual operating I did 887 QSO's.

After visiting the roof we discovered an unused 8' SS tripod mount that once held a satellite dish. This has been offered as a mounting site for future antennas as the station is being built.

WX0B has signed on for ARRL DX and wants to put up a large vertical for 80m here. I want a 5 band yagi to go here with the vertical on the far end of the hotel. We have planned to meet at Dayton and procure station antennas for the coming contest season. K3MQH, WX0B, KD3TB and I will return this summer to install the antennas and run the coaxes. There will be a room on the top floor with an Ocean View where we will install a bulkhead so that you will only need to bring short coax jumpers and a length of control cable. In the meantime you may use the same fire escape to mount a vertical for casual operating or contesting. Both 110 and 220V outlets are in the room but I want to do a smoke test on the satellite system to insure there is no interference before allowing amplifiers.

This is another reason you may like this type of DX vacation. The beautiful surroundings and the awesome weather are breathtaking! It was in the low 80's during the day and the mid to high 70's at night. We turned the air conditioner off and slept with the sliding glass doors wide open enjoying the trade winds. It was 30 degrees at home. Tennis, basketball, and non-motorized water sports are included. WX0B taught me to sail here a few years ago.

For further information and booking please contact [email protected] or see the rest of the pictures at http://www.w3cf.com

I receive no money for doing this. I do receive the same favorable rates that Team Antigua has enjoyed for the last few years and I am able to pass that along to other hams.