Archived News Script
IRTS Radio News Bulletin Sunday 6th May 2018
ComReg Licensing
ComReg has finalised its new online application facility for all Amateur Station licence applications.
All applications for Amateur Station Licences should now be submitted through the eLicensing website.
Details: The facility will be available via the existing elicensing website;
The only Payment options for Amateur Station Applications is by credit card Detailed instructions how to submit an application may be found on our website
Please email licensing /at/ comreg.ie for all queries in relation to the above.
Additional Frequencies
A reminder. ComReg in December 2015 published a Draft Radio Spectrum Management Strategy 2016-2018. The Society responded with a comprehensive submission to this draft and a summary of this was published in the March 2016 edition of Echo Ireland.
In June 2016 ComReg published its final Radio Spectrum Management Strategy 2016-2018 and indicated its intention to grant some additional spectrum to the amateur service. This has now been done and is in line with some of the requests made in the Society’s submission. The 70 MHz band has been extended to 69.9 MHz to 70.5 MHz. This is an increase of 275kHz over the existing band of 70.125 to 70.450 MHz and is the full band that may be allocated to the amateur service under the European Common Allocations table.
Further spectrum covering all modes including digimodes has been granted on a secondary basis at 30 to 49 MHz and 54 to 69.9 MHz. The latter band also includes digital television in addition to all other modes. These new frequency bands are listed among the bands available generally to radio amateurs in Annex 1 of a recently revised version of the Amateur Station Licence Guidelines document ComReg 09/45 R4 which is available on the ComReg website. The new bands in the 40 MHz and 60 MHz regions will, among other things, facilitate modern type beacons in the region of these frequencies as well as moving the existing 70MHz beacon on 70.130 MHz to the section of the band designated for beacons.
IRTS will be producing a local band plans for these two bands in consultation with countries that have allocations at these frequencies and IARU.
The Society would like to express its appreciation to ComReg for the release of this extensive spectrum to the amateur service on a secondary basis.
Contest Today
For those listening to this bulletin on Sunday morning, remember the IRTS 40 metres counties contest starts at 12:00 UTC, 1.00 pm local time. www.irts.ie/contests has all the details.
Amateur Station Licence Examination
We wish to remind all potential applicants that the next Amateur Station Licence Examination will be held on Thursday 31st May in the ComReg Offices in Dublin. Some applications have already been received. As places are limited and are allocated on a first come first served basis those intending to sit the examination should apply soon. Full details, including entry procedure, examination fee and how to pay the fee online are available at www.irts.ie/exam
Please note that it is necessary to download the application form from the web page and forward the completed form and the appropriate fee so as to secure a place for the examination. It is important to note that even if you pay the fee online you must still complete and forward the application form. The closing date for receipt of completed applications is Thursday 17th May.
Course Guide Printable Version
The IRTS Course Guide is designed to assist individuals prepare for the exam and also to act as a template for those organising classes. It is available for online browsing at www.irts.ie/course and also as a downloadable zip file for offline browsing. Frank McKeown EI8HIB has now prepared a printable version of the course guide from our online version, and has made this document available to the society. We acknowledge the work undertaken by Frank in compiling the printable version and thank him for this.
The IRTS Downloads page www.irts.ie/downloads has a PDF file of this new version of the guide, as well as the ZIP file of the browser version. The Downloads page includes other useful documents for those preparing for the exam, such as "Studying for the Harmonised Amateur Radio Examination Certificate" which includes the Syllabus, a Sample Paper and reports on previous exams by the Licence Examination Board. There is also a Document Pack containing reference documents for the Licensing Conditions and Operating Rules and Procedures sections of the syllabus. For those without access to a printer, a search of "Thesis Printing" will highlight a number of print companies offering an online printing service for PDF documents.
IECRO Radio Club
Do you know of anyone living in Mullingar, or the surrounding midlands region, who may be interested in becoming a ham radio operator? The IECRO radio club in Mullingar will be starting another of its training courses shortly to prepare candidates for the license examination. To enquire or to book a place, contact can be made via email to “info /dot/ iecro /at/ gmail /dot/ com”
Limerick Radio Club
The final LRC Meeting, before the summer break, will be held in the Limerick Institute of Technology on Thursday the 10th May at 7:30 PM.
Club activities for the summer months will be outlined. The May talk, by Simon EI7ALB, will be on EME.
Please note that the final session of the CW instruction will be transmitted on the LRC 2 metre repeater on Monday 7th May immediately following the IRTS news. Thanks to Harry EI2KL, Brendan EI0CZ and Tom EI5CA for their commitment and patience and for generating renewed interest in CW over the last 6 months.
DX News
The Turkish island of Buyukada will be activated from 7th – 11th May. The callsign will be TC0AX and the IOTA reference is AS-201. This will be mainly a holiday style operation covering all bands 80 – 2m. QSL manager is M0SDV and cards can be obtained through Club Log OQRS.
A 5-man team from Reunion Island will be QRV from Rodriguez Island signing 3B9RUN from 11th – 16th May. Activity will be on 80 – 10m using SSB and FT8. QSLs go directly to EA7FTR.
Three Australian amateurs will sign VK9LI from Lord Howe Island (IOTA OC-004) during the period 11th – 18th May. They will be on 160 – 17m and QSLs are via Club Log OQRS.
A team of 7 Belgian operators will be on the Isle of Wight from 8th – 13th May. Their calllsign will be GB9OSA and they intend to operate SSB and Digital on 160 – 2m. QSL manager is ON6EF.
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]
