Archived News Script
IRTS Radio News Bulletin Sunday September 16th 2007
CQIR
With the CQIR Contest only two weeks away the sub committee are working hard to promote the event worldwide. There is excellent coverage on the various contest reflectors but we believe this event will also attract a lot of interest from non-contesters. It is more difficult to get the message out to these operators and we would ask our own DXers to actively promote the event on the bands over the next two weeks. You can stress the point that 75 QSO’s with any stations in the contest will get them into the draw for the trip to Ireland, and then simply refer them to the IRTS website, www.irts.ie
EI75IRTS will be very active before and during the event and we will have more details of these activities next week. If any members have contacts with local press or local radio stations, who are interested in covering the event, the Society can assist you with Press Releases and other support documentation. If you need assistance contact Paul EI2CA by email, “paul at comma dot ie”, or phone 087 2523908.
Short Range Devices (SRDs) on 10 GHz
ComReg is proposing to open the segment 10.4 to 10.42 GHz to licence-exempt Short Range Devices or SRDs. These will be mainly for movement detection in the context of traffic control and will have a power level of 500 milliwatts. There is an experimenter secondary allocation at 10.0 to 10.5 GHz. The EU notification procedure and the standstill period for observations means that a final position on this will not be adopted until early October at the soonest. The relevant document is ComReg 07/37 and is available on the ComReg website at www.comreg.ie Any experimenter having concerns about this proposal can write to Jim Connolly at ComReg.
Logs
Logs for EI7IRTS activity on CW and SSB are required by the QSL Manager, Denis, EI6HB immediately. There are a lot of direct QSL cards after arriving and QSO details must be checked before confirmation is sent out. Logs (preferably in ADIF format) should be sent to “ei6hb at eircom dot net”.
All who participated in the 2 metre counties contest, even those who gave out just a few points, are encouraged to send in their logs to the Contest Manager. The latest date for log entry is the 25th of September.
DXpedition to St Brandon
A group of mainly European amateurs are currently operating from Isle du Sud, one of about 16 small islands known as the Saint Brandon Rocks on an extended reef in the Indian Ocean northeast of Mauritius. The call sign being used is 3B7C, and well-known EI contester Paul O'Kane EI5DI is one of the operators. In their first 5 days of operation, the group clocked up 50,000 QSO’s, of which almost 60% were on CW. Their signals have been heard on all HF bands in EI, and to date there are more than 100 QSO’s with EI stations in the log. There is still plenty of time to work them, as the plan is to continue operating until Monday the 24th of September.
Galway Radio Experimenters Club
The Galway Radio Experimenters club (GREC) held its AGM in the Menlo Park Hotel on Tuesday last the 11th of September 2007. The agenda for the night was to discuss club issues, elect a new committee and to discuss the upcoming Marconi field day which is of course the 100th anniversary of the first commercial radio link between Europe and the United States. The new committee members elected are as follows:- Tom Frawley (EI3ER) as chairman. Damian Commins (EI2HG) as treasurer And Adrian Jackson (EI7DMB) Club secretary. Two ordinary committee members were also elected and these were Larry MCGriskin (EI9CN) and Tom McNamara (EI8DD).
It is the aim of the club to Run Classes in the New Year and to participate in most if not all of the upcoming field days and events. There was an excellent turn out for the meeting and the committee would like to thank the 24 members who took time out to attend.
EI0MAR
EI0MAR will be QRV on Saturday and Sunday the 29th and 30th of September for the CQIR event. On Saturday the station will be active between 1100 and 2200 UTC and also on the following morning. On Saturday evening, the North Dublin Radio Club's weekly meeting will take place at the station. The vintage radio museum in Howth, which houses EI0MAR, is located in the Martello tower in Howth. Access is up a steep pathway opposite the Abbey Tavern. Visitors are welcome and may operate the station using their own or the club's call sign. Further information on EI0MAR is available on the club's website. This is easily found by googling the words EI0MAR, Martello and Howth. A link to the museum web page will allow downloading of a free 22-page booklet about the tower and the history of wireless.
Marconi Clifden Celebrations
On the 17th of October 1907 Guglielmo Marconi sent his first commercial message from the then new station at Clifden, Ireland. This October in celebration of this historic event member of the Galway Radio Experimenters Club will be running a special event station from Saturday 13th to Wednesday 17th from Clifden. The club has been issued the call sign EI100MFT for the event, MFT been the last call sign used on the original station.
On the Wednesday they will be making a special linkup with the Marconi sister station in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia. Part of this linkup will be an exchange of greetings between President Mary McAleese and Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia the Honourable Mayann E. Francis. The group will also be honoured to have Princess Electra Marconi present as she is coming to Clifden for the festival along with an Exhibit from the Marconi Foundation in Bologna. The Galway Radio Experimenters Club will also be presenting a display of vintage equipment. More details on the festival can be found at www.clifden.ie Visitors to the station are more than welcome and if you would like to participate this can also be arranged. For further information please contact Enda Broderick (II2II) on 086-8676410 or email: “enda dot Broderick at lightnet dot ie”.
Winlink Experiment
John, EI7IG, is experimenting/testing a Winlink Telpac Node in the Waterford area, if anyone is interested in participating, please contact him directly at 086-8167310.
Limerick Radio Club
The next meeting of the Club will be on the Thursday 11th of October at the usual venue, the Limerick Institute of Technology, Moylish at 19:30 hrs local time. All those interested are welcome to attend.
Theory Classes
There is a free course for the forthcoming radio theory exam running in the Ballyroan Community centre, Marian Rd, hosted by South Dublin Radio Club. It is held between eight and ten p.m. on Tuesday evenings. Also there will be a course held in Crossakiel, Kells held on a Wednesday 8:30 to 10:30, hosted by the newly founded CARA club (Crossakiel Amateur Radio Association).
Also anyone interested in radio will find a visit to the clubs enjoyable. Call Michael (EI2GKB) on 0872481970 for details.
Blarney Rally
The Cork Radio Clubs 16th Radio Rally will take plane on Sunday the 23rd of September at the Blarney Park Hotel. The rally will feature all the usual traders including club stands and the IRTS. The bring-and-buy will also feature and there is ample car parking.
Doors open at 11 a.m. For details, contact Con on 021-4270136 or 086-1071312.
Other Upcoming Rallies
The Waterford Rally will take place on Sunday the 21st of October in the Woodlands Hotel, Waterford. For more information visit www.searg.com
The Foyle and District Rally will take place on Sunday the 4th of November 2007 at the White Horse Hotel, Derry. For more information visit www.mn0aku.org.uk
The Mayo Radio Rally will take place on Sunday the 18th of November in the Belmount Hotel, Knock, Co. Mayo. For more information contact Padraic Baynes, EI9JA @ QTHR.
DX News
A team of 9 Greek amateur radio operators are going to activate the Syrian island of Arwad (AS-186) for the first time in the IOTA program, between the 1st and 13th of November. The callsign for this station will be YK9SV.
Activity is on all HF bands with at least 2 stations operating around the clock, including 6 meters and using CW, SSB, RTTY and PSK. QSL is via SV1JG. For latest info visit www.raag.org/arwad
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 in order to be guaranteed inclusion in the following Sunday’s bulletin.
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