[CQ-Contest] Why some Caribean Islands compete as South America at CQWW and other contests

[Jeff Clarke]

I've been operating from Bonaire in CQWW CW for the past 8 years and I can assure you that propagation can be vastly different from the ABC islands then the northern Caribbean islands, which I have also operated from. I notice this mostly on the lower bands. I can remember at least a few times on 160 meters that I've felt like I was maybe in EU and not the Caribbean. I would hear stations further north working US stations that I couldn't even hear. From VP5, C6A, KP2 etc.. it's a chip shot and you can work US stations using modest antennas on 160 and 80 meters. The advantage we do have in the northern part of SA is sometimes those northern Caribbean stations are too close to the US to work the same parts of the US  that we do on 15 and 10 meters.

 Being in the southern part of SA will be a big advantage on 15 and 10 meters in the coming years as the sunspots decline and the openings are shorter further north.

BTW the ABC islands are no more than 50 miles from the northern coast of SA and that's why they are considered to be part of SA.


Jeff

KU8E and PJ4A contest team.