Lighthouse Weekend 2004
The team enjoys a rest in the sun. (Click for larger
photo)
Les has first go on air during setup. (Click for larger
photo)
The Kingston Beacon in all its glory... well, maybe
it's just a cairn we threw together for a laugh. (Click
for larger photo)
Later in the evening, there was a glorious sunset. (Click
for larger photo)
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Although we had previously operated from Covesea lighthouse,
near Lossiemouth, for Lighthouse Weekends, we decided to try
something different for 2004.
One of our members reported that there had once been a light
beacon near the mouth of the river Spey. Some research revealed
that there had indeed been a beacon - in the 18th century!
Although it is now a quiet village at the river mouth, Kingston
upon Spey was home to a thriving shipbuilding industry in
the 18th and early 19th centuries. Timber was floated down
the river or into the port by sea and used to construct a
variety of fishing and cargo vessels. Today, the only reminders
are several old buildings and the history books.
Having established that there was once a beacon here, we
had to convince the Lighthouse Weekend organisers that the
site was eligible as a location for the event. Emails flew
back and forth with historical details and maps of the river
mouth. To our surprise and satisfaction, the site was approved.
On the Friday evening before Lighthouse Weekend (21-22 August),
we set up our portable station in a car park near the river
mouth, and almost on the beach. There was no chance of setting
up on the original beacon site - it's now in the middle of
the river!
We used our standard setup of triband beam (20/15/10m) and
dipoles for 40/80m on the mobile tower, driven by our FT920.
We also had a VHF rig and collinear for local contacts.
The weather was excellent over the weekend, and we actually
had some sun - quite a lot, in fact - so there were plenty
of people walking on the shingle beach and around the village,
although we were set up in a fairly secluded spot.
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