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Ludington,
Michigan |
January
2010 |
Helping Visitors See the Light |
The
City of Ludington, Michigan, is partnering with a
historic lighthouse group to get visitors to "see the
light" – using radio. In the summer of 2009 the Sable
Points Lighthouse Keepers Association (SPLKA) installed
a special "Information Radio Station," which broadcasts
on the AM frequency 1610, atop the City's 3-story water
treatment building. From this high point along the
lakeshore the signal propagates across the City of
Ludington, up and down the Lake Michigan shoreline and
can be tuned in by visitors in vehicles within a
3-5-mile-radius range. (See more below.)
The broadcast, whose handle is "Light Talk 1610," tells
travelers how to locate three 1800's era lighthouses,
and gives them historic details as well as hours and
dates that each is open for tours. SPLKA president David
Hawley declares, "We've had nothing but positive
feedback about 'Light Talk 1610.'"
To give the the broadcast spice and variety, the group
worked with Information Station Specialists to conduct
interviews with volunteers, visitors and Association
management. Their voices can be heard, intermingled with
informational messages.
The City also has access to the broadcast to insert
current event information during the beach town's busy
summer season. The content of the station's broadcasts
are calculated to get people's appetites up for a visit
to one of the lighthouses and to the other historic
attractions in the City of Ludington, which is
strategically centered amidst them all.
The equipment employed operates by conventional audio
files on flash drives; and, when a new broadcast is
required, it only requires a quick change to get it
done. Like the lighthouses it speaks of, the station is
out there serving visitors and potential visitors 24
hours a day, 365 days a year. |
The
Big Sable Point Lighthouse, located on Lake Michigan, is
one of three lighthouses touted by the new radio
station. Designated a National Historic Site, its marker
reads... |
Called Grande Pointe au Sable by French explorers and
traders, Big Sable Point was an important landmark for
mariners traveling a treacherous stretch of Lake
Michigan shoreline between Big Sable Point and
present-day Ludington. In 1855, twelve ships wrecked in
that area. Commerce linked to the burgeoning lumber
industry required that Big Sable Point be suitably
lighted. State senator Charles Mears pressed the
legislature to ask the federal government for a light
station at Big Sable. In 1866 the U.S. Congress
appropriated $35,000 for a lighthouse, which was built
the following year. As the lumbering era waned, steamers
carrying coal, foodstuffs, and tourists continued to
rely on the lighthouse for navigation. The Big Sable
Point Lighthouse is one of the few Michigan lights with
a tower reaching 100 feet. Completed in 1867, Big
Sable's tower measures 112 feet high. In 1902 the
deteriorating brick tower was encased in steel. The
keeper's dwelling, which once housed a single family,
has been enlarged over the years, resulting in the
present three-family residence. Indoor plumbing and
heating and a diesel electric generator were added in
1949. In 1953, power lines were extended to the Point.
In 1968 the tradition of light-keeping begun in 1867 by
Alonzo A. Hyde and his wife, Laura, ended when the
station was fully automated. Big Sable Point Light
Station is listed in the National Register of Historic
Places. |
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© 1983-2021 • Information Station Specialists,
Inc. • All Rights Reserved
PO Box 51, Zeeland, Michigan, USA, 49464-0051, Phone
616.772.2300, Fax 616.772.2966,
Email the Editor
• • •
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Information Radio Stations is a generic term
synonymous with Travelers Information Stations (TIS), Highway
Advisory Radio Stations (HAR) / Highway Information Systems &
Low Power Radio Stations (LPR). Operation of the stations is
governed by FCC Part 90.242 Rules. A FCC license is required.
Information Radio Stations may be fixed or portable.
Subcomponents may include transmitter, antenna and ground
system, digital voice player, wattmeter, cabinet with
conventional or Corbin locks, lightning arrestors for RF, power
and telephone lines, coaxial cable. Most stations employ black
maximized antennas to discourage ice accumulation and security
measures to prevent unauthorized program access. Options include
synchronization, battery backup, solar power, remote programming
by local, network or telco, multi-station audio distribution via
RF or LAN / WAN or wireless network. |