Ham Friendly Hotel - The following great
information was provided by Matt, DA1MH
from a recent November 1999 trip.
Hotel Miramar
a/c Helena de Menezes
Caixa Postal 69
São Tomé
Rep. Dem. São Tomé e Principé
phone (country code 239) 12-2251
fax (country code 239) 12-21087
Email: hmiramar@sol.stome.telepac.net
single room ~$80/night
The hotel is on the northeastern edge of the island, but the shoreline is very
rocky and not suitable for antennas. Another hotel, the Marlin Beach, is also
suitable for ham radio operations. But I don't believe it's possible to erect
anything on the beach there, either. One would have to inquire, phone (239)
12-22963 or 22964.
We were in ground-floor rooms facing the garden, one for operating and one for
sleeping. Our antennas were about 10 feet and about 40 feet outside the room,
so coax wasn't a problem. We felt the rooms we were given were the best ones in
the hotel for ham operations. The antennas were erected in the hotel garden.
You can see our article in the July/August 2000 issue of DX Magazine.
Our hotel has its own electrical power supply (this is very important because
outside power is not reliable).
Air Portugal does have weekly flights direct to S9, but we heard they are often
overbooked and luggage often gets left behind in Lisbon. As we were depending
on the goodwill of the airline for hauling our extra-long antennas, we thought
it would be safer to fly on airlines with a better track record for delivering
passengers and luggage on time. We couldn't possibly have waited an extra week
for any of our gear. Also, we traveled from Germany to Paris to Libreville,
since the connections through Lisbon were not as good for us. The only other
remark here is that Air São Tomé & Principé flies a very small plane, so
the antennas will only fit in the passenger compartment. It's imperative to get
prior approval for the oversized luggage when booking tickets and this is only
possible by telephone + (239) 12-21160. We paid Air ST&P an extra $30
apiece each way for the extra weight.
Get the license in advance ... otherwise they can charge you whatever they like
because they know you're desperate to operate. We paid $20 per call (for three
calls) but heard of others who got stuck paying several hundred dollars because
they waited until they arrived to contact the CST. The letter needs to be in
Portuguese and include your current licenses (CEPT is best), where (name of
hotel) and how long you will stay, what mode/bands you'll operate and your
desired call sign.
Companhia SãoToménse de Telecomunicacoes
a/c Fernando Paquete da Costa
Av. 12 de Julho
Caixa Postal 141
São Tomé
Rep. Dem. São Tomé e Principé
A final note: it is possible to rent a car, but it costs upward of $50 a day.
We chose not to. The hotel picked us up at the airport and called us taxis
whenever we needed to get around. Anyway, we spent most of our time with the
radios! Also, because roads are poorly maintained, poorly marked and poorly lit
at night, it is tricky finding one's way around. The Miramar is not far from
the downtown area, so it's also possible to walk for supplies (bottled water,
snacks, etc.)
73s,
Matt
Ham Friendly Hotel: Matt, DA1MH made a 2nd trip to S9 and filed the following report on January 2001.
Hotel: Bom Bom Island Resort (Principe) Resort phone: 00-239-1251141 e-mail: bombom@cstome.net
Managers are Allen and Karolyn Ferguson.
The price is US$150 per person per night, including two meals
Very good location for ham operations -- on the north side of the island with
good angle to Europe and North America. We set up a Gap vertical and a
5-element (6m) Yagi and operated continuously Nov. 24-Dec.4 (except for a few
hours when the largest of the five generators blew and had to be repaired!)
Although it's a fishing resort, there are other things to do -- great beaches,
beautiful landscape, pool, etc. The staff will help with anything and
everything. We stayed in a bungalow and it was ideal for ham operations.
As with operations from Sao Tome, be sure to apply for the license in advance
from Companhia Santomense de Telecomunicacoes. I got one call, S92DX, and
it cost US$20.
Ham Friendly Pensão (small hotel)
António,
CT1DW (also LX2DW) stayed at the very
simple Pensão Palhota located in the inner part of the island, at the
'capital city' Santo António do Príncipe (actually a small village). He only
put up a Cuschcraft vertical on the ground, behind the building, and it did a
good job, but one can also put up antennas on the roof. There are also some trees for wires. LX2DW’s
website is at: http://www.qsl.net/lx2dw/
Pensão Palhota, whose owner is
Alex Metzger, tel. +239.12.51060. They had very good food and Alex will be
happy to help with erecting antennas.
CT1EAT used the same location in 1997. You can see CT1EAT’s photos at http://www.qsl.net/ct1eat/fotos_e.html
Miscellaneous Information:
António, CT1DW who provided the information on the Pensão Palhota, is a native Portuguese, and is more than willing to help hams submit their license application in Portuguese.
TAP Air Portugal flies direct from Lisbon, and CT1DW reports he hasn’t had any problems with luggage
The only resident amateur in São Tomé is S92LB, Luís Beirão, tel. +239.12.21093.
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