international lighthouse & lightship weekend
Dundee ARC at Scurdie Ness, MONTROSE
On Sunday 18th August 2024, Dundee Amateur Radio Club will be participating in the annual International Lighthouses & Lightships On The Air event. This event is to promote public awareness of Lighthouses and Lightships and their need for preservation and restoration, and at the same time to promote amateur radio and to foster International goodwill. Lighthouses are fast becoming an endangered species with the introduction of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Satellite Navigation (SatNav).
Come Along and join us!
The radio club will be operating as GS4AAF both on HF (worldwide) and VHF (more localised) stations in proximity to the lighthouse. There is no parking at Scurdie Ness Lighthouse so visitors will have to park in Ferryden, Montrose and enjoy a walk out to the lighthouse. An interactive Google map showing the lighthouse location can be found here. This will be a good opportunity to see a field radio station setup.
About
The event coincides with International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend whose objective is to encourage lighthouse managers, keepers and owners to open their lighthouse or light-station and related visitors centres to the public with a view to raising the profile of lighthouses, light-vessels and other navigational aids, and preserving our maritime heritage.
History
This annual amateur radio event was started in Scotland by John Forsyth, GM4OOU, and the late Mike Dalrymple, GM4SUC, both members of Ayr Amateur Radio Group (AARG). Through the years the event has grown probably far beyond what was envisaged for it. The event evolved from the Scottish Northern Lighthouses Award Weekend; a biennial event which was first held in 1993 and became the ILLW in 1998. Over the years it has continued to grow and to date more than 450 Lighthouses and Lightships in some 50 countries around the world are participating in the event each year. A leaflet containing more information can be found here.
