Fill out the Curacao immigration card during your flight. (Your address on the island is #1 Groot St Marta, and the phone number there is 864.2903).

Immigration: Curacao has instituted improved procedures to try to get you through the airport faster. Please go to https://dicardcuracao.com/portal and follow those directions. Again, your address on the island is #1 Groot Santa Marta, phone 864.2903.

If you did not pre-register (bad idea), get in the non-resident line and present your passport and someone will walk you through the long process of filling out your immigration information.

Baggage: You can get a luggage cart at no charge if you like. You can also use one of the airport porters who will be in the baggage area, who expect a tip of $3 to $5 for their assistance. Claim your bags and head for Customs.

Customs: The Customs check will vary randomly from a wave-through to an X-ray and complete search of every bag and possible impoundment of your equipment if they are not satisfied with your documentation. If your bags look "normal" and are of modest size and quantity, you are most likely to get a wave-through. An antenna box or special radio carrying case will grab their attention. If you are challenged, show a copy of the PJ2T license if you have one, and/or your U.S. or other amateur license. You may STILL be required to pay duty on the declared value of your radio, normally about 15%. The Customs duty can no longer be paid with credit cards -- you need U.S. or Netherlands Antilles cash. It is very important that you prepare a letter of value for the radio (including its nomenclature and serial number) before the trip. They will accept about anything if it looks semi-official and is preprinted. Be courteous and patient at all times. The Customs experience on Curacao is very uneven, not all of the agents are solidly multi-lingual, and they are not all trained to understand about amateur radio, in spite of 25 years of our best efforts. They are all reasonably nice people, however, and your courtesy and respect will be rewarded.

Rental Car: When you exit Customs, go forward and right and the rental car counters are on your right about 100 feet. Make sure you have instructions from the rental car company about how to return your car if it is early in the morning and they are closed. Do not let your credit card out of your sight because there is some small history of credit card numbers being stolen at this counter.

Currency Exchange: From the arrival area, turn left and follow the sidewalk to the departure area – you will see an ATM on the left where you can get guilders if you wish.

Driving: Driving is on the right, and normal US standards apply. Don’t make a right turn when you have a red arrow. Right turn on red is OK if the red is a solid circle.

Driving Directions to the Station: Click here.

Groceries: Go to Centrum Supermarket or Esperamos Supermarket. They are only about five minutes from the airport. Stock up. You’ll find these stores to be better than many stateside supermarkets. They take guilders or US dollars. Most stateside credit cards work there.

Opening the House: When you come down the hill follow the signs for "Bewoners" (residents) through the construction site of the new hotel. Go left. You will see the antennas in the distance (southeast) at the house. At the house parking is outside the wall on the west side. You will not have access through the front vehicle gate. There is a security system which must be properly disarmed, otherwise a very loud siren will sound and armed guards will respond to the house. To disarm this system and avoid the siren you must have the security system four digit code. (Geoff will provide that code in a letter or phone call.) First, patiently use your other keys to remove the "F" and "J" padlocks on the security bar doors. Then, open the sliding glass door (it will not be locked) and quickly and immediately (you have only 15 seconds) turn left to the inside wall and enter the four digit code into the keypad above the microwave oven. If the alarm sounds, using the telephone in the house, call Curacao Surveillance Systems at 737.5705, tell them it is a false alarm, and give them the password you got from Geoff. If the phone rings, answer it; it will probably be Curacao Surveillance Systems, and give them the password you got from Geoff. 

Electricity: To get the power on, unlock the utility room at the outside rear of the house, and tighten fuses 8 and 9. This will energize the water heater.  

Time Zone: You are one hour later than Eastern in the winter and the same as Eastern in the summer.

During Your Stay

PLEASE carefully study the "PJ2T Quick Operating Guide" before arriving. This will save you a lot of grief and wasted time. You may also want to study the cabling and antenna switching diagram. 

Contest Callsign: Please don't forget that your special PJ2_ contest callsign is only valid during the period of the contest. Our PJ2T club callsign is valid at all times.

