HacDC ARC Again in Partnership with the National Park Service Through Use of Amateur Radio – International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend / August 19-20, 2017
The HacDC ARC is very pleased and honored to announce that we will again be in partnership with the National Park Service through use of amateur radio technology at a public service event. The George Washington Memorial Parkway Section of the NPS will be coordinating with our club to celebrate, “International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend” (ILLW) at the Jones Point Lighthouse (ILLW# US0167), Jones Point Park, located at 100 Jones Pt., Alexandria, VA 22314 throughout the weekend of August 19-20, 2017 (see more below about times). This event will help the NPS and the community come together to celebrate the rich history of this resource.
From the NPS, “The Jones Point Lighthouse is one of the last riverine lighthouses in the country and the only one still standing in the Chesapeake Bay area. Today it is the focal point of Jones Point Park and a clue to area’s history as a busy commercial center and naval base.”
https://www.nps.gov/gwmp/learn/historyculture/jonespointlighthouse.htm
Having started in 1993, the ILLW initiative is part of a world-wide campaign to educate the public about the history and importance of lighthouses and lightships. This is done through the use of amateur radio activity as a highly visible, publicly accessible way to promote this message at these locations. Additional information can be found online at:
While the initiative will run for a continuous 48 hour period starting on August 18, 2017 at 8:00pm local time (August 19 / 0000 HRS UTC), due to park hour limitations and staffing restrictions, it is not yet clear the entirety of the exact times of operation that the club will be “on the air”. We will try to maximize our effort, however, and we hope, at a minimum, to have a full public event available on both Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 20th, from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm local time (1400-2000 HTS UTC).
We are going to set up a working HF station and “activate” the park under the World Wide Flora and Fauna Parks on the Air Program (WWFF), unit number KFF-0670 (George Washington Memorial Parkway) on the web:
http://parksontheair.com
and
http://wwff.co
and make contacts on various bands / modes / as conditions, operator availability and interest dictate. We will be trying to get as many “guest operators” on the air as possible to generate interest in the hobby.
To commemorate this special occasion, the club has applied for the use of call sign “N3P”. We will be utilizing either that or the club’s call sign “W3HAC” in making our contacts.
We will also have a special QSL card available. Instructions to obtain the card will be posted on the club’s QRZ page under call sign “W3HAC” at:
We will post updates on spotting clusters and on Facebook groups for the WWFF Program if mobile coverage is available.
The National Park Service is currently in the process of developing promotional materials for the event and is anticipated to update their website for the park accordingly.
https://www.nps.gov/gwmp/planyourvisit/jonespoint.htm
We look forward to either meeting you at the event or hearing you on the bands!
Very 73 de Jeff Dahn / KB3ZUK – President /
HacDC Amateur Radio Club and
North American Continental Representative –
World Wide Flora and Fauna in Amateur Radio – Parks on the Air Initiative –
KFF Program – 3rd Call Area DM
