H44 business idea

[VK4KHZ]

Hi
After having just returned from H44 I have been thinking about the possibility of establishing a remote guest house at Busoni village which caters exclusively for international ham radio operators. What I am thinking of is establishing a small 2 room cottage set up for a maximum of four persons only, which would have a radio room / kitchen, the radio room would have an HF/VHF transceiver installed, basic antennas for HF/VHF erected, solar power supply as well as back up petrol generator and a two burner gas cooker for basic cooking. The other room would be set up as communal sleeping quarters catering for a maximum of four persons. The building would have its own separate (external) toilet/solar shower facility and rain water tanks. The idea would be to provide some basic creature comforts without losing the island living experience.

My question to all that read this post is do you think the international amateur radio fraternity would be interested in supporting such a venture?
What I am trying to do is to find unique ways to assist the village in generating a supplementary income which is sustainable and provides its ham visitors with an island living experience unlike anything else available within the Solomon islands and without having to worry about the logistics of getting equipment into these remote locations.

I would be interested in your thoughts/comments - positive or negative.

Regards

Shane VK4KHZ / H44DA

[VK3ZAZ]

The cons are the diverse type of ham operator who would use the facility.
I have operated from many DX locations and experienced some pretty ordinary sites provided by others, VK9L x3, VK9X x2 VK9Y YJ8 x2 H44, KL7, JA6, VK8 x 2, VK7 Bass Str Islands.
and also have my own DX second site which has been used by many hams from all over the world since 1992 at Wannon Falls.

Some good some absolutely feral, would not leave some hams alone at my own remote location (VK3SIX/RMV) again let alone a remote island location..
Blown radios
Blown antenna
Theft
Damaged rotors
If you do this yourself its your risk, if you ask anyone for money to share its your responsibility.
so many questions, indemnity, who is liable?
You invite some yanks into H44 and something goes wrong they might sue..
I could have bought the site of an old B/C radio station back in 1995 for about 1/4M$ complete with 240 foot mast and set up as 160M/80M vertical site using the old MF mast and invited people for a low band haven.
We did the sums and came up with risk analysis and what it would cost to insure it and indemnify myself and concluded not worth the investment risk..
Great idea on paper, so do the maths...
Heaps of adverts in QST re this maybe write to those guys and see the pros and cons.
The Cook Islands has a proven track record lots go there.
Palau I am told has lousy power interference.
Nauru people not welcome.
Ask Jack VK2XQ...T20 T30 C21..
Do the research.

etc etc.

[VK4KHZ]

Steve

Thanks for your comments/thoughts.
The idea is conceptual only at this stage however I do intend to establish my own personal ham station at Busoni for use by me each year. The thought was an extension to my plans and looking at ways to potentially supplement the village income. I have a lawyer friend in Honiara who may be able to provide some advice regarding indemnity but this aspect was something I had not considered.

Regards

Shane

[VK3ZAZ]

Steve

Thanks for your comments/thoughts.
The idea is conceptual only at this stage however I do intend to establish my own personal ham station at Busoni for use by me each year. The thought was an extension to my plans and looking at ways to potentially supplement the village income. I have a lawyer friend in Honiara who may be able to provide some advice regarding indemnity but this aspect was something I had not considered.

Regards

Shane

Maybe you provide the hut and power and wire antenna they bring everything portable.
Trouble is if storm comes and you hire out, next people find antenna blown away get bad report and no more renters.
Pretty hard to do remotely.
I even had trouble with VK3SIX and I'm only 20 k away.
Always something going wrong.

And security from nosey people light fingers...
Antenna down, rotor busted mains pole fuses blown when someone ran a 2kw amp.
Burnt traps in 40m yagi when someone ran a 3kw amp.
Had Mast head preamp on tower on 9 el 6M yagi they blew it up three times so whenever I went to operate nothing worked...
Blew balun on 10M cushcraft boomer at 110 feet running too much power which sis what dxers do...
Then they go away and bag the place....

[VK4WDM]

Hi Shane

I believe there has been an attempt to set up a "visitors station" in Honiara by one of the expatriate ops who visits there frequently (can't recall exactly who). It would be worth having a chat with him to see what hoops and hurdles he has to jump through.

Indemnity certainly could be an issue. I was involved in a public health program on some remote Pacific Islands some years ago where we tried setting up a communication system using radio and fax. Because our consultancy group owned the equipment we were faced with a very hefty insurance bill to cover compensation claims should any of the locals be injured or killed by the said equipment. We could not fund that so the project fell through.

73

Wayne VK4WDM

[VK3ZAZ]

Hi Shane

I believe there has been an attempt to set up a "visitors station" in Honiara by one of the expatriate ops who visits there frequently (can't recall exactly who). It would be worth having a chat with him to see what hoops and hurdles he has to jump through.

Indemnity certainly could be an issue. I was involved in a public health program on some remote Pacific Islands some years ago where we tried setting up a communication system using radio and fax. Because our consultancy group owned the equipment we were faced with a very hefty insurance bill to cover compensation claims should any of the locals be injured or killed by the said equipment. We could not fund that so the project fell through.

73

Wayne VK4WDM

Was a H44 who went on ANZA I spent $200 and got a h44 lic then would have spent time on yatch moored off H40/MM

There is also a visitors station of a sort on sweers island?

[VK2CSW]

Hi Shane,

I've dawdled around the Pacific a bit, but never made it to the Solomons.

FWIW, The Mrs and I would be interested in something like that, as long as it still maintained a fair bit of islander life (as you have said it would).

Lukim Yu

[VK3YE]

Interesting idea. Thought about listing it on Airbnb to mitigate some of the risk? Both owner and visitor have ratings (like on ebay) so there's a degree of accountability on both sides.

Was chatting to some friends who had such a rental on Bruny Island (Tas). It has so far worked out well for them but they're local to it and they do the cleaning / preparation for the next guest themselves. They said it wouldn't be so good doing it by remote control as it's harder for them to assure quality.

Here's an AirBnB with a ham station HC2AC https://www.airbnb.com.au/rooms/7242328