ARLHS Awards Program

The complete booklet of the ARLHS Awards Program, including requirements and application forms for each award, is available in Adobe PDF format. It is free for download by clicking HERE. It is also available in a printed booklet of 32 pages for $25.00 USA currency. (NOTE: Price is $35 if sent to a DX address or to nonmembers of the ARLHS), Mail your request with payment to ARLHS, 114 Woodbine Ave, Merchantville, NJ 08109. Be sure to include your full name and mailing address, as well as your ARLHS member number if a member. 

Page numbers cited in the text that follows refer to pages in that booklet.

The Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society (ARLHS) sponsors many categories of operating achievement awards for the lighthouse/lightship enthusiast in the Amateur Radio community. Lighthouse awards chasing is a good way to learn about the geography, history, or culture of lighthouses and lightships and places near and far. This Awards Program booklet provides a brief summary of what the ARLHS has to offer. The general rules and requirements specific to an individual award are included with the description of each individual award. Each award is administered by a volunteer manager who provides applicants with the award rules, application forms, certification of applicant’s submission, and issuance of appropriate award or endorsement. All ARLHS awards except the Activator Award are available to SWL’s on a “heard basis.” Note that although the term “lighthouse” is used most frequently throughout, for award purposes, we include lightships in this category. For the ARLHS official list of lights and their ARLHS numbers, please see the official“ARLHS World List of Light.”

The Worked All States-Lighthouse award is issued for working and confirming lighthouse stations in all states that have lighthouses (33). Applicants for the WAS-LH award are subject to the General Rules and should see the WAS-LH Award Requirements for more details. The basic award will be issued for 11 states with endorsements by 11 until all 33 are worked. To encourage increased activity and station improvement throughout the bands, all bands, including the WARC bands, are accepted. The 5-Band WAS-LH certificate and plaque, however, are available for working all states on only the 5 main amateur bands (80, 40, 20, 15, 10). See pages 16, 32, and 33. 

The Worked All Continents-Lighthouse award is issued for working and confirming a lighthouse station on all six continents (North America, South America, Oceania, Asia, Europe, and Africa). Applicants for this award are subject to the General Rules. See the WAC-LH Award Requirements for details on what must be completed for this award. See pp. 14, 28, and 29.

The Worked All Call Areas-Lighthouse award is issued for working and confirming a lighthouse station in all ten US call areas. Applications for the WACA-LH award are subject to the General Rules and should see the WACA-LH Award Requirements for more details on what must be completed for this award. See pp. 15, 30, and 31.

The DX-Lighthouse award is issued for working and confirming lighthouse stations in at least 100 or more countries on the ARRL DXCC List. The basic award will be issued for 25 countries with endorsements by 25 until all 100 are worked. Endorsements are available in specific increments beyond the 100 level. Although all bands, including WARC bands, are accepted for the basic DX-LH award, the 5-Band DX-LH is earned for working only on the 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10-meter bands. Applications for the DX-LH award are subject to the General Rules and should see the DX-LH Award Requirements detail what must be completed for this award. See pp. 10, 20, and 21.

This is a certificate for any licensed amateur for submitting verifications for lighthouse contacts with 25 different lighthouses worldwide. Following the basic award, endorsements in increments of 25 may be received. There are no state or country restrictons on this award. Applicants for the Lighthouse Award are subject to the General Rules and should see the Lighthouse Award Requirements for more details. See pp. 11, 22, and 23.

The purpose of this award is to encourage friendly contact between radio amateurs and thereby discover new friends through personal communication with others. The ARLHS Member Award is available to any radio amateur who submits log extracts that show two-way communications in groups of 25 with stations who are members of the ARLHS. Applicants for this award are subject to the General Rules and should see the Member Award Requirements for details on what must be completed for this award. See pp. 12, 24, and 25). 

This is a certificate for the lighthouse station activator who has activated 10 or more lighthouses for the ARLHS Awards Program. Following the basic award, endorsements in increments of 10 may be received up to a total of 80. At the 100 level, a special gold “Century Club Award” is given. All lighthouses activated can be claimed as worked, whether by an individual or team effort (all operators will receive credit for activating the lighthouse). Applications for the Activator Award are subject to the General Rules and should see the Activator Award Requirements for more details. See pp. 9, 18, and 19.

The Patriot Award is issued to commemorate the disaster suffered in New York City on September 11, 2001. It is granted to those stations working and confirming a lighthouse station in each of the original 13 colonies of the United States (Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Virginia). Applicants for the Patriot Award are subject to the General Rules and should see the Patriot Award Requirements for more details on what must be completed for this award. See pp. 13, 26, and 27.

The ARLHS sponsors several special events and contests or QSO parties throughout the year. The “Lighthouse Christmas Lights QSO Party”(LCL) in December and the “Spring Lites QSO Party” (SL), as well as the Summer Solstice SweepStakes (SSSS), and the International Lighthouse/Lightship Week (ILLW), are excellent opportunities for lighthouse contacts. This last event held the first week in August. 

tails or visit the ARLHS web site for guidelines to this special event.

