General Infos for Guest Operators

PY0F Schedule 2019 & 2020

BEFORE BUYING THE AIR TICKETS

First of all, give a look if you will need a VISA to enter in Brazil. Depending on your passaport you may need a VISA than some other will not. Please check it with the proper brazilian embassy in your country.

The list of all brazilian embassies can be checked here:

http://www.portalconsular.itamaraty.gov.br/rede-consular

Click on the name of the city´s consular embassy and you will be forwarded to their site.

GETTING ON TO THE ISLAND

We are usually asked if is it possible to join in contest within PY0F team and the answer is: Yes! we are very pleased to have guest operators with us, having some fun and contesting from the beautiful Fernando de Noronha Island.

The second most asked question is: “how much does it cost to operate from PY0F?”.

Well, surely it depends on where are you coming from… Hence, it is possible to estimate a budget after you get on one of the two hubs that connects flights from Brazil mainland to Fernando de Noronha Airport (FEN).

These two main hubs are: Recife (REC) and Natal (NAT) airport.

Actually, the NAT airport just have one international direct flight, which is flied by TAP and maintain a direct flight from and to Lisbon in a week basis.

The REC airport have more direct flights options connecting to Europe and North America, they are:

You may also check for non-direct flights to REC or NAT coming from São Paulo International Airport – GRU or Brasilia – BSB or Rio de Janeiro – GIG. The flight duration (excluding on ground connection time) is around 3 hours from GRU or BSB or GIG.

Once in Recife – REC or Natal – NAT you can check for direct flights to Fernando de Noronha – FEN Airport. There are only 2 airline companies that work on daily basis to FEN from REC and Natal, they are: Azul Airlines and Gol Airlines.

As of May, 2019 the round-trip flights from REC or NAT to FEN will cost around USD 250. This may vary in high seasons (December, January and February) – mainly.

Depending on where you are coming from you may also need an overnight stay in Recife or Natal. In Recife, we would suggest the Ibis Airport Hotel since it is very close to the airport, have good fares and also provides shuttle bus service to and from REC Airport.

While in REC or NAT airport you may need to exchange your foreign currency to Brazilian Reais. This is important to know although all establishments on the island will accept the most known credit card flags – Visa, Mastercard or Amex.

NOTE: You also may want to stay somedays in Recife for tourism and vacations before or after the contest. If that is your plan, you may consider visiting the beaches surrounding Recife region. At least two of them: Porto de Galinhas and Carneiros are very known and very indicated for couples and family vacations. Most of the hotels and spas there offer shuttle transfers directly from and to Recife Airport.

ARRIVAL ON THE ISLAND

Once you set your feet on the island you will be guided to disembark area on FEN Airport. There you will be “invited” to pay an “environmental preservation rate“. You may pay that using your credit card or in Brazilian Reais – R$.

The tax rate can be consulted here (unfortunately only in portuguese) but as of May, 2019 a 1-day stay on the island would be taxed for around USD 20, and a 7-day stay on the island would be taxed for USD 100.

ACCOMODATION

During the contests each operator need to find their accomodation in closeby pousadas or hotels. There are a lot of them and the site booking.com is the best way to find your acomodation. There are a lot of different options ranging from cheap hostels (50 USD/day) to best spa and resorts (800 USD/day). You may also get a look on AirBnb.com for other options.

To help you find a close stay to PU0FDN´s QTH – who is our host – we will spot his QTH on this map, so you can check for nearby hotels. His QTH is located at Boldro Villa known for its beach – Boldro Beach.

Also, this is a list with the closest Pousadas* near PY0F Shack:

Sure you will be able to find many more options but those are the closest ones to the PY0F site.

NOTE 1: What is a Pousada?: A Pousada is a term for a distinguished kind of accomodation between B&B (Bed and Breakfest) and Hotels. This term is widely used in Brazil to refer to Accomodation services which are independantly owned and run by the owner, they can be of varying standards. In terms of Pousadas, there are not “star rating” and the prices will dictate what you should get. They will also have varying levels of facilities , most provide breakfast and rooms are en suite, can have pool, a bar, sometimes a bbq area where you can cook yourself. As a “business operated by the owner” you will get a more personal feel with the enviorment and thats what makes pousadas what they are. As they are not part of a brand they are individually owned and opperated, which gives them all there charm and character.

FOOD AND TRANSPORTATION

For Breakfast, we assume each operator will have breakfast at their hotels or pousadasDuring the contests, we usually divide the group in parts so some may go have lunch while other keep operating the station.

