ILLW turns 25

This year, 2022, sees the 25th anniversary of this popular event. Several suggestions have been received as to how this milestone could be celebrated but after much thought it has been decided that rather than celebrate the event we are dedicating it to the people of Ukraine, to those who have lost their lives and loved ones at the hands of those who seek power and destruction. By the time August arrives it is hoped that the bloodshed will have ceased and the people of Ukraine can go about rebuilding their lives and their country.

23 years ago two members of the Ayr ARC in Scotland started the Northern Lights award which quickly morphed into the International Lighthouse-Lightship Weekend in 1998. Since then it has grown and become a premier event in the Amateur Radio calendar. Its success is due to the fact that it has few rules, is free and is not a contest but a fun weekend. In 2014 the highest number of registered lighthouses was 544 in 56 countries world wide. One of the founders, Mike Dalrymple, GM4SUC, passed away in December 2005 and the other, John Forsythe, was not involved after the first few years. I created the web site in 2000 and with the help of Ted, W8TTS, we created a list of eligible lighthouses and a list of registrations for each year’s event as well as an online registration form.

There is no doubt that the internet was to become the backbone of the event. There are quite a few entrants who have been participating for many years, some since the first year in 1998. Many go to great lengths and expense to set up temporary stations in order to take part. The response to this fun weekend has been quite amazing. The past 2 years have been affected to some extent by the Covid pandemic but hopefully numbers will be back to normal this year. So far just over 100 registrations have been received.

International Lighthouse and Lightships Weekend - https://illw.net