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Activations of Cape Akamas Lighthouse - CYP-001
In general
Ever since we visited the lighthouse for P3CA 2007, I always wanted to visit the place again.
Whenever I get the chance, I try to do a short activation of the lighthouse, using portable equipment.
However, since I'm not sure whether I will be able to get to the lighthouse, I do not announce the activation
and hope that somebody will spot me on the cluster so that hams see that there's a lighthouse on the air :-)
About the Lighthouse
Although the Lighthouses existing today in Cyprus date back to the last quarter of the 19th century,
the Cape Akamas Lighthouse constitutes an exception. Its construction was completed in 1989 and its
structure differs from the other Lighthouses. It's a rectangular building made of stone, divided into three
rooms. The Lighthouse lantern is attached to a metal base secured to the side of the building. The Lighthouse
stands on a hill at 211m ASL and is the tallest Lighthouse in Cyprus.
Getting to the Lighthouse is not easy. It takes about 1 hour driving in rough terrain. A 4X4 is required. To make
things worse, huge rockes have fallen into the last 800m of the narrow road leading to the Lighthouse, leaving
space just for a regular car. While the car is passing, the driver must pay attention so as not to hit the rocks
and the co-driver must check so that the car doesn't go over the edge of the cliff.
Usually there are strong winds blowing up there. However, the view from the place is incredible!
Activations
 Pictures from the activations Page 1 Page 2
August 2009
During August 2009, I went camping with some friends in Akamas peninsula. On August 2nd we payed a short visit to the lighthouse. We arrived there late in the afternoon. I set up the station and started calling. Unfortunately, there was a contest on that day, so it was not
easy to get a frequency with a portable station setup. However, I managed to make around 20 contacts.
Activation info
| Operation time |
XX hours |
| Contacts |
around 20 on 14mhz |
| Equipment |
FT-897, buddipole antenna and battery |
| QSL status |
Direct cards received until 01/03/10 have been answered |
January 2010
On the first day of the new year, we decided to pay a short camping trip to Akamas again. This time the plan was to camp for one night on the beach and then move to the lighthouse. we arrived at the lighthouse at around 9PM on the 2nd of January. To our surprise, we found that one of the rooms of the lighthouse was already occupied! We settled in the second room, cooked dinner and after a while went to sleep.
I was the first one to get up the next morning. Very strong winds were blowing. I set up the buddipole and secured it to one of the poles of the lighthouse's fence. Since everybody else was still asleep, I thought that the best place to operate from was the car. That way I wouldn't have to go into the trouble of moving the 30kg battery either.
I started calling on 20m at around 07:00 UTC. Fortunately, there was no major contest going on this time. After a while, my call was answered and I started making some QSOs. It wasn't long until I got the first pileup! While operating, I could see the Buddipole swinging from the strong winds and I could also feel the car shaking. However, it seemed that the antenna was holding and the battery had enough power to keep me going on. I had quite good pileups and after a while all my log sheets were full. I stopped operating at around NNNN UTC. We left the lighthouse a few hours later.
Activation info
| Operation time |
XX hours |
| Contacts |
around 200 on 14mhz
View DX Cluster spots
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| Equipment |
FT-897, buddipole antenna and battery |
| QSL status |
Direct cards received until 01/03/10 have been answered |
March 2010
As the members of the "Camping In Akamas" team had a few days off for the Easter holidays, we decided to pay another
visit to our favourite area. This time we would spend our first night at the lighthouse.
We arrived there late in the afternoon of 30th of March. We settled in one of the rooms, cooked dinner and enjoyed
the night view from the lighthouse before going to sleep.
I started operating on 20m at around 05:30 UTC the next morning. No strong winds this time, so I wasn't worried about
the antenna being damaged. There was good traffic, but no big pileups. I worked stations mostly in Europe, but also
a VK station! I stopped operating at around 10:00 UTC. We left the lighthouse in the afternoon of the same day.
Activation info
| Operation time |
4 hours |
| Contacts |
around 110 on 14mhz
View DX Cluster spots
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| Equipment |
FT-897, buddipole antenna and battery. Asus eeePC with Xlog software for logging. |
| QSL status |
No cards have been received as of the time of this update |
Last update: 5 April 2010
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