Archived News Script

printer friendly version

IRTS Radio News Bulletin Sunday 18th February 2018


Counties Contest

A reminder that the IRTS 80 metres Counties Contest is on Tuesday next, 20th February. It's a one-hour contest, starting at 20:00, there are SSB-Only and mixed-mode SSB/CW sections, with double points for CW QSOs in the mixed-mode section. See www.irts.ie/contests for permitted frequencies, the power limit and other rules. For EI and GI stations, multipliers are the Irish counties plus overseas DXCC entities worked, while for overseas stations, multipliers are the EI and GI counties.


Last Year Prize Winners

Larry EI9CN has requested that any members who won prizes last year and who have not already returned them, please could they do so to a local committee member in time for them to be brought to the next committee meeting on the 24th February. Larry hopes to pick them up at this committee meeting, as he requires some time to have them engraved and/or repaired if necessary. If unable to return them via the above route, members may also send them directly to his QTHR.


Echo Ireland Club Reports

All club secretaries are reminded that the closing date for contributions to the Spring/March editon of Echo Ireland is Monday 19th February to ensure publication. Copy should be sent to “newsteam /at/ irts /dot/ ie”


South Dublin Radio Club

South Dublin Radio Club AGM will now take place at 8pm on Tuesday 20th of March 2018 at Ballyroan community centre on the Marian road in Rathfarnham. All members are asked to attend.


IRTS Awards

Reminder. The IRTS Awards Committee is seeking nominations for “Awards for Services to the Society or to Amateur Radio” and “Awards to IRTS members for Other Achievements”.

Details of these Awards are available at www.irts.ie under the Awards section.

Nominations should reach the Awards Manager Jim Holohan EI4HH, email “holohaj2 /at/ hotmail /dot/ com”, as soon as possible.


IRTS Annual General Meeting

This year the IRTS AGM will be taking place in the Galway Bay Hotel overlooking the sea front and popular holiday resort.

On Saturday afternoon from 2pm there will be lectures held. These will include An Introduction to Digital Radio (by Steve Wright, EI5DD, and John Ronan, EI7IG), the 7Q7EI Dxpedition (by Pat O’Connor, EI9HX and Enda Broderick EI2II), Having Fun in Space by Graham Shirville G3VZV and Weak Signal mode - FT8 (by Keith Wallace, EI5KO).

The Annual dinner will take place in the evening at 7:30pm. Tickets for the Dinner may be purchased from the IRTS website - see the IRTS AGM tab.

On Sunday the Rally will take place in a spacious conference hall located underneath the Hotel. Doors will open at 10:00 am to facilitate a longer time for the Rally.

The Galway VHF Group are offering all Traders tables. The will be no charge for the table but there will be a charge of €5.00 per person entry fee to the Rally. Radio Clubs are encouraged to set up an information stand to publicise their activities and repeaters etc. There will be many traders in attendance which will include Mike Higgins, EI0CL, Long Communications, Oak Electronics, The RSGB Book Stand, MREN Bring and Buy, Brandmeister Ireland – Digital Radio, The IRTS, many Radio Club information tables and more to come! Club Tables so far, Mayo VHF Group, Galway Radio Experimenters Club, M.R.E.N. and the Galway VHF Group.

Tables and any enquiries should be addressed to: Steve Wright, EI5DD, email “wrights1 /at/ eircom /dot/ net” or phoned to 087 2451218.

Meals will be available on Sunday in the Carvery for all the weary travellers prior to the AGM.

Those seeking a room at the hotel should mention the IRTS when booking to get the special rate for the weekend. There are numerous B&Bs in the area of Salthill which may be found on the B&B finders on the internet.

Repeaters in Galway include: Tonnabrucky Fusion/analog: RX 145.625, TX 145.025 CTCSS 77Hz; Abbeyknockmoy Analog Repeater: RX 430.825, TX 438.425 CTCSS 77Hz and Multimode Digital Gateway on 144.850 MHz.


