20160717 - International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend - ILLW

Post date: Jul 17, 2016 1:10:50 AM

Cape Naturaliste Light - Image Source:www.westozdx.net

3rd Full Weekend in August since 1998

August is just around the corner, and some reason or other August seems to have become the international weekend for lighthouses. Countries all over the world have become involved in one form or another of lighthouse activity. Some years ago the United States Congress declared August 7th as their National Lighthouse Day and during that first week in August amateur radio operators in America set up portable stations at lighthouses and endeavour to make contact with each other. This event is known as the US National Lighthouse Week and is organized by the Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society, ARLHS, which was founded back in 2000.

The Association of Lighthouse Keepers, conducts International Lighthouse Heritage Weekend on the 3rd full weekend in August. Their objective is to encourage Lighthouse managers, keepers and owners to open their lighthouse or lightstation, and related visitors centres, to the public with a view to raising the profile of lighthouses, lightvessels and other navigational aids, and preserving our maritime heritage.

However, the major event which takes place in August is the International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend, which came into being in 1998 as the Scottish Northern Lights Award run by the Ayr Amateur Radio Group. The history of this event can be found elsewhere on this site. The international lighthouse and lightship weekend takes place on the 3rd full weekend in August each year and attracts over 500 lighthouse entries located in over 40 countries. It is one of the most popular international amateur radio events in existence probably because there are very few rules and it is not the usual contest type event. It is also free and there are no prizes for contacting large numbers of other stations. There is little doubt that the month of August has become "Lighthouse Month" due largely to the popularity and growth of the the international lighthouse and lightship weekend.

00.01UTC 20 August to 2400UTC 21 August 2016 (48 hours)

You can go to the website at ILLW.NET

There are 28 lighthouses in VK6.

So far the HARG is operating on the North Mole at Fremantle and the Bunbury Radio Club activating their local light house.

There are still plenty of other locations available and operating next to sea water makes an excellent take off point

You’ll also find throwing radials/ counterpoise systems into the ocean helps with RF radiation.

For the full list of 28, you can go to the website at www.lighthouses.org.au, and click on Western Australia