Archived News Script
IRTS Radio News Bulletin Sunday July 30th 2006
Eamonn Gibson EI9DUB, Silent Key
It is with regret that we announce the recent passing of Eamonn Gibson EI9GUB. Eamonn passed away on Sunday the 23rd of July in St. James hospital after a short illness. He was an avid Short Wave Listener before becoming a licensed experimenter when he became an enthusiastic operator of the VHF bands. He is survived by his wife, Therese and children Eoin, David and Ruth.
He will be sadly missed by his family and his many friends in the radio community. May he rest in peace.
Contests
The IRTS would like to thank all those who took part in both the 2 metres counties contest and the CW field day contest. The results are as follows; For the 2 metre Counties (Spring Leg), EI2JD came in first place in the High Power Fixed section while the Low Power Fixed section was won by EI4BZ. The High Power Portable section was won by EI7T/P and the Low Power Portable section by EI4HX/P. Winner of the FM Only section was EI2SBC. GI4FUE/P was the leading station outside EI in the High Power Portable Section and MN0LBA/P was the leading station outside EI in the Low power Portable Section, so both these stations are also eligible for awards.
The CW Field Day Winners were South Dublin Radio EI2SDR/P. Congratulations to all the winners.
Contest Rule Changes
The following rule change is effective for the 2 metre Counties Contest. In the FM only section no Club Calls are to be used from now on.
In the CW Field day the use of multipliers will be included in the scoring system from now on.
Both the full contest results and contest rules and rule changes are on the IRTS web site at www.irts.ie
As the Autumn 2 metres Counties Contest as well as the SSB field day are both around the corner, the IRTS would encourage the participation of as many stations as possible to take part in these contests as it is a great opportunity for both clubs and single ops to get on the air. Anyone wishing to take part or needing any info can contact the contest manager EI8IU on 086-2514822.
Mayo Rally
The Mayo Rally will take place on Sunday the 26th of November 11:00 a.m. in the Belmont Hotel, Knock. Special rates are available for those wishing to stay overnight. Bed and Breakfast is 50 Euro per person sharing or 70 Euro with evening meal.
For bookings, contact the Belmont Hotel directly on 094-9388122. For enquiries about the Mayo rally, contact the rally organiser Padraig Baynes EI9JA on 087-6957154 or email ‘pbaynes1 at eircom dot net’.
GAREC 2006 AREN delegates report
A report and photo from the 2006 Global Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Conference attended by The Munster AREN coordinator is now available on the news page of the AREN website at www.aren.ie
Limerick Radio Club
Limerick Radio Club is QRV as EI60LRC until the end of the year to mark 60 years since the clubs foundation.
Club members wishing to use the special call-sign should contact the club secretary Michael EI2IX at ‘ei4lrc at eircom dot net’. Please indicate the dates, times, bands and modes on which you would like to operate.
Station log books, duly signed by the operator of the call-sign, should be sent to Alan EI8EM within seven days of the completion of each operating period. This ensures that QSL cards can be issued promptly to the stations worked.
South Eastern Amateur Radio Group
A committee meeting will take place this coming Wednesday, the 2nd of August at 8.00 p.m. Committee members are asked to attend.
Kerry Amateur Radio Group
The next monthly meeting of Kerry Amateur Radio Group is on Saturday the 5th of August 2006 in the coffee shop at Muckross House, Killarney National Park, starting at 10am. More information is available at www.kerry.com
Newcomers Yahoo Group
A new Yahoo group has been set up to help Amateurs who are new to the hobby as well as older and more established operators who want a bit of banter or help should they require it.
The URL to this group is uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/amateur4amateur/ and is open to anyone in the UK or further away. Newly licensed operators are particularly welcomed and this would be the perfect forum for discussing operating and also a place where they can ask questions.
It is anticipated that a net on HF will be conducted in the near future, for all newly licensed operators in the UK, Ireland or further away to help them find a footing and develop confidence on the Air. Should they wish, CW lessons may be incorporated into the net, depending on numbers wishing to pursue it.
Details of the HF Newcomers Net will follow when the details have been worked out. Anyone interested in taking part, or for more information, please contact Jonathan Mi3JVI at ‘mi3jvi at yahoo dot co dot uk’.
Ham Mapper
Just in time for the IOTA contest, a new Windows version of the Global Overlay Mapper has been released. The latest version has a number of NEW maps, bringing the total to 8 Continental and 29 Sub-Continental maps, each with 12 overlays.
In response to many requests, the Global Overlay Mapper now has a new 'Jump-To' feature, which allows the user to load and annotate a map to indicate the position of a chosen feature. A user can also jump to the central position of any IOTA group. Ham Mapper is now FREE to download. For more information, visit www.mapability.com/ei8ic
VHF News
The next 6 metre SSB net will take place on Monday the 7th of August on 50.135 MHz (horizontal polarisation) at 2100 local time. All are encouraged to participate.
The 4-metre activity night takes place on the first Tuesday of each month between 20:00 and 22:00 local time. The next activity night is Tuesday the 1st of August. Please send reports to “ei3ix at eircom dot net”. Call in frequency is 70.2625 MHz. So if you have any AM/FM/SSB gear, vertically or horizontally polarised, give a call in! Don't forget to have a listen for the 4-metre simplexer on 70.350 MHz.
The Mayo, Galway, Roscommon Radio Experimenters Radio Group hopes to run a 2 metre / 70 cm SSB contest during the month of September this year. The date and contest rules will be announced in the near future.
DX and Special Events
EI7GK is QRV from Mexico as XE1/EI7GK. Listen on 14.268 MHz when band conditions are good. Best time for hearing Mexico is 06:00 to 08:00 local time.
GB1CPB, representing GB One Century Portland Bill, will be QRV until the end of 2006, from Portland Bill Lighthouse in Dorset to commerate 100 years operation of the lighthouse.
5W0DW, 5W0TR, 5W0JB and 5W0KI are QRV from Samoa until the 10th of August. Activity is on 160 to 10 meters using CW, SSB and RTTY.
Radio Amateurs in Mongolia have been authorised to replace their prefix with JV800 for the rest of 2006 to commemorate the 800th anniversary of Mongolian statehood.
Dates for Your Diary
The SSB Field Day will take place on September the 2nd and 3rd at Garbally College in Ballinasloe.
The Autumn Leg of the 2-metre counties contest will take place on the 27th of August.
The Blarney Rally will take place on September the 24th 2006.
Items for inclusion in next weeks Radio News should be forwarded to Mark Wall, EI7IS at QTHR or by phone to 051-853806 or 087-6302026. Items for the radio news can also be faxed to 087 5 6302026. News should be submitted via e-mail to “news at irts dot ie” for automatic forwarding to both the radio and printed news services. Please note that items for the radio news should reach the editor no later than midday on Friday.
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