Internet: We have very fast Internet connectivity with an optical fiber connection to the house. Use an SSID of PJ2T_Guest_2.4, authentication of WPA-2-Personal, WPA encryption of AES, and a WEP key of 3CDCEE57F1. Internet access for your contest is charged at $3/hour to help us cover the cost of the the Internet connection, but non-contest access is free and unlimited.

If Internet Connectivity Is Lost:

• Check the Sercomm MODEM on the bedside table in the East Bedroom. If there is one red light and two green, then the island's system is down and you just have to wait. You need three green to be connected.
• Do the same with the ASUS router between the beds in the East Bedroom. It must be powered up at all times, 365/24/7.
• Assure that the small PC on the table with the ASUS router is powered on, 365/24/7.

Power: DO NOT PLUG IN ANY RADIO OR COMPUTER GEAR ANYWHERE OTHER THAN THE OUTLETS IN THE PLASTIC BASEBOARD WIRING DUCT. This is because both you and the gear will get fried. Power on Curacao is 220 volt, 50 Hz, three phase. All 129 volt AC in the wiring duct is stepped down to about 110 volts, 50Hz, so that your gear will not get fried. There are plenty of 110 and 220 volt outlets for all the radio gear in the duct. Non-electronic gear like electric shavers and so forth will be fine when plugged into the regular house outlets. The black binding posts on top on the plastic duct are all very good quality earth grounds, tied both to the ocean and to the electric utility ground.

Utility Outages: Click here for the numbers to report utility outages. The overall number is 463-2000 and the information numbers are 463-2328 and 463-2329. For interference to the water call 564-2482. For electricity-related faults, call 528-2552.

Security System: You absolutely must arm the system when you leave for more than half an hour or so. Follow the easy and simple directions on the system's control panel just inside the west door. Be sure you have the four digit code handy when it is time to go back in. Always lock the bars, if even you leave for only a few minutes.

Irrigation System: Please check that the irrigation system is working! The computer-controlled drip irrigation system is programmed to turn on at about 6:00 PM on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday for 20 minutes each. If this is NOT happening, please notify W0CG or Dorothy at (ghoward@kent.edu) or 208.676.8766 or call Zoom on his cellphone at 664.6468. This is very important to keep the plants alive and the water bill under control. When the irrigation has been on for several minutes there should be substantial water pooling around the three palm trees along the cliff.

Roof: Please don't ever walk on the metal roof. Geoff sealed it in March 2013 over a period of weeks of hard work. Walking on it will break these seals and cause water leaks inside. 

Air Conditioning: Both bedrooms are air conditioned. Close all doors and windows to your bedroom, then press the red button on the air conditioner remote control. It is preset to 26 degrees Celsius, which makes for good sleeping conditions. You may need to put a battery in the remote control. There are usually batteries in the refrigerator. The air conditioners are for night use only, please. Don't forget to turn off your unit in the morning. Running them during the daylight sun is VERY expensive. This is an honor system feature -- please don't make the CCC club have to start charging extra for the air conditioning or convert to a metered use system.  

Shack Air Conditioning: In October of 2010 we had a large air conditioner installed in the shack. It is extremely expensive to run, and our intention was that it only be used during the period of contest operations. But you can run it as much as you like as long as you're willing to reimburse the club for its operation. Please before you turn it on, read the red digital watthour meter in the back laundry room on the left wall just inside the door and note the reading, which will be in cumulative kilowatt-hours. Read it again when you leave. Multiply the difference by $0.52 and that's the additional amount you need to send to the PJ2T club after you get back to the States. (It's normally about $1.50/hour to run that big airco. Be sure you close the sliders and both bedroom doors when its running.) This is an honor system self-report charge, and it is in addition to your rental costs. Electricity on Curacao is incredibly expensive. The controller is on the wall near the microwave oven, and you may need to put a battery in it. Click here for detailed directions on the air conditioner controller. If the big air conditioner won't come on, check the grey pull box on the wall in the laundry room above the washing machine. You may need to pull out the black block and turn it over and plug it back in to energize this circuit. 

TV: The TV in the East Bedroom has a Roku adapter. Programming is limited in our overseas location.

Telephone: The wireline phone at the house is 864.2903. You can call it from anywhere on the island using those seven digits. Calling it from overseas you need to enter 599 9 864 2903.

