International Lighthouse Weekend
By B.Peter Treml, K8PT & Bruce Anderson, KG8YT
In March of 2000 I completed my first DXpedition (MJ/K8PT).
It was a wonderful experience and I wanted all the members of the Hiawatha
Amateur Radio Association (my local club) to experience the rush of a
different culture, exotic operating site, and working pileups. I wanted
an experience that would hone our operating skills and excite the newer
members and encourage them in HF and CW. How could we accomplish this
goal , though, without the expense and effort of launching our own DXpedition?
Our answer: International Lighthouse Weekend. As residents
living in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (were referred to as Yoopers)
we are privileged to live on the shoreline of Lake Superior, the largest,
deepest, cleanest and coldest of all the Great lakes. It also has several
lighthouses within driving distance.
I had run across the web site of the Amateur Radio Lighthouse
Society (www.waterw.com/~weidner/arls.htm) and found out that the 2000
International Lighthouse weekend would be 18/19 August. It was not a contest
but a time to honor the tradition of lighthouses, publicize the role they
and the Coast Guard play in promoting safety at sea, and promote interest
in Ham radio and the preservation of navigational aids. Last year's (1999)
International Lighthouse/Lightship weekend had included over 218 lighthouses/lightships
in 39 countries from around the world, and many on-the-air participants.
In the year 2000 they were hoping to activate 400 lighthouses and lightships.
Why couldn't we be one of them?
After talking with several club members who seemed excited
about the idea, I then wrote a letter to the local Coast Guard commander
explaining the concept and requesting permission to occupy the lighthouse
and operate for the weekend. Two weeks later I got an enthusiastic "yes."
We were in business!
A week before the event, several club members and I took
a site survey and tour of the lighthouse. The site was a Ham's dream.
We were surrounded by a scenic expanse of water on three sides, and we
had lots of room to put up antennas. We planned our antenna placement
and operating set-up and made provisions to bring our own radio equipment,
food, water, tables, and chairs.
All of a sudden the big day was upon us. On that Friday
afternoon a small crew of us gathered at the lighthouse to set up the
antennas and install the radios. We put up a 3-element beam at 15 feet
(about 35 above the water) and an R-5 vertical on top of the light. We
also strung out a G5RV and a 135-foot dipole fed with ladder line. Since
the club owns two Kenwood TS-570's we set one up for CW and the other
for SSB. We were ready.
At 8 p.m., the designated start time, we had about six
club members on hand who started operating and we continued through the
night. We worked some at a rapid rate and for others we answered questions
about the lighthouse, our club and the area. Simply making the maximum
numbers of contacts was not the goal. As dawn rose we got some beautiful
photographic shots of the sunrise and of the lighthouse. Since we wanted
an attractive picture of the lighthouse on the front of our special "W8L"
QSL card, cameras were clicking rapidly for the honor of getting the BEST
shot. We continued operating throughout the 48 hours, during which we
had about thirty club members participate. Three operators new to HF really
got hooked, and we almost had to wrench the microphones out of their hands
for the next shift. All told, we made 1,089 contacts. They included 45
states, 53 countries and 27 lighthouses or lightships. We were elated.
Although the Marquette Lighthouse is a fixture on the local
landscape, many of the club members had never been in it, even though
they had lived in the area for years. For them, the tour of the building
and light were an added treat. What more could any Ham ask? Good band
conditions, plentiful DX, and a spectacular vista of sailboats, kayakers,
and the sparkling open water of Lake Superior - Ham radio just doesn't
get any better.
When the contest was over, twelve members helped to break
down. We had everything packed up and the lighthouse cleaned and vacuumed
in forty-two minutes. Since we hoped to be able to come back next year,
we wanted things looking better than when we came. After we had taken
final pictures and extended a final "thank-you" to the Coast
Guard, the weekend of operating was over. All that was left to deal with
now was the inevitable deluge of QSL cards to be answered.
Do you have a lighthouse or lightship in your area? If
so, consider sharing in the fun of next year's Lighthouse Weekend. This
event makes a wonderful club activity and a wonderful weekend. It can
hone the operating skills of your members and ignite the enthusiam of
others for Amateur Radio. Give it a try. Ahoy!
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