USA Coordinator for National/International Lighthouse/Lightship Weeks
QSL address for lighthouse station
W3L
is in care of "Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society," Weidner, P.O. Box 2178,
Cinnaminson, NJ 08077 USA. Enclose SASE 9x12 for certificate; #10 envelope for QSL. Click here to see if you are in the log.
We created a
new web page
with pics of the Chesapeake Bay Lighthouses we visited
on our recent trip to operate from Thimble Shoals Light.
You can work lighthouses anytime -- it doesn't have to be just during the
annual weekend. From time to time I will be at different lighthouses in New Jersey,
Delaware, or Maryland; and, although I'll be using my regular K2JXW call and not
the special event call of W2L, the contacts from the Chesapeake will still qualify
for the Chesapeake Bay Lighthouse Award.
Don't forget to join the Ham Radio Lighthouse Newsgroup (ListBot) on the web
page. Details are above. Over 100 enthusiasts in several different countries
have joined so far in just two weeks. This will act as a kind of
bulletin board to post anything you wish related to ham radio and lighthouses.
If you are planning a lighthouse operation at any time, post the details to the list.
Also post QSL and award details if you have them.
0800 EDT (1200 UTC) Aug. 5th to 1800 EDT (2200 UTC) Aug. 6th, 2000
In celebration of National Lighthouse Week.
The purpose is 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 aides.
Call CQLH +/-
20 KHz of suggested center freqs 3965, 7265, 14.265, 21.365, 28.465;
but you can work any frequency on any band, using any mode,
including FM and repeaters (even semaphores if you have 'em)!
Lighthouse participants operate portable, mobile,
marine mobile, maritime mobile from any existing or extinct
lighthouse site anywhere in the world. Contact as many
hams as possible using an exchange of sequential number, call,
and QTH (state, lat/lon, or other ID). Choose your site (more
than one station can operate from the same location), pack a
picnic lunch, take the family, have fun!
Landlubbers operate from home QTH and work as many lighthouse stations as possible.
Organized by GM4SUC
(contact Mike for more information).
Last year's (1999) International Lighthouse / Lightship Weekend
(ILLW) included 218 registered stations in 39 countries from around the world, and
many more on-the-air participants.
This year the period of the event is from 0001
UTC on Saturday 19 August until 2359 UTC on Sunday 20 August 2000.
As before, the event is NOT a contest � each station decides how they will operate
their station regarding modes and bands. Participants are not committed to
being on the air during the entire period - only as much as they can.
There is no restrictions on aerials or power. We wish operators to enjoy
themselves and have fun whilst making contact with as many amateur radio
stations as possible. Some operators say fun - 5,000 contacts - OK, but we
request that stations take some time to work the slow operator, the newly
licensed and QRP stations. As available space in many lighthouses is
filled to capacity, our 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. For operation on another's property, permission MUST be obtained
from any interested parties.
Maritime mobile and mobile operation from vessels or vehicles anchored SAFELY
within visual sight of a lighthouse is also permitted.
Different lighthouse awards are available and these may have different requirements.
For further information, see the Awards Section
for links to their sites.
The event is used to obtain maximum exposure for our hobby. We invite the
press and, QTH permitting, also 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 while creating
goodwill for the hobby.
We use the event segment of the 5 'Classic' bands with a centre frequency
if conditions are bad, at least we have one place we can (try to) meet.
We request that the centre frequencies are not used as primary frequencies
but as a last point of call to other participating stations.
Because it is NOT a contest you can operate on any authorised QRGs as per
your licence.
To assist other stations we request that participating stations add 'LIGHT'
, 'LGT' , 'LIGHTHOUSE' or 'LIGHTSHIP' after their call. UK stations
normally obtain a GB callsign with the letter L in the suffix to assist
other stations identifying them as a participating station in the event.
