Amateur Radio, the Cayman Islands, and Lighthouses

An odd witches brew, you might say.  Actually, the perfect marriage. 

The Cayman Islands has to be one of the most ham radio friendly places on Earth. The licensing staff is phenomenal (thanks Kevin!), the propagation even better, and a few minutes on the air rarely fails to generate a pile-up of people that are eager to make your ham radio holiday even more fun.

But if you’re not satisfied with that, the Cayman Islands offer a unique opportunity to visit some lighthouses.  Many amateur radio operators have a special affection for visiting lighthouses, for learning about lighthouses, and for talking to people located at lighthouses.  The Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society supports these activities, and sponsors special awards and contests to encourage ham radio operation from lighthouses around the world.

Over the years, I’ve operated from all four Cayman Island lighthouses.  If you’re not familiar with maritime navigation, you may be disappointed – these lighthouses tend to be small towers with a light affixed, rather than a picturesque, live-in monument to light keeping – but they get the job done. 

Ham radio operators often send QSL cards to each other to acknowledge contact from special locations, providing information and views that put a face on the fading voice wafting through the ether.  These are five cards from my operation at the Cayman lighthouses under the call sign ZF2SC. 

Georgetown	Boatswain Point	East End
South Sound		Turtle