VK continues it's lead in the ILLW registrations

The friendly rivalry in recent International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekends between Australia and Germany, has VK still ahead of DL in terms of the number of registrations for the ILW on 21 and 22 August. Between these two countries they have one third of all 360 registrations so far.

The registration of another two lighthouses bumps Australia's total to 56, breaking its previous record of 51 set in 2008. Trevor Close VK3ATX intends to operate from Gabo Island in far eastern Victoria Australia, while intrepid portable QRP operator Peter Parker VK3YE has chosen the inner-suburban Port Melbourne lighthouse which is at the end of a tram line.

Germany has 54 registrations with a few more expected over the next couple of weeks. North America has 54 too, with eight of those in Canada and the rest in the USA. Cuba has returned after an absence of five years. The DX Group has announced that a team of five operators will be signing CO0FPM from the Punta de Maisi lighthouse in Guantanamo Province. That operation will be CW and SSB on bands 80m through to 10m bands. Hopefully more Cuban lighthouses will join ILLW in coming years.

Across the other side of the world is Market Reef, a little island between Finland and Sweden that is shared by both countries. Five DXers signing OJ0SARTG will active for ILLW as well as operating during the Scandinavian Amateur Radio Teleprinter Group RTTY contest. We wish them well. From Turkey there's news that the Sile Lighthouse will be activated using a special event callsign TC150SLH to celebrate its 150th anniversary.

The 200th registration this year was from Ting BV1EJ for the Kaohsiung Lighthouse in south-western Taiwan, putting that country into the ILLW for the first time. A total of 41 countries are registered so far. Those not already been mentioned are England (33), Netherlands (25), Sweden (18), Scotland (14), South Africa (11), New Zealand (8), Finland, Poland and Wales (6), Chile, Denmark, Italy and Northern Ireland (4), Austria, Belgium, Mexico and Norway (3), Portugal, Puerto Rico, Turkey and Uruguay (2), with Alaska, Falkland Islands, France, Gibraltar, Honduras, Iceland, India, Ireland, Jersey and Malaysia, Namibia, Romania, Russia, Spain and Ukraine ? all with
one registration.

To see the full registration list or to register a lighthouse visit http://www.illw.net or simply click this Link

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