Jamaica DXpedition 2007 is a GO!

Who: NØNJY/6Y5, KBØIRW/6Y5 (Rick and JoAnne Donaldson)

What: Jamaica DXPedition 2007

When: 12-14 October 2007

Where: Runaway Bay, Jamaica, West Indies

Why: For FUN! Island DXpedition (Celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary and 18 years as hams together!)

QSL: Home call (NØNJY)

Operational Times: APPROXIMATELY 17ØØ-21ØØ UTC on Friday and Saturday, and 17ØØ-2ØØØ on Sun

Frequency: Split frequency operation during operations hours on 14.19Ø +/-1Ø KHz, TX, Listening 14.2ØØ – 14.23Ø (+/- 1Ø KHz)

Equipment: ICOM IC-735, Alinco Power Supply, Home brew antenna (Pictures on blog site for equipment)

Blog site with much more information for comments, and QSL information etc is located at: http://jamaicadxpedition2007.blogspot.com/

Thanks everyone!

73,

Rick Donaldson
US Callsign NØNJY
Jamaica Call NØNJY/6Y5

Now for the GOOD NEWS

As of this moment, I have in my hands copies of our Jamaica Amateur Operator's license.

JoAnne's call sign will be KBØIRW/6Y5
Rick's call sign will be NØNJY/6Y5

We will be departing on 9 October 2007 from Colorado Springs, CO and should arrive sometime that evening in Montego Bay, Jamaica, West Indies.

Operating Dates will be Friday - Sunday, 12 October 2007 through 14 October 2007
Operating Times will be ROUGHLY from 1900 UTC through 2300 UTC depending on weather conditions, propagation conditions and how much we've had to drink... (just kidding)

Look for us somewhere around 14190 KHz, listening either up or down about 10KHz give or take (we'll let you know when we start calling CQ and on and off throughout the QSO).

Wish us luck, and know that we will be thinking of all of you while we're on the beach in Jamaica!


Best of 73 to each and everyone!

Rick Donaldson, NØNJY/6Y5
JoAnne Donaldson, KBØIRW/6Y5

More licensing information

Well, bad news.

I've just had several emails going back and forth with Jamaica Spectrum Management Authority. Although they have processed and mail our license, via registered mail, the US Postal Service seems unable to locate or deliver the information to us.

According to our friend, Nadine at SMA, the package was mailed on 17 September. I have found nothing in my mail box, and no one at the house has seen any registered deliveries, or pink slips in the mail box since I told them to keep their eyes open. They have been bringing the mail in like clockwork every day, and there has been nothing.

So, this morning I started the long, and idiotic process of trying to communicate with people who don't know what they are doing at the USPS. My assumption is they don't know what they are doing, because they told me that they can't look anything up without the "number". Not being specific myself, I asked the lady in Jamaica for "the registration number" (which is what the local postal person asked me for). She sent me a six digit number.

I dutifully called the USPS back and gave the number to the same lady I'd spoken to earlier. She said... "And...?"

I said, "And.. what?"

She asked, "Are there any letters?"

"No."

"Well, I need something in front of or in back of the number to do anything with it".

Apparently there is a prefix and/or a suffix -- what she was unsure of. It would seem to me that a tracking number is somehow associated with a name. Doesn't that seem somewhat reasonable to you? She said, "no, I can't use this number".

I guess their databases aren't as good as they think? Well, I've responded back to Ms. Nadine for more information and currently, the situation is looking pretty bleak.

Well, the bright side is, even if I can't transmit from Jamaica, I can always sit on the beach and drink rum. :)

Thought just occurred to me -- did they mail the package to my home in Colorado, or to the Hotel in Jamaica?!?!?!?! (Sent an email to that effect)

License information - quick update

This past Friday I received an email from a nice lady at the Jamaica Spectrum Management Authority. In the letter she told me that on Monday our licenses were being sent. She stated we ought to have them soon, hopefully within a week or so.

It's cutting it rather close, as our trip is on the 9th, so, if the licenses do not arrive by the time we depart then we won't be taking equipment :(

With a little luck, and some help from the postal service we will -- we hope -- see them before the week is over next week. Today is the 21st, and we don't leave until the 9th, so we have some time still. Wish us luck.

Tonight, I am getting some rest, and early in the morning, before most of you are even thinking of waking up, I will be headed into the mountains with my wife, our backpacks and a tent where we will spend the weekend and look at the mountains, and deer. See you when we get back.

Until next post, 73!!!!!

