Update:
From Bob, N9QGU: May 1, 2005 there will be a $10 entrance tax
when you visit Jamaica. I believe they are calling it a "Sunshine
Tax".
Notice: Bringing equipment into the country is increasingly
difficult. See comments near the end of
this page.
Ham Friendly
Villa: Casita Villa, the home of Team
Vertical!
Unfortunately Team
Vertical’s QTH is not being offered as a Rent-a-QTH, so you will need to bring
everything with you. But it is a proven
QTH where we have set many world records.
Your hosts, Veronica and Danny are great people, and you will be totally
pampered during your visit.
There are 3
air-conditioned bedrooms, and 1-2 more bedrooms without air-conditioning (plans
are to expand the rooms). There are
enough beds to handle a VERY large group.
A dozen people? No problem, they
will bring in beds if necessary.
The house is
extremely comfortable, with a nice living room, satellite TV, and a large game/play
room with billiards, dart board, etc.
Actually, we set up the shack in the game room, as it’s a huge
room. There are a bunch of tables that
can be used, and we’ve had no problems setting up 6 stations, each on it’s own
table. To date, we have not used
amplifiers at this QTH. But there
should be enough electricity to do so.
Just talk to Danny about your electrical needs, as he did all the
electrical work himself. Nearby is a
hardware store if you need to get basic items like poles, wire, rope, tape, etc
Meals at the villa
are wonderful! Fantastic local dishes
are served (highly recommended), or they will cook what ever you wish. When we first started going to Jamaica, we
wanted to sample all the local restaurants.
Frankly, the food at the villa is much better, cheaper, and you don’t
have to wait 1-2 hours for dinner (service is slow in most of the nearby
restaurants). These days, we eat all
our meals at the villa.
The house is set
back about 125-150’ from the water, and is on 2 acres. To the east, there’s a few acres of open
land where we’ve installed some antennas.
The neighbor to the west has allowed us to put verticals on their
property at the edge of the water, but watch out for their dogs! They are vicious dogs and you don’t want to
be on their property if the dogs are loose - you’ve been warned. For a small operation with 1 or 2 antennas,
plan on 2 x 150’ for coax. For multi
ops, plan on a few runs of this length, but longer runs for the other
antennas. All in all, a multi-op with 1
antenna per band should assume 250’ per antenna to be safe if you want to
separate the antennas (assuming all verticals by the water). If you use some Yagis, they can be mounted
close to the house with greatly reduced coax runs. To put a vertical out at the end of one of small peninsulas (see
below), you will need about 250-300’ of coax.
The property is on
ironshore (pitted limestone/lava), and there is no direct (safe) access to the
water from the house. The ironshore is
elevated about 14’ above the water, so don’t fall in. A nice swimming beach is a short walk away, and there’s a nice
pool at the house, so it’s easy to cool off.
We tend to cool off with rum punch at the pool.
There’s about a
180 degree shot over water, with the coast going roughly east to west. It’s nothing but water to Europe, USA,
Japan, and Africa and Oceania. To the
south, the hills are far enough away that you won’t have any problems working
South America and other Caribbean Islands.
If you bring enough coax, there are some great points (small peninsulas)
where you can place your vertical antennas.
You can get about 300 degrees of water in the near field in these
locations. The bands are VERY quiet at
this location – no noise at all.
Verticals are you
best antennas at this QTH – we have set all your world records using verticals
from this and a nearby QTH. The 14’
cliff height will actually give you some small gain 15, 20 & 40m (maybe
0.2-0.4 dB which occurs by compressing the vertical lobe of an elevated
vertical). The 14’ high cliff is too high
for verticals on 10m (you will get a lobe split at about 20 degree take off,
which is a useful angle. If you have
the option, I would bring both a vertical and a horizontal antenna for this
band.
The villa is
located in Discovery Bay, about an hour east of Montego Bay. This is a quiet area, and there’s not a
whole lot of excitement nearby. For any
nightlife, you will need to go into Ocho Rios, about 45 minutes to the east. If you are looking for a great place for
radio and relaxing, this is it. But it
may be too remote if you are looking for shopping, tourists and nightlife.
Attesting to the
quality of this experience, both the kitchen and swimming pool are inspected by
the Jamaican government every year and are certified. I think this is one of the few villas that goes to this length to
make for a happy and fun trip.
