Archived News Script
IRTS Radio News Bulletin Sunday 6th May 2012
Licence Examination
The next Amateur Station Licence Examination will be held on Thursday 28th June at 2 p.m. in the ComReg Offices in Dublin. The examination may be held on that day at other centres where warranted by the number of candidates. Full details, including entry procedure, examination fee and how to pay the fee online are available by clicking on the Licence Exam button on the IRTS homepage at www.irts.ie Places for the examination are limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis. Please note that it is necessary to download the application form from the web page and forward the completed form and the appropriate fee in order to secure a place for the examination. If you pay the fee on line you must still complete and forward the application form. Please note over half the available places have already been allocated.
HAMCON
The Northern Ireland Amateur Radio Conference – brought to you by West Tyrone Amateur Radio Club, Technology Education Centre, 2 Spillers Place, Omagh. Lectures/Seminars, Demonstrations, Special Interest Groups, Trade Stands, National Societies, Disabled Facilities, Door Prizes, Raffle, Catering. The event this year takes place 16th June 2012.
South Eastern Amateur Radio Group
SEARG kicked-off it's theory classes at the last meeting on Monday 30 April last. The meeting was well attended by those wishing to sit the theory exam. If anyone else would like to participate, please get in touch with Mark Wall on 087 630 2026 or by e-mail to markwall /at/ vodafone /dot/ ie.
The Geoparks communications weekend this year takes place on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 May. South Eastern Amateur Radio Group will again operate from Tankardstown on the Copper Coast Geopark in Co. Waterford. The callsign is EI2GEO (pending approval). Activity will mainly be on HF. Anyone wishing to get involved should contact the club on info/ at/searg.com or phone Mark Wall on 087 630 2026 . For more information about the Geopark, visit www.coppercoastgeopark.com
Limerick Radio Club
The final meeting of the season for Limerick Radio Club will take place on Wednesday May 9th at 7.30pm Limerick Institute of Technology. Preparations for summer activities will be discussed on the night, including field days, Lighthouse weekend etc. There will also be a talk on Astronomy.
Shannon Basin Radio Club
The Shannon Basin Radio Club will once again be operating from Elphin Windmill, Co. Roscommon as part of the Mills on the air weekend, next weekend the 12th and 13th May. The call will be EI2EWM and will be active on all bands, SSB and CW. All are welcome to attend and refreshments will be available. For more info, contact Brian EI8IU (brianei8iu/ at/ eircom /dot/ net) or see www.shannonbasinredioclub.com
GB0BON
In June 16th/17th 2012 the Welland Valley Amateur Radio Society (UK) will again be putting the Amateur Radio Special Event Station GB0BON on air. It will be the 367th anniversary of the Battle of Naseby and the third anniversary of GB0BON.
GB3LV repeater back on the air
GB3LV - the north London 70cm, IRLP and Echolink enabled repeater, is back on the air again after having been off air for a day or so with an intermittent fault. GB3NL and GB3EN were unaffected. The fault has been rectified by the rapid actions of Roger G8IUC.
Roger indicated that an upgrade/maintenance action was due on GB3EN (the Amateur TV repeater in Enfield) and that a new antenna, feeder and other sundries would be installed. The time scale for the installation is not known.
DX News
One of the most wanted DXCC entities turned up unexpectedly last Monday evening. An expedition to Yemen using the callsign 7O6T will be on the air until mid-May. While the trip has been up to 2 years in the planning news only broke a couple of days before the operation started. The location is on Socotra Island and this is also most-wanted by the IOTA fraternity with the only previous activity from there back in 1964/5 when G3UCQ operated as VS9SJF. The IOTA reference is AF-028. Look at the website www.yemen2012.com for details of the frequencies.
Barry 9V1FJ will be operating from a number of Caribbean countries in the coming weeks. From 9 – 11 May he will be active as PJ7/G4MFW from Sint Maarten and also FS/G4MFW from Saint Martin. This is followed by a trip to Saba Island on 12 – 14 May signing PJ5/G4MFW. He then plans to appear as FJ/G4MFW from St Barthelemy from 15 – 16 May. Next on the list is Curacao as PJ2/G4MFW and finally Bonaire as PJ4/G4MFW during 17 – 20 May.
A group of Japanese operators will be QRV from the Maldives from 11 – 16 May. Callsigns to look out for are 8Q7NK, 8Q7IC, 8Q7TE, 8Q7CJ and 8Q7ZS. Activity will be on all bands 160 – 6m using CW, SSB, RTTY and PSK.
One for the prefix hunters to look out for this month is R1945HS which is celebrating the 67th Anniversary of the end of World War 2. The call will be in use until 31 May and QSL info is via RW6HS.
Special UK callsigns for Queen's Diamond Jubilee
From May 5 until June 10, British amateur radio operators may use a special prefix to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. The second letter of the prefix will be replaced by a Q, calls with a single letter prefix add a Q:
2E0aaa will be 2Q0aaa 2M0aaa will be 2Q0aaa G3aaa will be GQ3aaa GM3aaa will be GQ3aaa GX3aaa will be GQ3aaa M3aaa will be MQ3aaa
Items for inclusion in next week’s Radio News can be submitted via e-mail to “newsteam /at/ irts / dot / ie” for automatic forwarding to both the radio and printed news services. Urgent news items for the radio news maybe telephoned to the radio news editor, Aidan, EI7JC on 085 7100511.
Please note that items for the radio news should reach the editor no later than midday on Thursday in order to be guaranteed inclusion in the following Sunday’s bulletin.
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