A group of amateur radio operators from the Mid-West Region will commemorate the 170th anniversary of Loop Head Lighthouse by communicating via radio from the Clare landmark with 500 other lighthouses and lightships in 65 countries from Friday, August 16, to Sunday, August 18.
Using voice, Morse code, and data systems, the group will engage in long-distance radio communications, allowing visitors at the lighthouse to tune in to conversations with radio operators worldwide participating in the event.
Clare County Council and the Commissioners of Irish Lights (CIL) are supporting the broadcast operation, while the Limerick Clare Amateur Radio Club has received approval from Ireland’s Communications Regulator, ComReg, with the call sign E I 0 L H L.
Visitors to Loop Head Lighthouse during the operation from August 16-18 can listen to communications with other participating radio operators broadcasting from 500 lighthouses and lightships in 65 countries, facilitated by Clare County Council and the Commissioners of Irish Lights.
This initiative coincides with the 27th annual International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend, celebrating Loop Head Lighthouse’s 170th anniversary on August 25, with Chairman Dermot Gleeson said: “Loop Head Lighthouse is particularly suitable for long distance radio communications attempts due to its isolated location on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean and, critically, the lack of radio interference in the general area. A special QSL Card (confirmation of communication) has been designed to mark the event. The Club will operate two stations, one of which will be at the entrance to the Lighthouse so that members of the public can listen to some of the transmissions. Our club members are looking forward to taking part in the International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend and all we need now is good weather for what will be a very enjoyable weekend.”
