International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend on Track for 2020

The Nantucket Amateur Radio Association hopes to operate in International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend at Sankaty Head Light once again.

According to NARA’s Jerry Horton, W2JH: “We kicked off planning last Sunday during our weekly outreach video conference. We will operate at least two HF rigs on Saturday [August 22, 2020] from about 10 AM to 4 PM, with Sunday serving as the rain date. We are exploring the possibility of streaming our station; at a minimum we want to capture plenty of video and lots of photos for after-the-fact posting. The whole gang is involved, sharing assorted tasks: readying equipment, obtaining access to the lighthouse, site prep, publicity, handouts, etc. Should be fun!”

From ARRL Web:

Registrations for this year’s popular International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend (ILLW) appear to have been largely unaffected by the current COVID-19 pandemic. The event will take place this year over the August 22 – 23 weekend. By mid-July, more than 200 entries had been received, and some 400 are expected to have signed up by the event weekend.

New to this year’s event is Corsica at Phare d’Alistro, which for ILLW purposes carries the French number of FR0030. Two lighthouses in Ghana will be on the air for the first time, as well as Buck Island Lighthouse in the US Virgin Islands (VI0001). Germany is well in the lead with 54 entries, followed by Australia with 29 entries, and the US with 27 entries.

This event is designed as a fun weekend to encourage exposure to amateur radio and lighthouses to the visiting public, and ILLW stresses contacts should be more than just an exchange of signal reports. All participants are urged to observe local COVID-19 safety guidelines. —Thanks to Kevin Mulcahey, VK2CE

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