So come and join us in the fun of the weekend, establish a station at a
lighthouse, lightship or maritime beacon. The more the merrier. If you
decide to join us in the fun could you let me know the callsign you will
use, QTH and QSL information. This will enable me to notify other stations
and the media of your participation.
To ensure receiving up-to-date information about this event and other LH
expeditions, be sure to sign up for the Ham Radio Lighthouse Newwsgroup ListBot
feature described above. It's free and it makes you part of a group to automatically
receive announcements and exchange information with other members.
Baltimore LH (MD)� offshore, mouth of Magothy River. Built 1904-08
*Blakistone Island (MD)
Bloody Pt. Bar LH (MD)� offshore, S of Kent Island. Built 1882
*Bodkin Island (MD)
*Brewerton Channel Range (MD) � extinct
Cape Henry, New (VA)� Cape Henry, VA, main entrance to Chesapeake Bay. Built 1881
Cape Henry, Old (VA)� Cape Henry, VA, main entrance to Chesapeake Bay. Built 1791
Cedar Pt. LH (MD)� offshore, Patuxent Naval Air Station. Built 1896
*Choptank River (MD)
*Clay Island (MD)
*Cobb Point Bar (MD)
Concord Pt. LH (MD)� Havre de Grace, Hartford Co. Built 1827
Cove Pt. LH (MD)� Cove Pt., Calvert County. Built 1828
Craighill Channel LH (MD)� offshore, Patapsco River entrance. Built 1873
Craighill Channel LH (MD)� Rear lower range, offshore, Back River entr. Built 1873
Craighill Channel LH (MD)� Front upper range, offshore Sparrows Point. Built 1886
Craighill Channel LH (MD)� Rear upper range, Sparrows Point. Built 1886
Drum Point LH (MD)� Calvert Marine Museum, Solomons, Calvert Co. Built 1883
Fishing Battery LH (MD)� offshore, S of Havre de Grace. Built 1853
*Fog Point (MD)
Fort Carroll LH (MD)� offshore, Sparrows Point. Built 1886
Fort Washington (MD)� Potomac River, Prince George's Co. Built 1870's
*Great Shoals (MD)
*Greenbury Point (MD)� extinct (suggested by K3ORC)
*Hambrooks Bar (MD)
*Hawkings Point (MD)
*Havre de Grace (MD)
*Holland Island Bar (MD)
Hooper Island LH (MD)� offshore, Hooper Island. Built 1901
Hooper Strait LH (MD)� Chesapeak Bay Museum, St. Michaels, MD. Built 1879
*Janes Island (MD)
Jones Point LH (VA)� Jones Pt., VA, on Potomac River. Built 1855
*Lazaretto Point (MD)
*Leading Point (MD)
*Love Point LH (MD)� extinct screwpile, pilings remain on charts (suggested by K3ORC)
*Lower Cedar Point (MD)
*Maryland Point (MD)
*Mathias Point Shoal (MD)
New Point Comfort LH (VA)� entrance to Mobjack Bay. Built 1804
Newport News Middle Ground LH (VA)� Hampton Roads, VA. Built 1891
Old Point Comfort (VA)� entrance to Hampton Roads, VA, in front of Fort Monroe. Built 1802
Piney Point LH (MD)� Piney Pt., St. Mary's County. Built 1836
Point Lookout LH (MD)� Point Lookout, St. Mary's County. Built 1830
Point No Point LH (MD)� offshore, St. Mary's County. Built 1902
Pooles Island LH (MD)� offshore, Aberdeen Proving Ground. Built 1825
*Ragged Point (MD)
Sandy Point Shoal (MD)� offshore, Sandy Pt. State Park. Built 1882
Sevenfoot Knoll LH (MD)� Baltimore Inner Harbor. Built 1854-55
*Sharkfin Shoal (MD)
Sharps Island LH (MD)� offshore, entrance to Choptank River. Built 1882
Smith Point LH (VA)� south side of mouth of Potomac River, VA. Built 1868
Solomons Lump LH (MD)� Kedges Str., NW of Crisfield. Built 1894-95
*Somers Cove (MD)
*Sparrows Point (MD)
Thimble Shoal LH (VA)� entrance to Hampton Roads, VA. Built 1872, rebuilt 1914
Thomas Pt. Shoal LH (MD)� offshore, S of Annapolis. Built 1875
Turkey Pt. LH (MD)� Elk Neck St. Park, Cecil Co. Built 1833
*Upper Cedar Point (MD)
Wolf Trap LH (VA)� east end of Wolf Trap Spit, VA. Est 1821, built 1894
*Reported extinct
**Thanks to the Chesapeake Chapter of the USLS and to WB3AJC and KA3CEO
for compilng most of the Chesapeake list
Florida Lighthouse Association, 4931 South Peninsula Drive, Ponce Inlet,
Florida, 32127. FLA is a state-wide organization to preserve and promote Florida's
lighthouses. A newsletter, "The FLA FLASH," is part of your membership. Phone:
(904) 761-1821. Fax: (904) 761-1821. Web site here.
