International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend 08/15 - 08/17/2014

[KC9ONY]

Time again for the International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend, August 16-17, 2014.
www.illw.net

We are looking at trying a new location from the previous few years in Port Washington, WI.
We usually set up on Friday night (August 15th), and then operate on Saturday and Sunday.

More details to come, but mark your calendars.   LOOK DOWN BELOW

[KA9WRL]

Well, we're changing Lighthouses.  This year we'll be operating from the "Kevich" Light, now owned and operated by David and Mary Bennett.  It's located on a bluff in the ghost town of Ulao, between Grafton & Port Washington.

More details to follow!

[KC9ONY]

Here are more details:

International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend

Friday afternoon/evening, August 15th, members of LeFrog and the Ozaukee Radio Club will be setting up a 30' Tower and an A4 Tri-Band Beam on the property adjacent to the Kevich Light in Grafton, Wisconsin.   This is private property and we have permission from the owner's, Dave and Mary Bennett.

This is in preparation for the annual International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend event. Amateur radio clubs and amateurs around the globe will be doing the same type of thing as we attempt to contact other lighthouses.
We are registered as US0193 and will be using the W9CQO call sign. See http://www.illw.net/ for more information about the weekend event.

The ORC and LeFrog will be setting up one 20' X 30' Tent, Club Banner and Operating Table next to the Lighthouse. We will be operating, basically on 20m, from 8am Saturday morning, August 16th through Sunday afternoon, August 17th, but not overnight. We'll probably call it quits Saturday afternoon around 5pm and Sunday around noon.

Along with an HF Radio, which LeFrog will supply, Tom, AA9XK and Loren, N9ENR will be supplying Automatic Antenna Tuners.  We'll also have D-Star running along with a dedicated computer for logging. We plan to use our new Icom 9100 transceiver as well.

If you're interested in helping out (setting up and/or operating) we are asking that you contact Bill KA9WRL or myself Tom KC9ONY so we have an idea of who will be joining us. We might need help transporting the tower sections, too.   You can reach us through the club website mailing system or via the e-mails listed in the club roster.

You're all welcome to join us at the Kevich Light. Bring your own little cooler with drinks of your choice and even a sandwich for lunch.

If you are like me and do not own HF equipment nor have any experience with HF, don't let that stop you from coming out. We will get you on the radio to try it out. It's all about having fun and learning. If you need directions or talk-in, someone will be monitoring the ORC 2m repeater, 146.970 MHz, (- offset), PL 127.3 

This is a non-pressure, non-contest event, so be prepared to just have fun!

WHO: Ozaukee Radio Club and LeFrog
WHAT: International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend special event station
WHERE:   Kevich Light
                1270 Lake Shore Road
                Grafton, WI 53024-9725

http://www.bcwaternews.com/Original_Content/exclusives/2006/lighthouse.htm

The lighthouse is located along Lake Shore Road between Falls Road and Lakefield Road in Grafton, Wisconsin.

GPS coordinates: 43°19'24.6"N 87°53'18.4"W
                            43.323510, -87.888440
                            http://tinyurl.com/Kevich-Light-via-Bing
                            http://tinyurl.com/Kevich-Light-via-Google

WHEN: Friday, August 15th          1pm - 5pm? (until tower is set up)
             Saturday, August 16th      8am - 5 pm  operating
             Sunday, August 17th        8am - noon  operating
             Sunday, August 17th        noon - 5pm  break down equipment

[KC9ONY]

NOTE: Slightly different times than in previous posting!

Lighthouse Special Event This Weekend!

LeFrog & ORC Members:

Don't miss the International Lighthouse & Lightship Weekend this Friday, Saturday & Sunday.  This is a NEW location this year.

We'll set up Friday at 1pm on the East Lawn of the Kevich Light, which is located at 1270 Lake Shore Road in Grafton. 
Take Hwy-60 East all the way to it's end at Lake Shore Road.  Turn Left onto Lake Shore Road and the Light will be the 4th driveway on the Right-Hand side.  Park anywhere on the blacktop driveway, but leave room for the owners of the Lighthouse to get by and into their garage. 

Weather permitting, we will be setting up a brand-new 20' X 30' Tent on the grounds, plus a 30' Tower and a Tri-Band Beam.  LeFrog will provide the LeFrog Banner, Radios, Tent, Tables, Tower, 10 Ga. Extension Cord(s), Antenna and miscellaneous D-Star requirements.  Hopefully, the ORC can provide the ORC Banner and Operating Chairs.

Saturday's hours of operation will be from 9am 'til 5pm.  We'll contact as many stations as we can in that 8-hour period (hopefully, many will be other Lighthouses or Lightships).  We'll also be running a D-Star Station which will also provide Internet access for logging on my iPad, as we've done in the past.

Sunday's hours of operation will be from 9am 'til Noon, then we'll take everything down & load up the cars.

Power will be provided by the owners of the Lighthouse as well as Bathroom Facilities.  Tours of the Lighthouse are available, plus we'll be mounting a panoramic camera on the observation platform, possibly in "Time-Lapse" mode.  We may have TV, Radio and/or Newspaper coverage, so let's put on a good show for the media.

Anyone can operate during this event, for as long as you want.  If you just want to visit, that's fine too.  Food is available nearby in downtown Grafton or Port Washington...or bring a cooler with your own vitals and drink.

I hope to see many members of LeFrog and the ORC in this yearly joint event.  So far, the weather forecast is great!

73, Bill, KA9WRL 
(Posted for Bill by Tom KC9ONY)

[KC9ONY]

Some pictures from the Lighthouse event are posted on the ORC Facebook page.
You do not need to be a member of Facebook to view the pics.   Check them out:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.831305083576337.1073741848.183101545063364&type=1

We did have some fun, and could have used some more operators.   Perhaps you will join us next year.

73,
Tom KC9ONY

[KC9ONY]

Hey!
We made the August 26, 2014 edition of the Ozaukee County News Graphic.
Page A8, which is the back page of the first section, has an article and a few pictures.
This is regarding out participation in the International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend.

Their website is by subscription, but we are hoping to get permission to reprint the article in the
Ozaukee Radio Club newsletter at a future date.

73,
Tom KC9ONY

[KC9ONY]

The News Graphic article was reprinted in the September ORC newsletter.

http://www.ozaukeeradioclub.org/news/2014/201409_September.pdf

73,
Tom KC9ONY