The New Jersey Lighthouse Weekend, sponsored by The New Jersey Lighthouse Society, is another opportunity to work several lighthouse stations. On this weekend, several NJ lighthouses are open to the public and ham groups have been invited to set up on-site operations.

Please visit our Events & Expeditions page on the ARLHS web site for the latest information on lighthouse station operations and expeditions. There is usually some lighthouse operation on the air most weekends throughout the year.

To ensure receiving up-to-date information about lighthouse expeditions, be sure to sign up for the ARLHS e-mail group BeaconBot feature on the Society’s web page. It’s free, and it makes you part of a group to automatically receive announcements and exchange information with other amateur lighthouse enthusiasts.

Those who qualify for either 5BWAS-LH or 5BDX-LH are eligible for a handsome plaque. Further information, including required fee, is included in the 5BWAS-LH or 5BDX-LH application materials.

Applications for all awards are subject to the following uniform general qualifications and procedures. All ARLHS awards except the Activator Award are available to SWL’s on a heard basis. The rules of the awards can be altered and brought up-to-date by the Awards Committee at any time and all disputed questions and problems will be decided by that committee.

Rules and Application Forms:

All ARLHS awards/certificates require an application form. An application form, listing the rules for each award, is available. See theApplication Forms in the Awards Programprinted booklet. 

All listings of lights MUST show the official ARLHS light number as listed in the ARLHS World List of Lights (WLOL). For the ARLHS official list of lights (WLOL) and their numbers, see the “ARLHS World List of Light.” available on the web site. These forms may be reproduced in any quantity you wish. Requests for applications from the Awards Manager should be accompanied by a #10 (business size) stamped, self-addressed envelope (SASE). In the case of DX requests, send enough funds to cover return postage. Most application forms have a column for the ARLHS number (ARLHS #). For the ARLHS official list of lights (WLOL) and their numbers, see the “ARLHS World List of Light.” available on the web site. All applications must be accompanied by the appropriate award fees in USA currency. 

To be recognized as a valid lighthouse activation, physical presence on the property or within the light structure itself is preferred. However, there are extenuating circumstances where this may not be possible. Consequently, the ARLHS additionally recognizes stations operating under the “1000-Meter Rule.” Briefly stated, this rule says that any operation within a 1000 meter distance (1100 yards or 3300 feet) of the light is valid, subject to the following Exception: If, in the opinion of the operator, operation within the “1000-Meter Rule” would be (a) illegal, (b) ill-advised, (c) impossible, or (d) impractical, then the distance rule is suspended and the “Visual Sight Rule” can be invoked and shall apply.

Under the terms of the “Visual Sight Rule,” an operation is valid if the station is within visual sight of the physical structure of the light during the day or the “reach” of its light beacon at night. We find this to be consistent with our stated purpose of recognizing a light according to the geographic area served by it for mariner safety. Mobile operation and maritime mobile operation from vehicles or vessels parked or anchored SAFELY within the area of a lighthouse are also permitted. Aeronautical mobile operations are NOT recognized to activate lighthouses. In all instances, for amateur radio operation to be legal, permission from the proper authorities in charge of the property must be secured; and, for your own protection, permission should be in writing. The ARLHS assumes no liability for activities by or on the part of its members or participants.

A legal ARLHS awards contact must be a two-way radio contact on any legal amateur band. Any legal mode of operation, including digital modes and RTTY, is permissible.

The suggested ARLHS operating frequencies are +/- 20KHz of the following center frequencies: Phone = 3970, 7270, 14270 (main), 21370, and 28370; CW = 3530, 7030, 14030, 21030, and 28030 kHz. These frequencies should be used for ARLHS DX-peditions and to pass ARLHS info. They should be used primarily as calling frequencies. During operating events, try to spread out +/- 20 KHz to lessen QRM.

Please check the frequency range of 14250 to 14260 kHz inasmuch as it has become known as the “Island Corridor”; some lighthouse stations can be found there. Check the IOTA stations to see if they are in view of a lighthouse; and, if so, get them to list the light’s name on the QSL cards for the ARLHS awards program (see “QSL Confirmation” following). 

Lighthouses That Have Been Moved

(See below for lightships or lightfloats).

From time to time we run across lighthouses that have been moved. Two things happen to these lights: (1) They are moved and are not placed back in service, or (2) They are moved and placed back in service. Therefore, (1) If a lighthouse is moved and not placed back in service, it will notbe listed from its new location. If its old location is not listed, then that will be added as an historical location. (2) If a lighthouse is moved and is placed back in service (i.e., listed in Notes to Mariners, etc.), and if it meets the other requirements of the Society, it will be listed with its new name, location, and number.

Lightships Underway or That Have Moved Berth:

If a lightship moves to a different country or residence, a new ARLHS designator number will be assigned to indicate the country of its current berth (and operation), in addition to the original number of its mother country, which will be cited in parenthesis following the new number.

