Restorations are underway to rehabilitate a historic lighthouse back to its former glory, and four local radio amateurs set out on a mission in late August to broadcast the efforts with the world.
The Sabine Pass Lighthouse sits on the Louisiana side of the Sabine River, where the river empties into the Gulf of Mexico. Sabine Pass was one of the more than 20 lighthouses the federal government built along the Texas coast in 1852 to help maritime crews navigate their way in and around the Gulf of Mexico. Damage during the Civil War, followed by natural disasters, sea erosion, and a shifting coastline destroyed the lighthouses, but five still stand today. The Cameron Preservation Alliance is in charge of renovating the Sabine Pass Lighthouse and has been working to raise money for the costly repairs since 2017. During International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend, amateur radio operators from around the world promote the preservation of lighthouses and lightships in nearly 95 countries. This year, four men from surrounding Gulf Coast communities traveled to the Sabine Pass Lighthouse to broadcast from the area.
Four radio operators helped the historic Sabine Pass Lighthouse shine its beacon beyond the Gulf Coast during International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend. [Photo courtesy of Bob Rose, W5RJR] |
Bob Rose, W5RJR, said the group, which also consisted of Glen Rose, KI5TXY, Steve Gomez, KE5O, and Verne King, K5QDA, set up three stations under the special call sign that was obtained for the event, W5P, successfully contacted several other radio nets, and even reached stations in Europe, Mexico, and the Caribbean. “There was no contest pressure; no push to make as many contacts as could be accomplished, and no requirements to keep up with points, scores, or reporting,” Rose said. “There was no rush to terminate contacts to move on to the next one.” During their broadcast and conversations, the group discussed the history of the Sabine Pass Lighthouse, the Cameron Preservation Alliance’s work to restore the 87-foot-tall structure, and the alliance’s mission to search for the original lens used in the lamp.
Bob Rose, W5RJR, operating during the event. [Photo courtesy of Bob Rose, W5RJR] |
Over the course of the 2-day event, the operators made 19 lighthouse contacts, two lightship contacts, nine Parks on the Air contacts, and one contact with the USS Little Rock CL-92 ship in the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park in New York. Contacts were made with 26 US states, Puerto Rico, and seven foreign countries, including Canada, Mexico, the British Virgin Islands, Italy, France, and Germany.
By Sana Ameer, Beaumont Enterprise
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