Sal Island, Cape Verde activation plan

Activation Reports Pre-Planning
1

I’m planning to activate two SOTA summits on Sal Island (Cape Verde) on Friday, April 10th, using the callsign D44CH:

D4/IB-062 – Rabo de Junco
D4/IB-055 – Rocha de Salina

As I’m not yet familiar with the terrain, the exact activation times may vary. However, my current expectation is:

D4/IB-062: 09:30 – 10:30 UTC
D4/IB-055: 11:30 – 12:30 UTC

Based on recent propagation tests, I intend to operate primarily on:

17m: 18.087 – 18.088 MHz
15m: 21.060 – 21.064 MHz

If conditions are poor, I may also try 10m.

There aren’t mobile network coverage in the summit areas, so I won’t be able to self-spot. I will post alerts in advance and will attempt to spot via SOTAmat if possible.

As this is an island that has never been activated before, I’m hoping for some great QSOs with many of you.

Hope to catch you on the bands!

73,
David, CT7AUP/ D44CH

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2

David, this sounds like a great opportunity, but those times are too early for the West Coast USA. The higher bands don’t open up until at least 1500 UTC or so depending on condx.
Good luck anyway and hope you get lots of QSOs.
73, John, K6YK

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3

Best not to book with Tui.

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4

Hello Robert

Thanks for sharing! I’ve been here a few times and never had any issues.

I just stick to the basics — bottled water (even for brushing teeth), no ice, and freshly cooked food — and it’s all good.

I guess our “Western” stomachs are just a bit spoiled.

Best 73,

David, CT7AUP

2 Likes
5

David, can you write some notes about how to obtain a D4 licence please?

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6

Hello Andy,

If you plan to operate amateur radio in Cape Verde, here is a simple guide based on my recent experience.

You need to send by email a copy of your passport, a copy of your amateur radio license (CEPT or equivalent), and a formal request letter to ARME (Agência Reguladora Multissectorial da Economia). The contacts are Eng. Ana Lima (ana.lima@arme.cv) and Sra. Marise Lima (marise.lima@arme.cv).

It is highly recommended to send your request well in advance, ideally around 2 months before your intended dates of operation.

After submitting the request, you will receive an email with payment instructions, including an IBAN. In my case, the fee was 1000 CVE (around 9 EUR).

The most inconvenient part of the process is the payment: either you know someone in Cape Verde who can make a local bank deposit for you, or you will need to make an international bank transfer, which can take time and may cost more than the license itself.

Once the payment is completed, you should reply to ARME with the proof of payment.

After that, you will receive your license by email.

I strongly suggest printing it and carrying it with you, as it may be useful if questioned at airport customs.

During the process, if you notice that things are not progressing, it may be necessary to send a polite “gentle reminder” email.

Once everything is sorted, just enjoy operating. The propagation conditions are quite different from what we are used to in Europe.

Below is a template of the request letter (keep it in Portuguese, with field descriptions in English):

À Agência Reguladora Multissectorial da Economia (ARME)
Assunto: Pedido de Licença de rádioamador

[Localidade / City, Country], [Data / Date]

Exmos Senhores,

Eu, [Nome completo / Full Name], de nacionalidade [Nacionalidade / Nationality], nascido em [Data de nascimento / Date of Birth], em [Local de nascimento / Place of Birth], portador do passaporte nº [Número do passaporte / Passport Number], emitido em [Data de emissão / Issue Date] e válido até [Data de validade / Expiry Date], portador da licença de rádio amador [Tipo de licença, ex: CEPT / License Type] com o indicativo [Indicativo / Callsign], válida até [Data de validade da licença / License Expiry Date], residente em [Morada completa / Full Address], com a profissão de [Profissão / Profession], venho por este meio requerer uma licença de rádio amador para operar nas bandas amadoras entre [Data de início / Start Date] e [Data de fim / End Date], em [Local em Cabo Verde – ilha, hotel, morada / Location in Cape Verde].

Em anexo:

Cópia do passaporte

Cópia da licença de rádio amador

Peço deferimento.

Com os melhores cumprimentos,

[Assinatura / Signature]

([Nome completo/Full Name])

‐----------

Best 73,

David, CT7AUP

6 Likes
7

Fantastic, many thanks David.