For example: Lightship Falsterbo Rev is originally from Sweden and is assigned ARLHS designator SWE-009. It then moves to Belgium and so is given a Belgian number in addition to its Swedish number; thus it is now designated BEL-017 (SWE-009). The lightship therefore has more than one country/number designator, but it is allowed only one number at a time for “active” purposes. That number will be the one that indicates the country of its current residence. When it is active in Belgium, it will use BEL-017. It will be listed on the numbered list of both countries in the “ARLHS World List of Lights.”

If by rare chance a lightship is maritime mobile in international waters at the time of operation, it will retain its mother country’s designation.

Activating More Than One Light at the Same Time:

A situation may arise where you are within visual sight of more than one light. The question arises: Can you activate all of them? Here you have your choice. You may give out the number for one of them only; or, if you wish to “activate” both lights, you may do so provided that you are within the distance and property limit as defined under “Lighthouse Contacts” (see above) andprovided that each light is confirmed separately in the QSO and identified by both name and ARLHS number.

For example, you are operating KC2HOU and are within 1000 meters of both USA-536 (Liston Range Front) and USA-537 (Liston Range Rear). In a contact with K2JXW, you cite the following:

“K2JXW this is KC2HOU. We confirm ARLHS lighthouse number USA-536, Liston Range Front light. And K2JXW from KC2HOU. We also confirm ARLHS number USA-537, Liston Range Rear Light, Delaware.” 

The cost for all ARLHS awards/certificates is $2.00 for members of the ARLHS and $5.00 for nonmembers (includes shipping and handling). The cost for all endorsement seals (and award upgrades) is $2.00 for U.S. stations and $3.00 for DX stations, both member and nonmember. SASE’s are required for all informational requests. All applications require US currency, U.S. checks, International Money Orders, or U.S. Money Orders made payable to: The Weidner Publishing Group. IRCs are acceptable for return postage funds only.

QSL Confirmation:

QSL confirmation is required for ARLHS awards, but the cards themselves do not have to be submitted with the application. ( At an annual convention in October 2002, the ARLHS members in attendance, believing their fellow members, and hams in general, to be basically honest, voted to abandon the requirement that QSL cards be submitted with award applications.) Nevertheless, it is assumed that cards or suitable confirmations are available for inspection should they be requested by the Awards Manager or the Awards Committee.

If actual QSL cards are submitted for an award, please send enough postage for their return. QSL photocopies will not be returned unless requested and unless an SASE with sufficient postage is supplied. The ARLHS assumes no responsiblity for the safety of any submitted materials other than to exercise normal care while such materials are in its possession.

When requested for verification, QSL’s must obviously certify a lighthouse operation and specify the recognized ARLHS name or the ARLHS number of the lighthouse. QSL’s with only another organization’s LH number can not be accepted. QSL’s with a lighthouse name that differs from the official ARLHS name are subject to individual approval by the Awards Committee on a case-by-case basis. QSL’s with just an island name or IOTA number do not qualify unless proximity to the lighthouse is established by appropriate documentation.

Any questions as to whether a particular operation will count for ARLHS Awards should be directed to the Awards Manager, who, along with members of the Awards Committee, will make a final decision.

Any altering of QSL cards or fraudulent applications submitted will result in permanent expulsion from the ARLHS Awards program. Country status shall be determined by the DXCC guidelines. All contacts must be made from the same DXCC entity to qualify for a particular award.

E-QSLs are acceptable as proof of contact for ARLHS awards only if both stations indicated on the QSL are members of the ARLHS and then only if the e-QSL has both of their ARLHS member numbers and all other information (LH number etc) actually printed on the card and nothandwritten. 

In other words, all data on the e-QSL, including QSO information, lighthouse name, and lighthouse number, must be part of the original printed version. No data, handwritten after the fact on an e-QSL card is acceptable. Copies of the card must be printed on paper and must then be submitted with the award application. E-copies of QSLs and applications forwarded by E-mail in electronic format are not acceptable.

In general, eligibility of specific lights can be documented by a country’s “official” light list, if one is available. In the USA, listings such as the US Coast Guard “Light Stations Remaining in the United States,” and the “Lightships and Lightship Stations” will be used as references by the Awards Committee. In all decisions regarding the eligibility of specific lights, however, or the interpretation and implementation of the rules, the ARLHS Awards Committee will be the final authority.

For the ARLHS official list of lights and their numbers, please see the “ARLHS World List of Lights,” which is available for each country as a download from the ARLHS web site.

The effective date for all provisions of the Award Program contained herein is January 1, 2003, and there is no “starting date”; that is, for the purpose of the Awards Program, the ARLHS will recognize any QSO and QSL from a lighthouse, regardless of when that contact took place. In effect, this constitutes an infinite “Grandfather Clause.”

These provisions and all awards, certificates, and prizes offered by the ARLHS may be changed and modified or withdrawn by the Society at any time without prior notice to or approval of the membership.