South African hams gear-up for
International Lighthouse weekend
International Lighthouse/Lightship Weekend will be taking
place from 00:01 UTC on Saturday 21st August until 23:59 UTC on Sunday
22nd August.
Last year around 350 amateur radio stations were established at lighthouses
and lightships in over 45 countries all around the world. We hope that
this year clubs across the coast of South Africa will take part in this
exciting event.
What is Lighthouse weekend and how does it work?
The event is NOT a contest, each station decides how they will operate
their station regards modes and bands. Participants are not committed
to being on the air during the entire period - only as much as they can.
There are no restrictions on antennas or power. We wish operators to enjoy
themselves and have fun whilst making contact with as many amateur radio
stations as possible.
As available space in many lighthouses is filled to capacity, the activity
does not have to take place inside the tower itself. Field day type set-up
at the light or other building next to the light is OK. Permission must
be obtained from any interested parties.
The event is used to obtain maximum exposure for our hobby. Please invite
the press and the public and try to underline the obvious parallel between
the international aspect in lighthouses, lightships and amateur radio.
We might catch a future radio amateur whilst creating goodwill for the
hobby.
To assist other stations we request that participating stations add 'LIGHT',
'LGT', 'LIGHTHOUSE' or 'LIGHTSHIP' after their call.
Lighthouses in South Africa are controlled by the National Ports Authority
of South Africa. They can be contacted on telephone number: (021) 449
5172. For more information, visit the SARL web site www.sarl.org.za
SOUTH AFRICAN LIGHTHOUSES ON THE AIR
SARL News has received notification that the following Radio Clubs will
be activating lighthouses along the South African coast.
The Adventure Radio Club of Cape Town will activate the
Cape Columbine lighthouse near Paternoster on the West Coast. ZS1ARC will
be active from Friday 20 August to Sunday 22 August. They will make a
special effort to operate on 160 m with a full-size, horizontal quad loop
antenna and hope to contact stations all over Southern Africa.
The Boland Amateur Radio Club will set up a station at
the L'Agulhas lighthouse and operate on the HF bands from Friday evening
to 14:00 on Sunday afternoon. The L'Agulhas lighthouse is the most southerly
lighthouse on the African continent.
The Hibiscus Coast ARC will be operating from the lighthouse
at Port Shepstone and the Port Elizabeth ARS is busy planning
their participation.
Courtesy of
The South African Radio League
International Lighthouse Weekend website:
International Lighthouse Weekend entry
form
International Lighthouse Weekend - list of participants
so far
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