Rick

License Update

As of a couple of weeks ago, our daughter, son-in-law and three grand children have temporarily moved back into the house with us, so we've got extra eyes watching for the licensing from Jamaica.

Last Monday, the Spectrum Management Authority contacted me via email, and asked me to go ahead and fax to them the paper work so they could process our licenses, so they would be ready to go when they received the check and original copies.

So, I did that. I'm hoping it will expedite things so that the licenses do come by the time we're ready to go.

Today is 5 September - so we have just over 30 days before we depart. I'm very confident that the licensing will show up before we leave.

Jamaica Licensing Information

The following information is regarding dealing with getting your Jamaica Operating permit. You must be a licensed Amateur Radio operator in your country of origin. The following information is accurate as of today, 27 August 2007. There is other information on the Internet which IS NOT ACCURATE ANYMORE. This is very important, because the fee has increased in the last couple of years, the Spectrum Management Authority has MOVED to a new location in Kingston apparently, and I'm not entirely sure of who the Commissioner is now.

So, if you're planning a trip there in the next year, this information should be valid at least until next year. Also, Gerald Burton, 6Y5AG, of the Jamaican Amateur Radio Association advises me he believed that my license should be good for one year only from the date it is created. However, just as I was writing this, I received a note from Nadine at SMA who stated that the US $20.00 fee is for licensing that is good for THREE MONTHS ONLY. So, folks need to take that into account as well!

Jamaica Licensing Information: 17 October 2ØØ7, will be mailed with bank checks to Spectrum Management Authority, Jamaica, with copies of US Licenses, passport information, etc.

Spoke to Jamaica SMA a couple of weeks ago, and obtained the correct address and fees.

JoAnne’s Technician license should be in the mail, and we should see it within a few days. According to the lady I spoke to at the SMA, it should take less than two weeks for processing, and delivery of my Jamaican permit. We will apply for her Jamaican permit as well, but not until she has a new, valid copy of her license. Her old license still shows her as a “Novice class”.

(Update: JoAnne’s technician license came in the mail on 2Ø August 2ØØ7. I am mailing her package on the 21^st of August in the evening in the hopes that her license will be returned within a few days of mine. Again, our plan is going through, unless we do not receive our licenses in time, then we will simply plan again for next year.)

The following is the cover letter being sent, along with copies of NØNJY’s passport, US Amateur license and a verified bank check for $2Ø.ØØ US currency.

Required Information With License Application:

- USD $2Ø 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
- Cover letter

The proper Address for Jamaican Spectrum Management Authority (Essentially this is the “FCC” of Jamaica):

Spectrum Management Authority
2^nd Floor
Victoria Mutual Building
53 Knutsford Blvd
Kingston 5, Jamaica W.I.
Phone: (876) 929 - 855Ø / 852Ø

Web site addresses for Spectrum Management are:

http://www.sma.gov.jm/contact.htm (Contact information)

http://www.sma.gov.jm/index.html (Home Page for SMA)

Application forms can be found here:

http://www.sma.gov.jm/business/Forms/index.html

The proper application for an Alien Permit is here:

http://www.sma.gov.jm/business/Forms/index.html

There is a processing fee of $2Ø.ØØ in US Currency. It MUST be on a certified Bank Check. It MUST be made out to “Spectrum Management Authority”. You must include the items listed above, or you will not be granted a license. Remember you’re dealing with a government agency, give yourself plenty of time. We did not have that luxury. We knew at the end of July, 2ØØ7 that we were going back to Jamaica, and we already had the trip planned for October 2ØØ7 even before we decided to do the “DXpedition”.

I will say that each of the officials with whom I spoke were quite helpful, pleasant and extremely happy to hear that we were coming back to Jamaica for yet another visit. Obviously, tourism is a very large part of the economy for Jamaica and they do depend on the inflow of cash to their economy. A large part of convincing people to return is having a good attitude. I’ll always return to Jamaica when I get the chance, I’ll never go back to Paris because of attitudes. Thus, when you hear a government employee speaking kindly and helpfully, you tend to wonder what they are up to. In this case, they simply want your business, and they definitely want to make you feel welcomed to their country.

I'm not sure of the number of Hams in Jamaica, but it appears there are at least 100 or so. Some have responded to help requests from me, some have not, but all that have were helpful, kind and supportive. The people in the SMA were all pleasant -- and they reminded me of what Government workers OUGHT to be like, rather than some of the cynical, upset, and sometimes just rude people we run into in the US from time to time.