Founded in 2000 by Jim Weidner, K2JXW, the Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society (ARLHS) is devoted to

maritime Maritime may refer to: Geography * Maritime Alps, a mountain range in the southwestern part of the Alps * Maritime Region, a region in Togo * Maritime Southeast Asia * The Maritimes, the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Pri ...

communication Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inqui ...

amateur radio Amateur radio, also known as ham radio, is the use of the radio frequency spectrum for purposes of non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, private recreation, radiosport, contesting, and emergency commu ...

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses m ...

s, and lightships. Its members travel to lighthouses around the world where they operate amateur radio equipment at or near the light. Collecting lighthouse QSLs is popular for some amateur radio operators. ARLHS is a membership organization with over 1665 members worldwide as of July 2009. A convention is held in October each year. In 2010 the gathering was in

Biloxi, Mississippi Biloxi ( ; ) is a city in and one of two county seats of Harrison County, Mississippi, United States (the other being the adjacent city of Gulfport). The 2010 United States Census recorded the population as 44,054 and in 2019 the estimated popu ...

. In earlier years it has been held in

Solomons, Maryland Solomons, also known as Solomons Island, is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Calvert County, Maryland, United States. The population was 2,368 at the 2010 census, up from 1,536 in 2000. Solomons is a popular weekend ...

St. Simons, Georgia St. Simons Island (or simply St. Simons) is a barrier island and census-designated place (CDP) located on St. Simons Island in Glynn County, Georgia, United States. The names of the community and the island are interchangeable, known simply as ...

Port Huron, Michigan Port Huron is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of St. Clair County. The population was 30,184 at the 2010 census. The city is adjacent to Port Huron Township but is administered separately. Located along the St. Clair ...

, and other sites. Membership benefits include a

newsletter A newsletter is a printed or electronic report containing news concerning the activities of a business or an organization that is sent to its members, customers, employees or other subscribers. Newsletters generally contain one main topic of ...

, email reflector, awards program, lighthouse expedition sponsorship, certificates, embroidered shoulder patch, a list of every known light beacon in the world capable of supporting a ham station (over 15,000 entries at last count—see "World List of Lights" info below), and a web site a

The ARLHS has been featured in national magazines, such as CQ Amateur Radio, ''CQ'' and ''WordRadio''. Jim Weidner is its founding President; and Jim Buffington, K5JIM, is vice president. The club call sign is W7QF and the website i

World List of Lights

The ARLHS maintains a catalog of lighthouses called The World List of Lights (WLOL).ARLHS World List of Lights
/ref> Its main feature is a short, and easily transmitted identification number for each lighthouse. The WLOL lists any lighthouse that is or was an Navigational aid, Aid to Navigation (ATN) and can reasonably accommodate an amateur radio operation. Lights that are no longer in existence, but were once an ATN, also show up on the list, designated as historical. With over 15,000 entries, the WLOL is one of the most complete lighthouse catalogs in existence.

References

External links

Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society
Website
ARLHS Convention
web site
India's First ARLHS activation in Mahaballipuram, Chennai, India Aug 2008Kadalur Lighthouse Centenary and ILLW operation Aug 2009
Amateur radio organizations Lighthouse organizations {{lighthouse-stub