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IRTS Radio News Bulletin Sunday 24th December 2017


Counties Contest

The annual 80 metres counties contest takes place shortly; as usual, it's on New Year's Day and runs for 2 hours from 15:00 UTC. There are SSB only and SSB/CW mixed mode sections for both fixed and portable stations. Multipliers are the 32 EI and GI counties as well as overseas DXCC entities, see www.irts.ie/contests for the full rules which include permitted frequency ranges. This is normally the best-supported contest in the IRTS contest calendar and a great way to start the New Year!


Wild Atlantic Way

The final week of the WAW initiative has arrived. It's great to see so many WAWs spotted on the clusters over the past weeks. so please keep up the momentum. Why not take a break from the over indulgence at this time of year and exercise the CW Keyer and/or the microphone for one final effort.Thanks again to all who are making the effort - it is very much appreciated.

The QSL manager, and indeed individuals, continue to get requests for the last one or two WAW calls to make up all 9. Help is again requested from licensed individuals and clubs, operating in EI, to increase the number of QSOs - so please contact the coordinators. For more information checkout the IRTS web site at www.irts.ie and from the activities menu on the top of the page, choose “Wild Atlantic Way”, where you will find the list of coordinators under Wild Atlantic Way - Operators Wanted.

Please don't forget to send your logs as soon as possible to the WAW QSL Manager, Dave EI6AL so that he can crunch the numbers to make the totals available as soon as possible after the 31st December 2017.


Phoenix Amateur Radio Club Rally

The Phoenix Amateur Radio Club rally will take place on 11th February 2018 in Coolmine Community School, Dublin 15, D15 FW97. Doors will open at 10:00 a.m. To book a table contact Tony at 087-243 9997. Tea and refreshments will be available all day. Unlimited free car parking.


EI5ØAOM Remembers the Tuskar Rock Air Tragedy

Fifty years after the crash of an Aer Lingus Viscount airliner, registration EI-AOM, special event station EI5ØAOM remembers this tragic event and honours the 61 lives lost. It became known as the Tuskar Rock Air Tragedy and still represents the largest single loss of life in Irish civil aviation history. Victims came from seven countries - Ireland, UK, Switzerland, Belgium, Sweden, USA and the Netherlands. They represent a remarkable cross-section of humanity, from the simple shopkeeper to the rich and famous. Beginning mid-January, EI5ØAOM operations will devote one day to each victim, with operations culminating on the fiftieth anniversary of the crash, 24 March 2018.


South Eastern Amateur Radio Group

The next meeting will be on Monday the 29th of January 2018 in the Roanmore Social and Sports Centre, Cleaboy Road, Waterford at 8.00 p.m. sharp. At this meeting Keith EI5KF will be doing a show and tell on working amateur radio satellites entitled "Satellites made simple!". New members or anyone interested in learning more about amateur radio or the group are as always very welcome to attend.

The South Eastern Amateur Radio Group would like to wish all their radio friends and their families in Ireland and around the world a very happy and peaceful Christmas 2017 and every good wish for the new year ahead. They hope 2018 brings you all wealth, good health and plenty of new DXCC’s

For anyone that wishes to find out more about the South Eastern Amateur Radio Group and their activities you can come along to any of their meetings. You can check out their website www.searg.ie and you can also join them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.


Wexford Wireless Club

Just a little reminder that there will be no meeting on the 27th of December and weekly meetings will resume as normal on Wednesday 3rd of January 2018.

Wexford Wireless Club would like to wish everyone a very happy Christmas and good DX in 2018.

For more information about the club please contact the club secretary Michael Fitzgerald EI9GGB at QTHR or by dropping an email to “wexfordwirelessclub /at/ live /dot/ ie”


DX News

Pedro ON7WP will be in Gambia signing C5WP until 1st January. He is doing charitable work to help the people of the Bundung area of Gambia. His station is solar powered. QSLs go to his home call.

Another Gambian expedition will be by Franky ON7RU who will sign C56RU in a holiday-style operation until 1st January. QSL via the home call.

Harald DF2WO returns to Burkina Faso from 30th December until 18th January. He will reactivate his XT2AW callsign using a hexbeam and dipoles. QSL manager is M0OXO.

To commemorate the first ANARE Expedition to Heard Island which took place in December 1947 a special station with the callsign VI70HI will be active until the end of February. Please note that the location of the special event station is on mainland Australia and NOT Heard Island. QSLs are being handled by M0OXO via Club Log OQRS.

Roland HB9VQQ will be active from the Kandima Island Resort in the Maldives until 30th December. His callsign will be 8Q7HB and QSLs go via the home call.


Happy Christmas

On behalf of all the news team, officers and volunteers within the IRTS, I would like to wish all of licensed operators and shortwave listeners a very Happy Christmas.


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 may be telephoned to the radio news editor, Mark EI6HPB on 086 355 2370.

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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