Reports from entrants in the 2023 ILLW event.
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Thanks once again to all the entrants for joining in the fun of the Lighthouse Weekend and for making it another successful year.
Web links to Youtube, web sites etc.
From Ed at Lake Constance: https://wp.me/p3u0rP-2ga
From VK5PAS: You tube clip
From 2M0ROT: You tube clip
From DK0RA: You Tube clip
From 2E0HP: You Tube clip
From OZ5ESB: You tube clip
From OZ5GX : You Tube clip
From GB2EL ; You Tube clip (Long)
From Ed at Shoreham Lighthouse England:-
This is a report from Shoreham Lighthouse in West Sussex, southern England. Our lighthouse reference number is UK0023 and the callsign is GB8SL.
Traditionally the Worthing & District Amateur Radio Club (WADARC) is on the air both days, but membership availability meant that we could only be active on the Saturday this year. We set up early in the morning and were making contacts by 0720 GMT. Our final QSO was at 1740 GMT.
We ran 100 Watts from WADARC’s Icom IC-7300. The antenna was a 40m/20m trapped dipole with one end tied to the top of Shoreham Lighthouse.
All contacts were in SSB with the vast majority on 40 meters, although we did manage six QSOs on 20 meters. Our solitary contact on 2 meters FM was with our nearest lighthouse 14 miles away… GB0NL at Newhaven Lighthouse (UK0190). We arranged a 145MHz sked during our contact with them on 40 meters.
There have been many days in the past month or so where 40 meters has been hard going for contacting UK stations in the mornings and early afternoons. Some days it has been 1500 GMT or even well into the evening before inter-G contacts have become possible. I was fearing the worst for the ILLW but 40 meters did not disappoint. We had large and loud pileups for practically the whole of Saturday. I am really sorry if anybody tried calling us repeatedly but did not get through. We faced a wall of noise regularly where it was simply impossible to pick out an individual callsign.
We managed 200 QSOs altogether of which 33 were lighthouses. Our best lighthouse DX was OH1AH on 20 meters (FI0007) which happens to be the oldest lighthouse in Finland. We heard a couple of stations in Indonesia during the afternoon on 20 meters, but they were not lighthouses and we did not manage to get through to them.
The Medium Wave (AM) broadcast transmitter is still on the air just 200 meters line-of-sight from Shoreham Lighthouse. Although it radiates three stations these days rather than five, it is still capable of causing us major QRM. One of our club members had homebrewed a marvellous filter with heavy clunky relays that switched in on RX but out-of-circuit on TX. Resultantly I heard no QRM from the broadcast mast at all.
My only gripe is the same as previous years; please do not leave registering until the very last minute. My final opportunity to print out the list of official stations was Tuesday evening when it stood at 350. The final list contains 409 lighthouses. We have a flaky internet connection at GB8SL sometimes, meaning we make heavy use of the printed list.
Many thanks to WADARC members who visited us, and representatives of the RSGB and ICQ Podcast who came to visit us specially. Thanks also to the Shoreham Rowing Club who allowed us to use their mains electricity and their facilities.
I have not made a video for YouTube this year, simply because I was so busy operating / logging that I never got a chance to film very much!
Ed Spicer M0MNG (licence-holder for GB8SL)
From Germany:-
For the 2nd time in a row (nearly a tradition already...) a group of radio amateurs from the local section O04 Bochum of the DARC around Roland DG1DPN and Thomas DB4LL activated the sole lighthouse of Bochum, an industrial city in the Ruhr area.
For some hours of enjoyable activities we brought a small but powerful portable station onto the headland on Lake Kemnade: A Yaesu FT-10dx, powered from a 30 Ah LiFePo battery, transmitting up to 100W into a homemade ZS6BKW.
The activation resulted in lots of QSOs on 20m and 40m, using the club call DL0BO plus nice talks to passers-by, explaining the activation as well as ham radio in general. A separate DMR station with worldwide connections gave another touch to the activity.
Highlights were as usual connections to other lighthouses, all over Europe. Even on the small Finnish island of Utö they now have "Lake Kemnade" in the log...
From Carl at Seaton Lighthouse UK::-
Lighthouse UK-0198 Seaton High Tower
Over the weekend of the ILLW Lighthouse event I managed to work around 20 different Lighthouses and even worked 4Z1NB/LH in Israel
JA7EMG and JG3OYH Japan and CO8LY Cuba and ZB2LGT in Gibraltar operating the Lighthouse on 15m and 17m SSB
Over the weekend just a few hours each day around 100 qso's
Radio : Yaesu FT891 50w and the antenna setup was the Slidewinder antenna by M1ECC antennas 🇬🇧
Really looking forward to 2024 ILLW and will look for another new Lighthouse on the East Coast of England
73 Carl 2E0HPI Hartlepool
From Gavin VK2YAK:-
Hi Kevin....absolutely,first and foremost,thankyou for your input into such a great event.
Richard VK2OKR and myself Gavin VK2YAK,activated the Norah Head Lighthouse,AU0024,on Saturday 19th August 23.This activation was carried out under the club callsign of Port Stephens Amateur Radio Club,VK2AOJ.
Well,we prepared for the absolute worst weather conditions,very cold front bringing icy winds from the Snowy Mountains.Maximum local temp about 11 deg for the day! Add to this a coastal gale warning 24kmh plus winds for the entire day.
None of the above eventuated.Presented with a warm picture perfect blue sky day,we ditched overcoats for tee shirts and got down to business.What an absolute hoot of a day was had.40mt dipole,80mt off centre fed dipole and multiband vertical antennas set to put the ionesphere on notice!
Log summary :
Total contacts -101 QSOs
Other Lighthouses contacts - 23
Thanks again Kevin for putting together such a fun and worthwhile event.We had a surprising amount if public interaction...all without any exception,very very positive.I am already looking forward to this weekend next year.
Cheers GAVIN VK2YAK.
From Fred W2LGS in his 9th year,
Had a real nice activation on Saturday though it was REAL windy. at the Oswego West Pierhead Lighthouse. At the end of the day a HUGE gust of wind picked up me and my easy-up and slammed us into the hull of a ship being refurbished. I was ok with just some bruised ribs but my easy-up was a total loss!! On Sunday a fellow ham took over operations!! Together we made over 60 contacts with 19 other lighthouses and lightships. I thought I had this down pat as I have been participating in the ILLW for many, many years!! Mother Nature has a way to put us back in our place!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 Great job as always Kevin and God willing ...... I'll be back next year!! Fred, W2LGA
From Peurto Rico:-
Greetings to all, this 2023 was a good year and good QSOs in CW phone and digital from the Punta Tuna lighthouse in Maunabo Puerto Rico there was a concurrent visit where people came with the curiosity to know our past time and activity people who love lighthouses and its history. We hope to be able to carry out a new project that will be announced later for the liking of all and hunters of Faros a hug KP3LH 73"
