Cancelled for 2023Check back in June or July 2024 for details about the 2024 Amateur Radio Activation. Tentatively Scheduled for Each year, amateur radio organizations across the world sponsor several activities to increase awareness of our lighthouse heritage. One of these events includes International Lighthouse-Lightship Weekend, which will be observed in 2024 on August 17 and 18. Most years since 2009, to celebrate this international heritage event, Valley of the Moon Amateur Radio Club (VOMARC), in partnership with Point Reyes National Seashore, has activated a temporary radio station at the Point Reyes Lighthouse. Visitors to the Point Reyes Lighthouse are invited to view the temporary radio station from 9 am to 5 pm (1600Z to 2359Z) as they broadcast from the green garages located near the Point Reyes Lighthouse Visitor Center area. However, the 2023 event has been cancelled. The modes of transmission that are normally used are single-sideband (SSB) voice, phase-shift keying (PSK) digital mode, and International Morse code. The first two are in use in commercial radio today while the code is still used by amateur radio operators but has dropped out of use with maritime, commercial and military communicators. Individuals with radios capable of only receiving AM and FM bandwidths will not be able to tune in to these shortwave radio broadcasts. The broadcasts will be transmitted over the following radio frequencies:
QSLs via W6AJF or N6KM w/S.A.S.E. The Point Reyes Lighthouse was first illuminated on December 1, 1870. This treacherous point, once characterized as "the worst the Pacific has to offer" (SF Chronicle, 1870), was lit to guide mariners safely past Point Reyes. In 1870, as many as four men employed by the US Government's Lighthouse Board were stationed at Point Reyes. With the aid of lighthouse keepers, the Point Reyes Light Station remained in operation for 105 years. Today, the US Coast Guard maintains an automated light and fog signal while Point Reyes National Seashore staff serve as the modern day light keepers to the historic structure. Visitors to Point Reyes Lighhtouse can view the historic 1870 lens room with its intact first order Fresnel lens and clockwork mechanism. For the summer of 2022, the Lighthouse Visitor Center and the stairs leading down to the lighthouse are open Friday through Sunday, 10 am to 4 pm, with the lighthouse's clockwork room (the second-level chamber) open from 2 pm to 4 pm. Winds in excess of 40 mph will close the lighthouse stairs. For additional information about the Point Reyes Lighthouse, including weather conditions call the Point Reyes Lighthouse at 415-669-1534 or the Bear Valley Visitor Center at 415-464-5100 x2 x5. |
Last updated: February 5, 2024