Signal Reports from the Cayman Islands (we STRAP!)

[steve_qix]

I am just returning from Grand Cayman, and I brought a portable short wave receiver with me, just for the heck of it.  So, every night in the late evening, my wife and I went down the the beach for a final good-night and walk, (7 mile beach, which faces to the West) and I fired up the radio to have a listen.

I was surprised and pleased to hear the familiar sounds of AM stations way down south of Cuba.

The most strapping stations I heard from any and all areas of the US were WA1HZK and W1IA.  I would have thought some of the more southerly stations would have been strong, but maybe they weren't on when I was listening.   There was someone playing Layla one night on 3875 - that was quite strapping.  I even heard 51 watt Fred !!!!  Very surprising.

There was some static (maybe the static was evident across the US - I don't know) from far off storms, but no worse than any spring/summer night.

What's nice to know is that we really have a MAJOR presence on 75 in that area.  I'm just a little surprised we've never heard from any hams or S/W listeners in the islands.  The Cayman's local inhabitants enjoy the highest standard of living in the Carribean, and there appears to be an active (alibiet probably small) amateur comunity.  Some of those palm trees are TALL, too !  Good for antennas

There is some left over damage from Ivan, and I saw a few of abandoned houses, particularly on the South and East End of the island.  New construction is everywhere, and the Ritz-Carlton is build a (what was reported to me) to be a multi-BILLION dollar hotel/condo complex.  It is right near where we stayed, and it is HUGE HUGE HUGE.  Apparently, Bill Gates, Michael Jorden and other celebs have condos there.

Anyway, might be fun to try to operate from there sometime (if we ever go back!). 

Reception, at least at night is not a problem!!

It is a very beautiful place for a vacation.  I highly recommend it !


Regards,

Steve  QIX

[W1IA]

Welcome back Steve! I hope you and Sherry had a good time. Nothing like umbrella drinks, toes in the sand and tropical binking HA!
The band was in poor shape the night you were listening, but glad we were being heard south of the border.

Brent W1IA

[AB1GX]

Up in Massachusetts, you can use a crystal set and get good reception of W1IA.

And does anyone really think 51 Watt Fred is really transmitting with 51 Watts???  My guess is that he's driving his Linear Amp with 51 Watts.

Tom

[steve_qix]

Well, 51 watt Fred is pretty strong (for 51 watts), but maybe it's his antenna height relative to my location or something like that.

I'm pretty sure what I heard when I was at Grand Cayman was double-hop.  There was an unobstructed salt water reflective surface between where I was and where the signals came from, and I was hearing the guys with the low antennas.

Here's a pic:  My wife and I were walking and encountered this 3 foot Iguana.  Needless to say, we went around it (walked off the path), although I'm told they don't bite unless you touch them.  We weren't going to find out !!!!!

[WA1GFZ]

I wouldn't QRM that row of phases verticals across his back.......

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Maybe it's just a distance thing, but Fred is rather PW here most of the time. Fifty-one watts seems about right.

[Tom WA3KLR]

Hi Steve,

Welcome back.  The solar flux has been down to 68 this past week, the lowest I have seen it, great for creating a good MUF for 75.  This is Smoothed Sunspot Number of 5.

I just checked what my propagation program had to say about the 75 meter path from Cayman to W2 land:

12:30 UT - 21:00 UT, no go.
2100 - 2230 UT, 2 E hops.
2230 - 0030 UT, 2 F2 hops.
0030 - 1030 UT, 1 F2 hop.
1030 - 1130 UT, 2 F2 hops.
1130 - 1230 UT, 2 E hops.

Program showed best time as 0830 - 1000 UT, during the 1 hop F2.  I guess you were listening around 0400 UT in the same 1 F2 hop period?

[steve_qix]

Hi Steve,

Welcome back.  The solar flux has been down to 68 this past week, the lowest I have seen it, great for creating a good MUF for 75.  This is Smoothed Sunspot Number of 5.

I just checked what my propagation program had to say about the 75 meter path from Cayman to W2 land:

12:30 UT - 21:00 UT, no go.
2100 - 2230 UT, 2 E hops.
2230 - 0030 UT, 2 F2 hops.
0030 - 1030 UT, 1 F2 hop.
1030 - 1130 UT, 2 F2 hops.
1130 - 1230 UT, 2 E hops.

Program showed best time as 0830 - 1000 UT, during the 1 hop F2.  I guess you were listening around 0400 UT in the same 1 F2 hop period?

Very interesting!   I was generally listening anywhere from 11:00pm to 12:00pm Cayman time.  The Caymans do not go onto daylight savings time, so that would put it an hour later for the folks here (E.D.T.).  But, still in the 1 hop area.  I wasn't really sure if it would be 1 hop or 2.  Does your software happen to show the distance in miles?  I would have guessed 2 hops just due to the distance, and the fact that I heard some of the low-dipole guys.

Maybe under "normal" 75 meter conditions, the propagation to the Caymans would not be so good.

Well, I'll just have to convince the wife that a "dx-pedition" back to Cayman is necessary in order to prove this out.  I know, I know - such a sacrifice for the hobby, but hey, someone's got to do it !  Anyone up for it - say, next February or March or so

Afterall, who would leave THIS:



for THIS:

   

[nu2b]

The lovely person on the left
is definitely more Class-E
than the hairy person to the right!

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Well, we've worked some of the European AMers (PE1MPH and company) on 80 meters this winter, why not some in the Carribean, Central and South America?

[steve_qix]

Well, we've worked some of the European AMers (PE1MPH and company) on 80 meters this winter, why not some in the Carribean, Central and South America?

That was my thought, too !  The receiver I was using was nothing at all to write home about - a Radio Shack (I forget the model), it resembles the older Sony receivers - buttons on the front, covers all of the SW, BC, FM and LW bands... cost I think under $200.00 - and not real sensitive without an external antenna (I was using the built-in whip).

I'm wondering if there's anyone down there on AM at all ?  Guess we'll just have to do that dx-pedition after all :-)

Regards,

Steve

[w3jn]

When I lived in Havana, Cuba, I listened a lot to 75.  I mostly heard 4 and 5 landers; the northeast guys that had solid and reliable signals were K1JJ, Timmy, and KD2XA (this was 2001-2003).  Hampering this was the constant tropical static and a relatively high noise level at my house.  When the power went off in Havana (a daily occurrence for hours at a time) it got quiet, but my generator was fairly noisy electrically also.

I believe Radio Habana communist mouthpiece Arnie Coro, CO2KK, is an AMer but I never heard him on the air.

[The Slab Bacon]

Here's a pic:  My wife and I were walking and encountered this 3 foot Iguana.  Needless to say, we went around it (walked off the path), although I'm told they don't bite unless you touch them.  We weren't going to find out !!!!!

big Iguanas are pretty neat. A friend of mine and his wife had one that was HUGE, prolly almost 3 foot wothout the tail! They used to let him run free in the house. His name was "Gizmo". He was hand raised and extremely tame, and actually quite sociable. He would walk up and rub his head against your leg like a cat for you to scratch him, and would actually climb up into your lap and sit and beg for a grape or other piece of fruit. he absolutely didnt mind being picked up or handled. They used to walk it on a leash like a dog. Gizmo was pretty much the talk of anybody that ever visited Tom and Jackie. He was definately way kool!!

                                               The Slab Bacon

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

I hereby volunteer to carry bags and man the ice bucket for the upcoming Cayman AM DXpedition.

[KB2WIG]

I'll tend bar and wash the stemware.   klc

[WA3VJB]

I believe Radio Habana communist mouthpiece Arnie Coro, CO2KK,

That's right.
That's right.