Caution
– From the U.S.
Department of State Travel Advisory: “Montserrat
has an economy recovering from a series of eruptions from the Soufriere Hills
Volcano. Access to the southern part of the island is restricted. Residents are
concentrated in the northern designated safe zones. Accommodations are very
limited. The airport remains closed, and most visitors to the island travel by
daily ferry from Antigua. Travelers should check with Carib World Travel in
Antigua, telephone (268) 460-6101, for sailing times.”
The Soufrier volcano has consumed almost 2/3 of
this tiny 39 square mile island and the airport is under ash. There are
two ways to get to
Montserrat, both are from Antigua. You can take the ferry, "Opal
Express" or the helicopter. Due to the size and/or weight of your
equipment you will be bringing with you, you will have to use the ferry.
The ferry makes two round trips a day (early AM and late afternoon from
Antigua) every day except Sunday. The round-trip fee is about $56.00
USD.
Ham Friendly Villa: Klaus, DL7NFK recently operated (1999 or 2000) from a villa on the north side of Monserrat.
The house we had rented had the address :701 DURYEA'S PARR
Here is the name of the family you can contact for
the house:
Salo & Gloria Boekbinder Mulder
Eggret House@best-caribbean.com
Woodlands Beach
General Delivery
Plymouth Postoffice
Montserrat
West Indies
Tel: 664-491 5316
For some additional information on the operation, contact Klaus, DL7NFK at: DL7NFK@qsl.net
Rent-a-QTH (more of a Ham-friendly location): The following information was provided by Graham M0AEP / VP2MDD, updated in January 2001. Graham has a two bedroom villa on the west coast of VP2M which he does offer for rent when not in use by the family. Rentals handled by Susan & Eddy ( VP2MEE ) Edgecombe through their Real Estate Agency on VP2M. House features swimming pool with excellent sea / volcano views. Large dining / lounge area. Bathrooms attached to each bedroom. Fully equipped kitchen with utility room. Separate self-contained downstairs apartment with kitchen / bathroom and 2 beds. 240 v. ac power and 110v. power in kitchen. Cable TV can be arranged. 30 mins by taxi from heliport / ferry terminal in the north. The owner operates as VP2MDD mainly on 50 MHz & 28 MHz ssb / cw with 90watts Worldwide coverage at moment with very simple antenna for HF & 4 el Yagi on 6M.
Equipment – 20’ triangular lattice mast
with central extending pole to give an overall height of about 36 ft. The rooftop (15 ft. high) is (carefully)
accessed via steps on mast. Fully extended
mast & antenna is stable, even in the squally winds, no guying is needed. 6m 4EL & 5EL yagi
antennas are stored in the garage, but available to visitors. Approx 30 m coax
required from full height to shack. Due
to the corrosive volcanic and sea environment, antennas and equipment are not
left in place. You will need to bring
and set up your own HF antennas, and bring all your own equipment.
See Graham’s article ( "Montserrat..Still
Home...Still Nice...." ) on U.K.Six Metre Group Site at.........http://www.uksmg.org/montserrat.htm Includes
photos taken from QTH in VP2M. Will try
to answer any further questions you may have !
73 Graham M0AEP /
VP2MDD
W6JKV did a VHF expedition to Monserrat in
2000. You can read details of his trip
at www.w6jkv.com
Ham Friendly Villa:
Villa “Our Little House” has been used by a few hams, and they say it’s a great location. The owners live next door and welcome hams.
The villa, "Our Little
House", sits on 3/4 of an acre with a view to the ocean. The house sits on a manicured lawn and
flowers on the north-west side of the island. It has four rooms including a
fully equipped kitchen, two full baths, day room, living room and one very
large bed room, and laundry room. Private full size (42’) pool and
patio. The villa has a
fully equipped kitchen, cable TV and telephone. Villa can accommodate up
to four people. We
have and all the other amenities including a 42' pool for those times when one
gets tired of talking on the radio.
Rental fees per day are: (fee in US dollars) Single: $75.00; Double: $85.00; Triple: $100.00; Four: $145.00. Provided at the house are two step down transformers to connect the house voltage of 220 to your 115 equipment. Two 20' push up poles are also provided. One pole is permanently mounted in the ground with a clear view to the sea, the other pole is movable as desired. You will have to carry your own equipment with you, including antennas, coax etc.
A taxi driver can be arranged to meet you, and he’s a ham! When he picks you up, he will take you to the office to pick up your license on the way to the villa. The cost of the license is $26.00 USD which includes a year membership in the MARC.
Contact: contact the
owner Nancy Burke directly at: richnan@candw.ag or by phone:
1-664-491-5549 or by mail simply: Nancy Burke, Woodlands, Montserrat, West
Indies.
“Our Little House” is right next door to the villa “Erindell” noted below. This might be a good combination for a large group
Ham Friendly Villa: Villa Erindell, owned by Shirley and Lou Spycalla. Check out EA3BT's website for some photos http://www.ea3bt.com/ EA3BT stayed here in 1999.
Other Villas: The following website is the best collection of operating villas on Montserrat that I have found. There is also great information on the volcano: www.wirealest.com
Maps: There is a great topo map of the island at: http://mni.ms/tmap/index.shtml
Montserrat tourism web page: http://www.visitmontserrat.com/menu.htm
Do you have more information on places to
operate in this country?
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information.