Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society



Guidelines for operating in the

ILLW 2002
International Lighthouse/Lightship Weekend

August 17-18, 2002


This highly popular annual August event attracts hundreds of activated lighthouses (about 200 last year) in more than 40 countries. It is organized and sponsored by Mike, GM4SUC. The ARLHS participates and offers several awards and certificates for achievements in various categories. This year the period of the event is from 0001 UTC on Saturday 17 August until 2359 UTC on Sunday 18 August 2002.

The event is NOT a contest: It is a “special event.” Each group decides how it will operate with regard to modes and bands. Participants are not committed to being on the air during the entire period - operate as much as you can. There are no restrictions on aerials or power. We wish operators to enjoy themselves and have fun while making contact with as many amateur radio stations as possible. Some operators say it is fun to work as many contacts as possible - OK, but we request that stations take some time to work the slow operator, the newly licensed, and QRP stations.

Although the ARLHS is not the originator nor the sponsor of the ILLW event, we do offer several awards and certificates; so be sure to give out your ARLHS member number on a regular basis. If operating from a lighthouse, announce your ARLHS lighthouse number regularly and be sure to indicate the number on your QSL cards. See the ARLHS Awards Program (page 9 of the ARLHS web site) for a complete description of the awards and qualifications.

As available space in many lighthouses is filled to capacity, participation in this activity as an ARLHS station 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. Operation from boats within a safe distance of a light is also permitted. The ARLHS does not recognize aeronautical mobile operation for awards. NOTE: ARLHS criteria for lighthouse operation do not necessarily coincide with those esstablished by the ILLW. Please read carefully the ARLHS statement on "Operation in Non-ARLHS-Sponsored Events.

The ILLW event is used to obtain maximum exposure for our hobby. We invite the press and, QTH permitting, also the public; and we try to underline the obvious parallel between the international aspect in lighthouses, lightships, and amateur radio.

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. Consider the following as a range of suggested frequencies, with the number in parentheses as a center calling freq.

CW
80m: 3.510 - 3.540 kHz (3.521)
40m: 7.005 - 7.035 (7.021)
20m: 14.010 - 14.040 (14.021)
15m: 21.010 - 21.040 (21.021)
10m: 28.010 - 28.040 (28.021)

PHONE
*80m: 3.650 - 3.750 (3.721)*
*40m: 7.040 - 7.100 (7.051)*
*20m: 14.125 - 14.275 (14.221)*
15m: 21.150 - 21.250 (21.221)
10m: 28.300 - 28.400 (28.351)

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*Important note for USA participants:
Some of the frequency ranges listed above are NOT legal in the United States. As a substitute, USA operators should consider these alternatives:

USA PHONE
80m: 3,950 - 3.990 (3.970)
40m: 7.250 - 7.290 (7.270)
20m: 14.250 - 14.290 (14.270)

However, because the ILLW is NOT a contest, you can operate on any authorized QRGs as per your license, including the WARC bands. Be sure to observe the band limits for your class of license and your country.

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. USA stations can request a “Special Event” call from the ARRL web page.

So come and join us in the fun of the weekend, establish a station at a lighthouse, lightship or maritime beacon — or just operate from the comfort of your home shack. The more the merrier.

If you decide to join us, please register the callsign you will use, your ARLHS member number (if any), your QTH, and your QSL information. This can be done on the web site of our Austral-Asian representative, Kevin, VK2CE or by sending him an e-mail.

Although not compulsory, doing so will help us maintain a list of participants, their QSL addresses, and any special event calls they may be using. The member numbers will also help in achieving recognition in our ARLHS Awards Program.

Back to ARLHS Main Page

May 14/02