PA3GIO website: IOTApedition to Central America, Southwest Caye, Glover's Reef, Belize

Bert - V31GI

Total V31GI QSO count: 24.500

11 - 16 March 2001: Southwest Caye, Glover's Reef, Belize
	IOTA: NA180 on IOTA or DX frequencies (only SSB) 80-40-20-17-15-12-10M Equipment: Kenwood TS-50, 100 W, 2 X 20 M, 12 M high with open feeder line QSL preferable by the Bureau to PA3GIO Belize Local time: UTC - 6 hours. Sunrise: 11:25, sunset: 00:14 My QRV time is depends on the scuba dive schedule on this island QRV from 14:30 - 19:30 UTC (Sunday from +/- 17:00, Friday QRT 23:00 UTC) (lunchtime 19:30 - 20:30 UTC) QRV 20:30 - 01:00 UTC 20M: the best time is propagation permitting 23:00 - 01:00 UTC (20M band is in daylight very very crowded) (Diner time mostly 01:00 - 02:00 UTC) 40 & 80M (or 14 Mhz): The best time, propagation permitting: between +/- 03:00 - 04:30 UTC Update: No. of QSO's: 4200 Propagation in this period. Click on the chart (or here) for more detail.

Previous activity: 19 - 24 March 2000
	No. of QSO's: 4700
Previous activity: 14 March - 19 March 1999
	No. of QSO's: 4800

QSL (preferable by the Bureau) to PA3GIO

Click to enlarge Southwest Caye is only about 40 or 50M width or so. You can see the water on both sides here. It was great to be there, it is only a dive resort, the Manta - people are very helpfull, Tony the manager arranged a palm tree climber. The feedpoint was at 12M, The sand is white... The food is excellent....This is indeed The Ultimate Frontier Paradise!
Click to enlarge The Shack: V31GI in action. The climate is very good despite of the sandflies !	Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge V31GI is on the Map!
Manta Lagoon. The entrance is in the right upper corner. Manta Resort is left. V31GI is about in the middle.
Click to enlarge The Entrance of the Manta Lagoon. Manta Resort is on the right, located about 57 miles (91Km) southeast of Belize City. A 3 hours (!) trip with the The Pelagic, a custom 50-foot, 850 hp, twin-engine fast motor yacht at full speed (!), in undeep water. Not easy to keep my equipment dry!

All pictures beneath here can be clicked to produce larger versions (and they are really pretty...).

The Pelagic at Manta Resort.

The operating site in 2000 is the cabana in the centre.

Overview : the cabanas at Manta Resort... or just Paradise...

Eugineo fixes the V31GI antenna at 12M !

The focal point at the lagoon, the in 1999 complete rebuild restaurant! On the right you see a cabana with a large private porch.

Trip on Belize mainland: (click pictures to enlarge)
Belize International Airport	Hummingbird Highway.
The hand-cranked cable ferry (it can handle two cars) to Xunantunich.

More info about the 2001 IOTApedition:

Last update: 30 April 2002

Related websites:	Manta Resort US dive travel Belize First Coastal Zone
V3 WX:	Yahoo Weather, Belize USA Today