Ham radio operators operating out of Loop Head Lighthouse made 923 contacts with counterparts in 49 other countries as part of the International Lighthouse and Lightship (ILLW) at the weekend.
The Limerick Radio Club, which features members from Clare, Kerry, Limerick and Tipperary, operated non-stop for 48 hours from Loop Head as part of the 18th annual initiative.
“We successfully made contact with lighthouses and lightships as far away as Brazil and Japan, with most of the contacts on the 14.0 – 14.250Mhz Band and the remainder carried out via Morse Code. The call sign used was E I 0 L H L.,” explained Simon Kenny of the Limerick Radio Club.
“Once again, we found that Loop Head Lighthouse has been particularly suitable for long distance radio and Morse code communications attempts due to its isolated location on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean and the lack of radio interference in the general area,” he added. “This year we were delighted to play our part in promoting Loop Head Lighthouse’s status as a Signature Discovery Point on the Wild Atlantic Way and as one of the Great Lighthouses of Ireland through our conversations with colleagues across the world.”
Clare County Council and the Commissioners of Irish Lights (CIL) facilitated the operation from Loop Head Lighthouse while the Limerick Radio Club also received approval from Ireland’s Communications Regulator, Com Reg.
Further information on the annual International Lighthouse & Lightship Weekend (ILLW) is available from www.limerickradioclub.ie and www.illw.net. Visit www.loophead.ie, www.greatlighthouses.com or www.clare.ie for more information on Loop Head Lighthouse and the Loop Head Peninsula.
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