Read about a
recent 160m effort at: http://k2kw.com/6y0aqrp/
Contact: Veronica
& Danny Foster. Tell them Kenny
sent you! casita@cwjamaica.com Phone: (876) 973-3131
Submitted by
Kenny K2KW January 1, 2005
Rent-a-QTH
Josh, 6Y5WJ has a rental unit on the
southern/middle part of the country.
For more information, visit www.infochan.com/~joshwa
Ham Friendly Villa: Carib Vista Villa in Montego Bay Hilltop location with a great shot to USA/JA and EU. No gear at QTH. KN5H and PA5ET had good luck from this location. 3 bedroom air conditioned, pool, maid and cook, reasonable prices, good XYL/kids location. Drawback- Need to hire taxi to get to store and beach. Updated by KN5H on August 23, 2000.
You can see pictures of the 6Y3A operation at: http://home.earthlink.net/~kn5h/6y3a.html (This is NOT the 6Y2A/6Y4A/6Y8A "Team Vertical" location).
The villa owner is Thomas Baker, and you can Email him at: thomas.w.baker@worldnet.att.net
Ham Friendly Location: Enchanted Gardens in Ocho Rios Visited by Curtis, W3HQ in August 2002
Jamaica License Information:
The Jamaican Amateur Radio Association (JARA) web site can be found at: http://binaryorigins.com/jara/. Unfortunately the JARA license information is out of date and incorrect regarding licensing procedures for visiting hams.
New Jamaican Amateur License
Process & Fee:
Effective 2002 March 01 a processing fee of Ten United States Dollars (US$10)
or its equivalent in Jamaican currency payable in advance will be charged per
(license) application.
Sincerely
Spectrum Management Authority
Ernest Smith
Managing Director
The license fee of $10 can be made by a (guaranteed) bank check drawn from a
United States (US) bank payable to "Spectrum
Management Authority". (Do NOT make the check payable
to anyone else, or it will not be processed! Not to or c/o Mr. Matheson, make
it payable ONLY to Spectrum Management Authority (you have been warned -
de K2KW) Personal checks will not
be accepted. Bank checks from other countries are not currently being accepted.
The license fee must be received before the license is sent to the applicant.
Applications may be submitted via FAX, but payment, along with the original
signed applications (including all required documentation) must be received
before the license is sent to the applicant.
Licenses are issued for homecall/6Y5. Special 6Y callsigns are available for
special events, such as a contest. These special callsigns are only for use
during the special event, and not for general operating. Each special callsign
application requires an additional $10 fee.
License applications and information on operating in Jamaica may be obtained
from the above address, or may be found on the following web sites:
* Jamaica Amateur Radio Association http://www.binaryorigins.com/jara/
* American Radio Relay League (ARRL) http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/io/#us
* DX Holiday "The Ultimate DXpedition Resource" www.dxholiday.com
* Worldwide Information on Licensing for Radio Amateurs by OH2MCN http://www.qsl.net/oh2mcn/license.htm
Required Information With License Application:
- USD $10 certified bank check payable only to: Spectrum Management Authority
- Copy of your home license
- Copy of your passport (just the photo page showing passport number etc.)
- Form C (below)
- Cover letter (see suggestions)
License application and fee
should be sent to:
Spectrum Management Authority
Attn: Mr.
Matheson
P.O. Box 9120
Kingston
Jamaica, W.I.
FAX: 876-960-8981
Email: lmatheson@sma.gov.jm
For more information, visit the SMA website at: www.sma.gov.jm
Phone: 1-876-929-8550 and 929-8520
Typical processing time for license application: 3 months from the time you mail it.
Suggestions
for Cover Letter (include the following information):
§ Reason for letter (application for amateur radio license)
§ Arrival dates
§ Location
§ Equipment (major items like transceiver or amplifier)
§ Ask for equipment to be listed on the license*
§ Thanks for assistance
* Specifically ask to have your equipment listed on the license! While customs is usually easy, if you do get stopped and your bags are inspected, having the equipment listed on your license will make things much easier.
NOTES
TO AID COMPLETION OF FORM C
Block Capitals
or Typewriter must be used to fill in the form.
1.
The name to be entered must be used to
fill in the form.
Where
no passport is available, proof of identity is required.
