VP2MPN Team will be active from Montserrat Island, IOTA NA - 103 in CQ WW DX SSB Contest, 25 - 26 October 2025.
Team - K4SBZ, DL8DYL, DL9DRA , J88BTI, KB4VPN.
Recent DX Spots VP2MPN
Before and after contest they will use own call signs:d -
DL8DYL - VP2MRL
DL8DRA - VP2MYL
J88BTI - VP2MAA.
KB4VPN - VP2MPN.
QSL for VP2MPN via KB4VPN, LOTW.
The island nation of Montserrat
Montserrat is a 102 km² nation that is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of the same name, which is part of the Lesser Antilles chain of islands in the Caribbean Sea.
Modern Pompeii
Montserrat was not particularly remarkable until 1995, when several incredibly powerful eruptions occurred at Soufrière Hills volcano, which had been dormant since the 17th century.
As a result, lava and ash poured over vast areas of southern Montserrat, including Plymouth, which was the capital of this small country. Many residents of this state were evacuated and never returned.
Not so long ago, it was possible to walk to the abandoned Plymouth, and visiting the former capital was a kind of tradition for the island's population and an unusual entertainment for tourists. Indeed, fans of walking through abandoned settlements still have something to see there. Surprisingly, looters did not take everything from the abandoned houses: there is food left in the refrigerators, expensive items hang in the closets, and printed publications from June 1995 can be found on nightstands and shelves. The sight is somewhat reminiscent of the eerie scenes from disaster movies.
Strict controls are now in place, and the only legal way to see Plymouth is by boat or helicopter. You can get quite close to the shore by motorboat, but stopping there is prohibited. Visits to Plymouth are prohibited due to the threat of pyroclastic flows, because if an eruption begins, there is no way to escape the lava flow (it moves at a speed of 100 km/h). Police patrols constantly monitor the coast to ensure that no one violates this rule.
Although almost 20 years have passed since the disaster, most of the island is still off-limits, hundreds of buildings remain abandoned, and the roads are destroyed. The entire country is one continuous village. Plymouth has practically ceased to exist, and now the village of Braids, located on the northern side of the island, is considered the temporary capital of the state.
Since 1995, Soufrière Hills has been active. This volcano erupts periodically, most recently in 2010. It is predicted that this will continue for another 10 years, after which the volcano will fall dormant.
But the local people already know how to live in the existing conditions. A volcanic observatory has been set up here to continuously monitor the volcano's activity. There is a specially designed civil defense plan. The whole of Montserrat is divided into zones, in which the observatory establishes a “degree of danger” based on the results of its observations. Every home has a radio receiver so that people can be notified of the start of an evacuation at the first sign of danger. Regardless of the degree of danger, most of the island is permanently closed to normal life.
Tourism in an abandoned world
Tourism has always been the main source of income for this small country, but the Soufrière Hills volcano has severely damaged this sector of the economy. However, the government has already begun to take various measures to revive the tourism industry.
Montserrat is the perfect place for those who seek solitude. There are no fancy clubs, expensive hotels, or restaurants here. And most importantly, there are no people!
Instead, there are many different birds and animals. The mountains with their humid tropical forests have many rivers and waterfalls. At Carrs Bay, there are the ruins of a 17th-century guard fort with a tower. There is also a mountain monastery, standing 725 meters above sea level.
Montserrat is an exception in the Caribbean in that there is no shortage of water sources. It is the only place in the Caribbean where you can drink water straight from a river or stream. And there is another peculiarity: the temperature of the water from the mountain river is around 25 degrees!
The island's shores are steep and almost inaccessible, although there are beaches too. The unique brown-gray and black sand beaches are so closely associated with the island's image that the light-colored beach in Rendezvous Bay is considered a miracle. Most of the fashionable resorts were located on the south coast, which was damaged by the volcano, while the northern areas have only just begun to develop in this regard.
Visiting tourists stay in villas, the main feature of which are unglazed windows with mosquito nets and shutters. These wooden or metal shutters provide good protection when a Caribbean hurricane begins to rage.
How to get to Montserrat?
There are two ways to get to Montserrat: by plane via Saint Martin or via Antigua, also by plane or ferry.
The new airport here began operating in 2005, but since it was difficult to find a flat spot on the island, the runway is only 600 meters long. Therefore, only the small DHC-6-300 can land here.
But that's okay, because the old airport was destroyed in 1997, after which Montserrat remained without air service for eight years.
VP2MPN. Where is Montserrat Island located. Map.
