The International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend is an amateur radio event held on the third weekend of August. The event started in 1995, and now more than 420 lighthouses in over 50 countries participate each year.

Contents 1 Objective 2 History 3 Format 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Objective

The objective of ILLW is stated as "to promote public awareness of lighthouses and lightships and their need for preservation and restoration, to promote amateur radio and to foster International goodwill"^[1].

[edit] History

The event was started by the Ayr Amateur Radio Group in 1995 as the "Northern Lighthouse Activity Weekend", with stations being set up at Scottish lighthouses. In 1997, to reflect participation by Danish and German amateur radio groups the event took on its current name. The event now sees worldwide participation, in locales as diverse as Long Beach, Washington, USA^[2], Liverpool, England^[3] and Boca Grande, Florida, USA^[4]. ILLW now coincides with the worldwide open day organised by the Association of Lighthouse Keepers, which sees public access to many of the featured lighthouses.

[edit] Format

The basic format of the event is that a local amateur radio club will set up a radio station either in, or adjacent to, a lighthouse. They will then broadcast from that station over the weekend, with the goal being contact other amateur stations, particularly those operating from other lighthouse sites. There is no fixed format, and no competition (such as contacting the most number or most distant stations); rather, the event is simply a networking event between amateur radio groups, with lighthouses as a focus.^[5]

[edit] References

1. ^ "Purpose" Official ILLW web site
2. ^ "Local ham radio event at North Head Lighthouse this weekend"Chinook Observer, 2005
3. ^ "Radio link to lighthouses puts Wirral on world stage" Liverpool Daily Post,2004
4. ^ "Ham operators take over Boca Grande Lighthouse" Charlotte Sun-Herald, 2003
5. ^ "Guidelines" Official ILLW web site

[edit] External links

• Google Search
• Official web site for the ILLW event
• Article on ILLW from Radcom magazine
• India's first participation in International Lighthouse & Lightship Week
• Lighthouse Centenary and ILLW 2009 from Kadalur Point Lighthouse - Kerala INDIA

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