Outdoor Showers: Outdoor showers are a standard of Caribbean living. If you want to use the showers, turn on the three valves in the laundry room that are tagged "Outdoor Shower HOT, Outdoor Shower COLD,  and East Sunroom HOT. Do NOT turn on the valve labeled "East Sunroom Cold" because that line has an underground leak. Please remember to turn all four of them off when departing. Please wipe off the chrome escutcheons after each shower to control corrosion and keep them looking nice for the next visitor.

Medical: The big St Elizabeth's Hospital is in Willemstad in Otrabanda.Only use an ambulance in an absolute emergency as it is EXTREMELY expensive. You will have to pay for your care. Many stateside policies cover part of the cost of care outside the U.S., but you must seek that reimbursement after returning to the States. There is also an excellent medical clinic in Barber adjacent to a pharmacy ("botika") and across the highway from the fire station. There is a first aid kit in the house under the West bathroom sink. The pharmacy ("botika") in Barber has a very good solidly English-fluent pharmacist. He is extremely good with routine medical problems and may be able to do much of what a doctor could do with routine maladies. Don't be put off by the outside appearance of the botika building -- they are quite competent inside. There is a medical office in the same building as the Barber Botika, Dr. M. Janga 520.6507; Dr. Sommer 864.8930  565.5102. Call ahead to see if they are open and can take you. Both doctors are very competent and very nice people. Pay on the spot -- medical costs here are very low.

Smoking: Please smoke outside only. A couple of the CCC members have severe allergies to cigarette smoke smell. Thanks!

Clandestine Boats:  If you hear or see small boats offshore at night, that are running without lights, or hear voices in the dark below the cliff, ignore them completely. Don't shine a flashlight looking for them. They are probably involved in an activity you don't want to know about. The procedure is that we ignore them completely, and in turn they leave the neighborhood completely alone. This quiet unofficial pact has held for years. 

Zoom: "Zoom" is the QTH's caretaker (photo). His real name is Dudley L. Wiwao. His phone number is 692.0243 or 864.2055. If you don’t want him around or popping in unannounced (understandable), tell him that. His English is pretty fair, and he is a VERY nice, exuberant person. He can answer any questions you may have and he can get you just about anything you want. Please do not expect him to cook and clean – that’s not in our agreement, except that he expected is to have the place clean for your arrival.

Neighbors: The neighbors understand about ham contesting. The house next door is owned by Mike Maley from Mundelien, Illinois. Please don't put any wires on or over his property. Generally, the people in the Coral Cliff neighborhood are not happy about our towers, so please be as courteous as possible, and be good ambassadors for amateur radio.

Water Purity: The water comes from a desalination plant in town and is entirely safe for drinking and cooking.

Water Conservation: Water (and electricity) are very expensive on islands. Curacao has the most expensive municipal water in the world, literally. Monthly power/water bills of about $700 are the norm. Electricity costs 7 times the rate in Ohio, for example. Please be very careful if a toilet sticks, and don't let it waste water. Waste increases the costs for all future users of Signal Point....

The Gas Range: The range runs on LP gas from a small bottle in the closet to the right. You may need to turn on the small black plastic valve on the regulator on top of the bottle. Be gentle, and give it a 90 degree turn. The range has igniters, but it usually works better to use matches or a butane lighter stick. To use the oven, simply select a temperature and wait a minute or so – the glow igniter will start the oven burner. There will be a full spare gas bottle in the utility room. If both run out, you can get the bottle refilled at the gas station in Tera Kora. It's very inexpensive.

Sunset Waters: As of July 22, 2009, Sunset Waters is closed and in bankruptcy, and has been torn down. A new hotel is under construction. You can use the beach if you don't mind the mess. It's legal and fairly common to go nude on the far east end that particular beach if you wish.

Hardware Store: If you need tools or hardware, there is a modest hardware store in the town of Barber. Follow the map to Barber and ask anyone for directions to the store. The people in the store are very nice and they accept U.S. credit cards. There's a Kooyman Megacenter store near the Esperamos Supermarket. Look it up online for the location. This store is BETTER than any Lowe's or Home Depot you will find in the States.

