by Alan Jacques
LIMERICK Radio Club made 923 contacts with ham radio operators in 49 other countries from their base at Loop Head last weekend as part of the International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend (ILLW).
The Limerick radio enthusiasts operated non-stop for 48 hours from the west Clare peninsula 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 to 14.250Mhz band and the remainder carried out via Morse Code,” explained Simon Kenny of the Limerick Radio Club.
“We found that Loop Head Lighthouse has been particularly suitable for long distance radio and Morse code communications because of its isolated location and the lack of radio interference.
“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,” he said.
The event was facilitated by Clare County Council and the Commissioners of Irish Lights and approved by ComReg, the national communications regulator.