Usually the operators also choose to buy some water, coffee, cookies etc to keep in the shack during the contest. We usually make a food purschase on a local supermarket before the contest. The costs are divided by all.

Talking about transportation, there are mainly 3 options. There is a 24-hour taxi service on the island, the price is fixed at 25 reais (8 USD) to anywhere on the island. In Fernando de Noronha is placed the smallest Brazilian Highway with only 7 Km (3,4 miles) long.

You also may choose to use the Fernando de Noronha public transportation service that will go back and forth the main road from 7 AM to 22 PM for 5 reais (1,5 USD).

If you prefer to rent a car, you can pick-up one at FEN airport. Usually the “cars” are “beach cars”, they are known as “buggies”. They daily rental is priced at 30 USD per day + fuel.

COSTS FOR USING THE STATION

During contest we usually rent the station for 7 days, from tuesday before the contest weekend to the next tuesday.

CONTEST WEEK RENTAL

As of May 2019, each day will cost around 115 USD. So, for 7 days use of the station a total cost of around 800 USD divided by all of operators of the group is expected*.

ELETRIC POWER AND INTERNET TAX

Also, there is a tax due to the costs for the eletric energy and internet which are very expensive on the island. This is a fixed tax per each contest week of 250 USD also divided by all operators of the group*.

MAINTENANCE TAX

To help with the maintenance of the station we also charge a maintenance tax of 200 USD also divided by all operators of the group*.

SIMULATIONS

  • 800 USD + 250 USD + 200 USD = 1250 USD / 5 operators = 250 USD/op/week 
  • 800 USD + 250 USD + 200 USD = 1250 USD / 6 operators = 208 USD/op/week 
  • 800 USD + 250 USD + 200 USD = 1250 USD / 7 operators = 178 USD/op/week 
  • 800 USD + 250 USD + 200 USD = 1250 USD / 8 operators = 156 USD/op/week 
  • 800 USD + 250 USD + 200 USD = 1250 USD / 9 operators = 138 USD/op/week
  • 800 USD + 250 USD + 200 USD = 1250 USD / 10 operators = 125 USD/op/week 

NOTE 1: Please read item 5 of next topic “Other Very Important Notes”.

NOTE 2: The payment must be done in cash after the station check-out.

NOTE 3: It is important to note that the expenses are due for maintenance of the station and not for personal gain of the maintainers of PY0F (PP2BT & PY7RP). The cost of maintaining a station on an island far from the mainland is not cheap at all.

OTHER VERY IMPORTANT NOTES

  1. The station it self is hosted by PU0FDN – Marenga. He has been a great host for us and is very friendly together with his wife Lola. We will always be under their rules;
  2. All guests operators should have in mind the main goals and values for the existence of PY0F Contest Station, they are:
    1. Have Fun!
    2. Make new friends!
    3. Share experiencies!
    4. Enjoy Noronha!
    5. … contesting is fun but can never overlay these other goals!
  3. During contests, the team must be accompanied by one of the station managers (a.k.a. team leaders): PY7RP or PP2BT. This is to assure the proper use of the equipaments etc.
  4. If, by any situation, the presence of PY7RP or PP2BT is not possible, they will indicate somebody to be present and act as the team leader. In the last circuntances the operation may be cancelled and no expenses may be refundable.
  5. PY7RP and PP2BT reserves the right to be excluded from any operational expenses (costs) division. So, for example, if a group is set with 8 operators but PY7RP and PP2BT are part of it, the total costs will be divided by the other 6 operators.
  6. It is strictly forbidden to change the layout of the station without the permission of the team leader;
  7. If any equipment present to be faulty or denied after or during the stay, the team leader will be the responsible to send them for repairing and the repair costs will be divided by all operators after the contest;
  8. Multi-OP operations are always most desirable than Single-OP operations when possible;
  9. All Multi-OP or Single-OP operations must use the callsign PY0F – when applicable;
  10. Guest operators may operate, at our discretion and with authorization, for a short period of time using “PY0F/your call” to configure eventual operation according to the Brazilian Amateur Radio Service regulation. QSLing for for these operations are responsability of the guest operators;

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS – FAQ

Is there available internet access on the contest site? Yes, a Wi-Fi internet access is available at PU0FDN’s QTH;

Do i need to bring any radio related equipment to the contest site? Usually not. Ask us before. Actually, we may need your help to bring items for maintainance of the station and if you can bring them with you this would be a valuable great help!;

If you have any more questions do not hesitate to contact us.

73 PY0F