This
is an essential requirement.
2.
If normally domiciled in a country other
than that for which citizenship is claimed, a valid passport must me produced
as proof of citizenship.
3.
If self-employed, state name of company
under which trade or profession is carried on, if other than your own.
4.
A photocopy of the Amateur Radio Station
License held must be forwarded with this application
5.
If your amateur station is to be operated
at any place in Jamaica other than at the address given for period exceeding 48
hours, an itinerary showing projected places and dates must be given.
SECOND
SCHEDULE
(Regulation
32)
Form
C
THE
RADIO AND TELEGRAPH CONTROL ACT, 1972
(Act
20 of 1972)
APPLICATION
FOR ALIEN AMATEUR RADIO STATION PERMIT
1.
Name (1).............................................................
SURNAME GIVEN
NAMES
2.
Nationality (2)......................................................
3.
Permanent Address in Home Country ...................................
.....................................................................
4.
Place of Birth ......................................................
Date of Birth
......................................................
5.
Present Occupation (3) ..............................................
Name of Employer
....................................................
Address of
Employer .................................................
6.
Expected date of arrival in Jamaica .................................
Projected date
of departure from Jamaica ............................
7.
Address while in Jamaica ............................................
.....................................................................
8.
Passport or Travel Document Number ..................................
Place where
issued ..................................................
Date of issue
.......................................................
Date of
expiration ..................................................
9.
Amateur Radio Station License Number
(4) ...........................
Date of issue
.......................................................
Date of
expiration ..................................................
Call Sign
...........................................................
...............................
Signature
of Applicant
Date
..........................................................
DAY MONTH YEAR
Equipment Issues: Obtaining
a license in Jamaica is easy (see below or OH2MCN’s website). But bringing equipment into the country
is increasingly difficult. If you
look like a tourist with a small suitcase and a tiny mobile rig stuffed inside,
you probably won’t get stopped. But if
you have lots of luggage, especially Pelican cases or other “professional”
looking cases for your equipment, you will likely be stopped and searched. Then the fun begins. A few years ago, having your equipment
listed on the license was good enough to get your equipment into the country. These days, having your equipment listed on
the license is irrelevant to Customs (but should be done anyway).
If searched, Customs will find your equipment, and you
will likely be asked to post a large monetary “bond”. I would suggest arguing (even if it takes hours, and it might),
that you either don’t pay the money, or you try to minimize the payment. It’s my opinion that if you give them money,
you have a 50/50 chance of never seeing that money again. I have heard of someone who refused to pay
the money, but was able to negotiate bringing his equipment into Jamaica by
surrendering his passport. Neither
option is satisfactory in my opinion.
Personally I’ve yet to pay a bond, as I’ve been able to talk my way out
of it (but I’ve been there nearly a dozen times in the past few years and know
a few people). But I suspect my luck
won’t hold out much longer.
Currently Jamaican Customs
wants you to go to the RED Line “Items to Declare” and post a monetary bond,
payable at the airport in cash.
Unfortunately, there is no strictly adhered to policy, so you cannot
predict what to expect, nor how much money to bring. The only thing you can predict is that it’s going to be a big
hassle bringing your equipment into the country. Personally I still go to the GREEN line, as I take my chances
that I will get waived through without being searched.
Talking to or complaining
to the Spectrum Management Authority (licensing agency) has not eased the
Customs issue. The SMA either has no
influence with the Customs Agency, or chooses not to get involved.
Unfortunately, you need to
expect a problem bringing your equipment into Jamaica.
Kenny, K2KW 2004
IARU Membership Society from the ARRL website
(Feb 2002):
Jamaica Amateur Radio Association [JARA]
Address: 76 Arnold Road, Kingston 5
Tel: +1 (876) 960-7246 <HQ>, +1 (876) 702-2927 <6Y5HB>
Fax: +1 (876) 702-2927 <6Y5HB>
Email: 6y5ag@cwjamaica.com <6Y5AG>, hrbrand@cwjamaica.com <6Y5HB>
Web: http://binaryorigins.com/jara/
President: Gerald Burton, 6Y5AG
Secretary: Thelma Findlay, 6Y5TG
IARU liaison: Hugh Brand, 6Y5HB
Do you have more information on places to operate
in this country?
Use the handy feedback form to send me
information.