Gas for the Rental Car: Some gas stations on Curacao are full serve, and a small tip is a nice gesture to the attendant. (My favorite is the Barber Pompstation station in Barber -- the people are very nice.) Gas is expensive -- about $6.75/gallon. Diesel fuel is cheaper if you happen to have a diesel rental. All stations require you to pay in advance and they will make change in guilders if you overpay. Most do not accept US credit cards. Take US dollars or paper guilders.

Closing Out the House and Station - Checklist

7. Turn off the ganged circuit breaker on the black panel at the end of the white topped table by the entry door. The numeric display will go off. The MODEM and routers in the West Bedroom are to remain on after you leave.

8. Unplug the red plug from the box labeled PLUG THE RED PLUG HERE and just let the plug hang nearby so that the next person can locate it. (Power to the remote station will stay on at all times, even after you unscrew the prescribed fuses in the laundry room, because it has its own separate power source.)

10. Be sure to turn OFF the outdoor shower valves in the laundry room that are tagged "Outdoor Shower HOT, Outdoor Shower COLD, East Sunroom HOT and East Sunroom COLD." Don't turn off any other valves in the laundry room.

17. TURN OFF BOTH WATER SUPPLY VALVES UNDER BOTH TOILETS.

18. Close and latch all four bedroom windows.

19. Remove the batteries from all remote controls (air conditioners, TVs, DVDs) and leave the batteries in plastic bags next to the remotes.

20. Put the porch furniture into the East bedroom: eight chairs, the small glass top table, and anything else you got out. These WILL disappear if you don't do this. Please put them in a pile in front of the closet doors and on the bed nearest to the closet. See photo at right.

21. Put the big glass top table on the East porch adjacent to the coax entry point. Lock it to the bars with the security chain that was on it when you arrived. Put a Ziploc plastic bag back over the lock and close it as far as it will go to protect it from salt. (This location protects the table from salt corrosion and from being broken by heavy wind gusts.)

22. Close and lock the east security gates, close the sliding glass doors, and draw the drapes across them where possible.

23. Re-cover the radio tables, all of them, with the plastic tarps that were on them when you arrived, making a little tent. This is to divert dripping water from the gear and desks in case of a roof leak. Do not cover the Cisco IP switch which hangs on the back of the desks behind the LK-800 40 meter amp. This runs 365/24/7 and it must be kept in the clear to cool.

24 Be sure that the white router on the side table in the West Bedroom is left on, and that the ASUS black router between the beds in the East Bedroom is left on. Be sure they are on their tiles for cooling and that the curtains and bedspreads are not in contact. (The Sercomm MODEM runs HOT.) Be sure that the small PC on the table beside the ASUS router is still on. It runs 365/25/7.

25. Turn off all four ceiling fans.

26. There is presently no barbeque grill to put away.

27. If it is parked back there, get your car out of the backyard then turn off the power switch below the front gate motor. Turn the front pillar lights off with the metal lever switch to the right (east) of the gate on the inside wall.

28. At the corner of the West porch, above your head, turn on and leave on both of the two light switches. These should already be taped in the "on" position. (The lights at the northwest corner of the house will come on only when they detect motion after dark.) 

29If you had access to the East sunroom, turn off EVERYTHING.

32. Once you have gotten your car out of the yard and closed the front gate, then in the utility room TURN OFF ONLY FUSES 8 AND 9, then padlock the security gate on the utility room door.

33. Double-check that all ten padlocks on all five security gates are locked and that the East Sunroom and under stair closet doors are also locked.

34. Come back again!!.

Departure / At the Airport

Rental Car: Park your car in an empty spot appropriate to your car company at the lot where you took out the car. Take your keys and contract to the outside or inside service desk, and they will close out your rental from there. If they are closed, there is a key drop box for all the rental companies in front of the counters.

Departure Tax: You will be assessed at least $78.00 US per person unless the amount was already included in your airfare. American Airlines collects the tax as part of your ticket.

Departure Concourse: Your boarding pass and passport will be checked at an automated boarding pass reader at the entry to immigration. You'll go through security before reaching the departure lounge. There is food available and many nice shops in the departure concourse