Archived News Script
IRTS Radio News Bulletin Sunday February 28th 1999
Wicklow Wireless Society
Members of Wicklow Wireless Society have changed their meeting nights and now get together on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at the Ravenswell Convent in Bray. New members and visitors are always very welcome. Their next meeting will be on Tuesday next, March the 2nd.
New Prefix VY0
The Canadian territory of Nunavut comes into existence April 1, 1999, and with it, a new Amateur Radio prefix. Radio Amateurs of Canada announced that Nunavut will get the prefix VY0. The new territory will be about five times the size of Alberta but has a population of just 24,000.
E44DX caused a major stir
The DX community wasted no time in mounting a full-blown DXpedition to the newly minted DXCC entity of Palestine. The E44DX operation commenced February 16th at approximately 1200 UTC, shortly after the call sign was released to the Palestine Wireless Society by the Palestinian National Authority's Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (MPT). With 48 hours to go to the finish on Monday last at 2000, E44DX had clocked up more than 30,000 contacts. The team also got to meet Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, who expressed his support for ham radio and sent his regards to the worldwide amateur community. Led by Martti Laine, OH2BH, the international team included QST DX Editor Bernie McClenny, W3UR, as well as OH1RY, and OH2TA. They worked in co-operation with Ali, E44A (formerly ZC6A) and Sami, E44B (formerly ZC6B), using two stations from the Palestine Hotel equipped with Yaesu FT-1000MPs and FET amplifiers. Antennas were dipoles and verticals. After the DXpedition ended, the E44DX call sign was assigned to the newly formed Palestinian Amateur Wireless Society. Arrangements were made to leave equipment behind for the new club station, assuring continued Amateur Radio activity from E4. Almost a week before E44DX was even authorized, some stations reported working a station identifying as "E4DX" on 40-meter CW. That station appears to have been a pirate. Palestine formally will be added to the ARRL DXCC List effective October 1, 1999, but contacts made with E4 stations after February 1, will count toward DXCC. QSLs for E44DX go to OH2BN.
DX'ers Investigated
The United States Postal Service is reportedly investigating about a half a dozen U-S hams for alleged postal fraud. This,involved the way that they allegedly prepared Self Addressed Stamped Envelopes sent to QSL managers of DX'peditions. The inspectors are trying to determine in the hams deliberately misplaced postal stamps in such a way as to avoid being automated cancelled and making them re-usable at a later date. The investigation is being co-ordinated by the Postal Inspector in Phoenix, Arizona where the alleged fraud was uncovered. The inquiry reportedly includes radio amateurs residing in New Jersey, Ohio, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Kentucky and Florida. A number of overseas hams are also alleged to have taken part in the scheme.
DX News
Song, HL2AQN, well known to many EI amateurs, will be QRV in Cambodia from March 12 to 17 on the 15 and 10 metre bands on both SSB and CW. He will use the callsign XU7AAC. The frequencies will be :21.160 and 28.480 on SSB and 21.140 and 28.060 on CW. Others to watch out for are XF4MX on Socoro Island from March 1st to the 15th: FW5FN from Wallis Islands until March the 8th: KG4WB from Guantanamo Bay from March the 18th to the 25th.S79AG and S79XB will be active from the Seychelles until March the 14th. VK9EHH on Lord Howe Island will be on 14162, 16260 and 21300 from March 6th to the 18th.
Looking ahead
Here is a reminder of some dates from the weeks ahead. An IRTS Committee Meeting will be held in the Shamrock Lodge Hotel in Athlone on Saturday March 13th at 1430. The annual EI Activity Day will be held on Sunday March 21st while the Limerick Rally takes place on the same day at the Limerick Inn on the Ennis Road in Limerick. The IRTS 2 metre Counties Contest takes place on Monday April the 5th and the IRTS AGM and Dinner dance will be held in Dundalk over the weekend of April 24/25th. The Donegal Rally will be held this year on Sunday June 27th in Jackson's Hotel in Ballybofey. Organisers of events are asked to contact the news team with their dates.
Items for inclusion in the Radio News can be faxed to 021-632730 or passed on the telephone to Dave EI4BZ on 021-632444 during the day or at 021-883555 in the evening.
Input for the Newsletter should be sent to Kevin EI7IM at QTHR or on the phone at 01-4509514 or by E-mail to EI7IM@tinet.ie All input to either the radio news or newsletter can also be sent by e-mail to news@irts.ie
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