Limerick Radio Club

The LRC Rally is scheduled for Sunday the 25th March in the Radisson Blu Hotel Limerick. Anyone wishing to book tables please contact Michael Kingston EI2IX e-mail “michaelkingston /at/ eircom /dot/ net” or to Harry O'Loughlin e-mail “oloughlin /dot/ harry /at/ gmail /dot/ com”

As for previous years the LRC website will advertise for sale items, so please send your list to Michael's e -mail address.

LRC is expanding its team of newsreaders for the Monday evening broadcast of IRTS News. Welcome to Tom/EI5CA and Liam/EI7DSB who will debut in the next couple of weeks. The News is broadcast on the Limerick 2 metre repeater (145.725/145.125MHz) at 20.00. The broadcast is followed by a general call-in which in turn is followed by Morse Practice. All callers welcome.

Brendan EI0CZ, Harry EI2KL and Tom EI5CA continue with Morse Practice, on the Limerick 2 metre repeater after the IRTS News at 20:00 on Mondays, and at 20:00 on Tuesdays.


Tipperary Amateur Radio Group

Reminder that the February meeting of the Tipperary Amateur Radio Group is to take place in The Park Hotel, Clonmel on Thursday 22th February at 8.30pm. New members or anyone interested in amateur radio are very welcome to attend.

For anyone who wishes to find out more about the Tipperary Amateur Radio Group and its activities you can come along to any of their meetings. You can also check their website www.ei7trg.ie or contact club PRO Ronan EI4KN at QTHR for further information. Mid-Ulster Amateur Radio Club Over the next number of months Mid-Ulster Amateur Radio Club has a number of speakers, everyone is welcome!

11th March John McCullough Gi4 BWM on DMR. 8th April Philip Hosey Mi0 MSO region 8 manager. 20th May Paul Lewis Mi1AIB WAB & BYLARA talk. 10th June talk on Digital Selective Calling. Everyone is welcome members and visitors.


Kerry Amateur Radio

The Kerry Amateur Radio held their AGM on Saturday 27th January in Castleisland, Co. Kerry.

A lively meeting was held with a great attendance. Events from the past year were profiled leading to a very good and productive discussion for events in 2018 and 2019. A calendar of these events has been sent to all members.

Officers were elected for 2018 as follows: -

Chairman / QSL manager: Declan Horan EI9FVB Treasurer: Billa O’Conor EI7CQB Secretary / PRO: John Costello EI9ESB

It was decided to invite expressions of interest for classes or tutorials for the Amateur Radio Licence examination and to that end a short piece was posted on the Kerry Amateur Radio Group YouTube channel that was then linked to social media. Anyone in the region interested in registering their interest is encouraged to email the club via “ei1karg /at/ gmail /dot/ com”.

The next Kerry Amateur Radio Group monthly meeting is on 24th February at 11am in the Sports Hall in Killarney. All are welcome to attend, new members are encouraged.


South Eastern Amateur Radio Group

A date for your calendar. The 2018 AGM of the group will take place on Monday the 26th of February 2018 in the Roanmore Social and Sports Centre, Cleaboy Road, Waterford at 8.00 p.m. sharp. As this is the most important meeting of the year for the group all members are please asked to attend. New members or anyone interested in the hobby are very welcome to come along also.

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.


DX News

A group of 4 European operators will be operating from Rotuma Island from around 23rd February until 16th March. The callsign will be 3D2EU and the IOTA reference is OC-060. Activity will be on all bands 160 – 10m using CW, SSB and Digital. Rotuma is located about 650km north of Fiji and counts as a separate entity for DXCC purposes.

Two South Korean amateurs will be QRV from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam as XV9HL from 26th February until 6th March. Look for them on CW, SSB and the Digital modes. QSLs go via HL1AHS.

Jim WB2REM and Mark WY1G will be in Nicaragua from 26th February until 6th March. They will use the callsign H7DX on CW, SSB and FT8. QSL via Club Log OQRS.

The callsign 4U13FEB is being used by the United Nations Global Service Centre ARC in Brindisi, Italy until the end of March. The callsign celebrates World Radio Day (13th February). QSL manager is 9A2AA and contacts count as Italy for DXCC.


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.

[A]

contact IRTS
irts groups.io