Hamming it up at the lighthouse

Eric Hilding with all of his gear set up at the St. George Reef Lighthouse.

As work was continuing to rehabilitate the historic structure, Eric Hilding of Morgan Hills, Calif., communicated in Morse Code with fellow operators on nearly all continents while conducting an “Islands on the Air” (IOTA) event from a cramped space on the first floor of the granite tower.

His compact equipment was a laptop computer and slender antenna that was attached to an outside railing. The specialized Ham lingo was received by over 1,000 amateur radio buffs who anxiosly await IOTA events. They are relatively rare and can take many months of preparation to set up equipment on “islands.”

Hilding worked with the lighthouse group for over a year while waiting for optimal transmission conditions between sunspot activities that can drastically affect radio waves and limit range. St. George Reef Lighthouse is especially sought out by members of the Amateur Radio Operators Association, which is headquartered in England, because offshore lighthouses are far and few between, and the “dragon rocks” among the most isolated of all.

Island events therefor require extensive documentation, such as verification by event hosts as to arrival and departure times, testimony that the Ham was actually seen in operation and a statement of the guest’s overall behavior. The information is then sent to the England office.

Hilding presented a generous donation to the St. George Reef Lighthouse Preservation Society. He received high marks and may pay another visit in the future.