Loop Head Lighthouse Hits The Air Waves

Loop Head Lighthouse’s status as a Signature Discovery Point on the Wild Atlantic Way and as one of the Great Lighthouses of Ireland will be promoted over the airwaves throughout the world this weekend.

A group of amateur ham radio operators are making their annual pilgrimage to the West Clare lighthouse where they will communicate via radio and Morse code with hundreds of radio clubs worldwide.
The Limerick Radio Club, which features members from Clare, Kerry, Limerick and Tipperary, will operate non-stop for 48 hours from Loop Head as part of the 18th annual International Lighthouse & Lightship Weekend (ILLW).

During the operation from midnight tomorrow to midnight on Sunday, visitors to the popular tourism landmark will be able to listen into communications with some of the other participating ham radio operators broadcasting from 400 other lighthouses and lightships in 65 countries.

Last year, the Limerick Radio Club successfully made contact with lighthouses and lightships as far away as Brazil, Australia, Tonga, Asiatic Russia and The US Virgin Islands. The majority of all radio contacts were made with operators in the United States, Germany and Italy. 61% of overall communication was conducted via radio with the remaining 39% being conducted via Morse code.

Clare County Council, along and the Commissioners of Irish Lights (CIL), is facilitating the operation from Loop Head Lighthouse while the Limerick Radio Club has also received approval from Ireland’s Communications Regulator, Com Reg. The call sign used will be E I 0 L H L.

Further information on the annual International Lighthouse & Lightship Weekend (ILLW) is available from www.limerickradioclub.ie and www.illw.net.

Visit www.loophead.ie for more information on Loop Head Lighthouse and the Loop Head Peninsula.