One of the more substantial and long lasting successes for the Ayr Amateur Radio Group was the initiation, set-up, development and ongoing support for the International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend, which takes place annually in August.

It all started in 1994 during a wet wintry evening when two members of the Ayr Amateur Radio Group, John GM4OOU and the late Mike GM4SUC, after a club meeting were talking about creating an event in the summer when club members could get out on a sunny weekend and play radio. Various themes were considered; ports, airports, historic Scotland sites, the Firths of Scotland, castles etc. but it was finally decided that lighthouses of Scotland would be ideal.

Following research it was discovered that the lighthouses of Scotland were controlled by the Northern Lighthouse Board in Edinburgh who were not only responsible for the lighthouses of Scotland, but also around the Isle of Man. Approval was sought and obtained from the Northern Lighthouse Board to establish amateur radio stations adjacent to their property. In February 1995 an invitation was sent to all Scottish clubs and the Isle of Man club to join in the fun of a weekend, to be called the Northern Lighthouse Activity Weekend, by establishing an amateur radio station at a lighthouse during the third weekend in August. This first year's event saw 11 stations established at lighthouses, operating primarily on the HF bands, with each station making approximately 750 QSOs over that weekend.

The following year, the Scottish clubs were involved in a weekend activity with the theme of Scottish Firths (river estuaries), so two years elapsed before the next Northern Lighthouse Activity Weekend. During this period Anne-Grete OZ3AE enquired through a letter to Practical Wireless if there was any lighthouse activity on amateur radio. Following discussions with her it was decided that Danish stations could join in the fun of the weekend. Quickly Germany, South Africa and France asked to join, so the name of weekend was changed to The International Lighthouse/Lightship Weekend. It was at this time that John, GM4OOU, due to pressure of work, had to cease his connections with the event.

The weekend became an annual event taking place over the third full weekend in August and has slowly grown in popularity - in 1999 there were 204 lighthouse/lightship stations in 36 countries, and in 2007, 380 stations took part. Full statistics and guidelines for participation can be found at on the ILLW web site at http://illw.net.

The main reason the event has become so popular is because it is NOT a contest. It is a relaxed fun weekend without the pressure of a contest. The guidelines are simple and the onus is on the operators to act within the spirit of the weekend which is simply to expose amateur radio and the plight of lighthouses to the public. This is why it is important for the ham station to be as close to the lighthouse/lightship as possible and with the controlling body’s approval.

A few years ago the International Association of Lighthouse Keepers decided to have an annual open day for lighthouses all around the world to encourage visitors to visit their lighthouses. They decided that no better day could be decided upon other than the Sunday of the ILLW. This move has been highly successful as the media have become involved in a number of the countries that take part in the event.

This year’s event takes place on 16-17 August 2008 so if you haven’t done so already, find a lighthouse nearby and get a group together or do it solo and fire up a lighthouse station. In most cases if you don’t intend operating from within the lighthouse itself or one of its cottages, you really don’t need to get any approval. Most first time entrants are so enthused with the event that they return year after year. A report from the Burlington ARC, Canada summed their first participation in these few words:
“The greatest delight of the day was the active participation of the visiting children who showed a remarkable interest in the whole idea of amateur radio, especially the use of Morse Code. It was an honour and a delight to participate in this adventure and we look forward with increased enthusiasm to next year's participation.”

As can be seen from the ILLW website, Mike Dalrymple passed away in December 2005. He was the Treasurer of the Ayr Amateur Radio Group and one of the existing members (Peter Sturgeon MM0BQP) has taken on Mike’s roll as the PR man and main co-ordinator for the ILLW. The event is now dedicated to Mike’s memory as is the official web site http://illw.net where you will find the event guidelines, an on line entry form and lists of participating lighthouses since 1999.

The ongoing administration and week to week management of the ILLW is carried out by AARG member Kevin Mulcahy VK2CE, who would be delighted to here from you (e-mail vk2ce@illw.net) on any aspect of the event.

Naturally, the Ayr Amateur Radio Group participates in the weekend and has adopted the Lighthouse at Turnberry in South Ayrshire as its event location. The lighthouse is adjacent to the grounds of the world renowned Turnberry Golf Course and, over the two days of the event, the station is visited by many of the golfers and general public who take an interest on what is going on. Details of the AARG involvement can be found within the ‘Events’ page of this web site.

Kevin VK2CE