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Where the Heck is St. Martin?

Where the Heck is St. Martin?. Perfect location: No skip zone in the U.S. and 1 heading (320 deg) covers entire U.S. Eastern Caribbean Area. St. Martin is 125 miles from the Virgin Islands and 200 miles from San Juan. Nearby Islands.

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Where the Heck is St. Martin?

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  1. Where the Heck is St. Martin? Perfect location: No skip zone in the U.S. and 1 heading (320 deg) covers entire U.S.

  2. Eastern Caribbean Area St. Martin is 125 miles from the Virgin Islands and 200 miles from San Juan

  3. Nearby Islands Some of the nearby islands within 200 miles which can be reached on VHF from the mountaintop

  4. Sint Maarten / Saint Martin Facts Smallest island divided into two countries Area of 37 square miles –the size of a typical Vermont town! Divided in 1648 – Border crossings unattended Netherlands Antilles: Curacao (PJ2), Bonaire (PJ4), St. Eustatius (PJ5), St. Maarten (PJ7) and Saba (PJ8) Saint Martin administered from Guadeloupe (FG) as a department of France Population of 70,000 (PJ7: 38,000; FS: 32,000) Official languages: PJ7: Dutch, FS: French, but everyone speaks English

  5. Princess Juliana Airport Second busiest airport in the Caribbean Built on a thin strip of island between ocean and lagoon Back end right at Maho Beach – bathers get sandblasted by jet blast! Front end only 2 miles from St. Peters Hill – 950 foot elevation! 747’s use the relatively short (7150’) runway Take offs and landings can be somewhat exciting!

  6. Looking down runway 9 from the cockpit of a 747. Notice those mountains!

  7. View looking West toward the airport from the top of St. Peter’s Hill (950’)

  8. Flying low over Maho Beach just before landing

  9. W1SJ and W1DEB arrive on March 2nd at 3PM

  10. Make sure your speakers are turned on! Maho Beach is a plane watchers delight but a poor place to hold Field Day!

  11. When a 747 lands, don’t reach up! The wheels are only 30 feet off the ground!

  12. View of an American 757 looking DOWN from the 8th floor of the Sonesta Beach Resort!

  13. Rare shot – usually this room is a mob scene!

  14. Where we stayed at the Simpson Bay Yacht Club – Unit is at center.

  15. Suzuki Samarai used to climb the mountain. Didn’t try the rollover test!

  16. The Dutch – French border on the island is totally unmanned

  17. Getting Hosed at the Gas Pump Go-Go Gas in Essex (3/1/06): $2.19 Texaco on Sint Maarten: 1.75 NAF per liter NAF = Netherlands Antilles Florin. 1.80 NAF = $1, or 1 NAF = $0.55 3.8 liters = 1 gallon Actual Price = $3.69 / gallon Calisto on Saint Martin: 0.86 E per liter 1 Euro = $1.06 (accepted at par) Actual Price = $3.27 per gallon

  18. You can get gas and dinner at this convenience store, but I don’t like chasing dinner!

  19. I didn’t have much of a appetite for goat, either!

  20. Never trust a Burger King which can drive away!

  21. The start of the road up the mountain

  22. It may be Paradise Peak, but it’s the road to hell! This part is very steep!

  23. This section goes up at a 45 degree angle. Hold on to your hat!

  24. Some of the bull you have to deal with on the ride up.

  25. Shack is comfortable, air conditioned 20x25’ room with everything needed to contest!

  26. Tennadyne T8 8 element log periodic at 75 feet. It rocked!

  27. Close up of the Tennadyne and also the 160 meter dipole

  28. Commercial tower with the 80/40 meter dipoles at 75 feet.

  29. It’s 5:00 and the antenna work is done!

  30. Spectacular view to the East looking over Orient Beach

  31. Musical amplifiers I: Alpha 78 – died before contest

  32. Musical amplifiers II: Alpha 374 – didn’t fire up!

  33. Musical amplifiers III: Dentron 160-10L – ran 3 hours, blew cap, emitted smoke!

  34. Musical amplifiers IV: Alpha 87A – no tune, no worries! GREAT AMP!

  35. Station included a Kenwood TS-440S, TS-570, Alpha 87A, Vectronics Tuner

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