Lighthouse Special Events

PRESS RELEASE:

The Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society makes the following Public announcement:

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Through a lot of hard work and dedication by some ham radio operators, Thomas Point Light in the Chesapeake Bay (ARLHS USA-845) will be activated by two ham groups under two call signs for the ARLHS NLLW and ILLW events, August 4-5 and August 18-19. More important, this is the first time the Coast Guard has granted permission for hams (or members of the general public for that matter) to board this automated and rather isolated light. We owe a debt of gratitude to the US Coast Guard for their interest in and support of this project. It is a tribute to the professionalism and expertise of the ham operators involved that the Coast Guard has placed enough trust to allow our boarding of this previously "off-limits" beacon.

So significant is this event that Baltimore newspapers and TV are planning coverage, and there will be a live broadcast from the light over radio station WBCQ, 7415 MHz, at 7 PM eastern time on Saturday night, Aug 4th.

The stations will operate from both the light and Thomas Point Park. Look for special event station W3T, which, through the efforts of Reg, W3REG, and his crew, will concentrate on CW and some SSB. Reg will also be giving out ARLHS member #329, as well as the ARLHS Thomas Point number. Then, if you are an old fan of AM radio, look for K3L set up at the light. This may be your only chance to work Thomas Point on AM fone, and the event takes on further significance in that it celebrates the first "voice" transmission made from Cobb Island in MD by Reginald Fesseden. Ops N2INR and WA3VJB, among others in their group, deserve a lot of credit for taking initiative in activating AM phone operation and in choosing Thomas Point for their celebration.

Further information can be gotten from the Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society (ARLHS) web page at http://arlhs.com or by sending an e-mail to Jim Weidner, K2JXW, President and Founder of ARLHS.

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