Friends of Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse, c/o New England Lighthouse
Foundation, P.O. Box 889, Wells, Maine, 04090, Phone 207-646-0515.
The group is attempting to restore the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse in Rockland, Maine.
It is estimated that it will cost $250,000 to restore the lighthouse. There will be no
taxpayer money used to restore the lighthouse. All funds for restoration must come from
private donations. Joining the Friends of Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse will automatically
enroll you as a member of the New England Lighthouse Foundation also. Dues at Member ($20),
Keeper ($50), Headkeeper ($100) and Commisioner ($500). Donations are tax deductable under
501(c3) of the IRS code.
Friends of Sequin Island, Attention Troy Wallace, P.O. Box 438 Georgetown,
ME 04548. The Friends are maintaining the Sequin Island Light Station.
Great Lakes Lighthouse Keeper's Association (GLLKA), Henry Ford Estate,
4901 Evergreen Road, Dearborn, Michigan, USA 49128. A non-profit organization operated
almost entirely by volunteers. Phone: (313) 436-9150. Fax: (313) 436-9143.
Publishes The Beacon, a quarterly newsletter. Memberships dues are:
Individual $20, Family $30, Sustaining $75, Patron $100, Life $500. Grand Keeper-Life
$1,000.
National Listing for Lighthouse Employment, P.O. Box 30858, Savannah,
GA, 31410-0858. Run by Deanna King, the organization is a centralized data bank of
information on employment in the lighthouse field.
Web site here.
Outer Banks Lighthouse Society, 210 Gallery Row, Nags Head,
North Carolina, USA 27959. Phone: (919) 441-4232. Individual membership $15.00,
family $20.00, business membership $40.00. Publishes "Lighthouse News" five times a year.
E-mail here
Rose Island Lighthouse Foundation, (Rhode Island), Charlotte Johnson,
Executive Director, P.O. Box 1419, Newport, rhode Island, 02840. Phone: (401) 847-4242.
Fax: (401) 849-3540. Web site
SELC - Save Espous Lighthouse Commission, is working to save the Esopus
Meadows Lighthouse, one of the 7 remaining navigational warning lights on the Hudson River.
Memberships are: Contributor ($5), Individual ($15), Household ($25), Sponsor ($50),
Patron ($100), Benefactor ($500). SELC, P.O. Box 1290, Port Ewen, NY 12455, USA.
United States Lighthouse Society (USLHS) - A non-profit Historical &
Educational Organization - USLHS, 244 Kearny Street, 5th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94108.
Phone: (415) 362-7255. Publishes The Keeper's Log," a quarterly.
Membership rates: basic - $25.00, family - $35.00, District Inspector - $60.00,
Commissioner's Circle - $250.00, Life - $500.00, Patron of Pharos - $1,000.00.
E-mail here
Lighthouse Keeper's Log for Hams
This Lighthouse Keeper's Webring site owned by Jim Weidner.
