Archived News Script
IRTS Radio News Bulletin Sunday 2nd December 2012
IRTS Technical Panel
The IRTS Technical Panel is a group of volunteers who have expertise in, or experience of, different aspects of amateur radio. The e-mail address irtstech /at/ irts.ie is a single point of contact for communicating with the Panel. Our aim is to help radio amateurs with technical or operational problems.
Send your question to irtstech /at/ irts.ie. Provide as much information as possible, including details of attempts already made to deal with the issue in question.
Contest News
One of the bigger international CW contests - the CQ Worldwide DX Contest - took place last weekend, filling much of the contest bands with CW, music to the ears of CW fans! For 10 metres and 15 metres this was a weekend of two halves - with disappointing conditions on Saturday, but much improved propagation on Sunday.
Quite a few EI stations were heard, with the East Cork Group EI7M, trying out their new antennas, reporting almost 6,000 QSOs. We also heard Douglas EI2CN, Michal EI3KG, Niall EI4CF, Ark EI9KC and Brendan EI6IZ.
South Dublin Radio Club Christmas Party 2011
This year's South Dublin Radio Club Christmas Party will take place on Tuesday the 11th of December.
The venue will be the same as last year, "The Morgue," Templeogue Village from 8.00 pm until late.
Members of other clubs and visitors are as usual very welcome to this social event. Limited free food will be available for paid-up members & visitors can choose from the bar menu until 9.00 pm.
South Eastern Amateur Radio Group
The South Eastern Amateur Radio Group’s Christmas get together takes place on Friday the 7th of December in Kilkenny city. The general plan is we intend to meet in Langton’s Bar 67 John Street, Kilkenny around 7:30 to 8 o’clock. Langton’s is a lively spot with a few different bars in there and a restaurant if anyone wants to get some food. A raffle will be held on the night with top prize of a handheld radio. Check out our website www.searg.com or our Facebook page for more details or directions etc. For anyone who intends coming down and maybe cannot locate us on the night you can contact the club P.R.O Sean EI2HZB on 083-1379764 who will know the whereabouts of the group.
Opportunity for Young Ham Radio Operators
Amateur Radio Supplies in Haverhill, Massachusetts, USA have contacted us with news of a fantastic new program to support youth activity on the HF bands. They seek to help a few lucky young hams get on the HF bands and make some contacts! Do you know any deserving young hams? They will be giving away 3 complete HF stations per year in order to support activity on the ham bands. Full details can be found at the following link www.amateurradiosupplies.com/youth-s/222.htm or by contacting Ger McNamara EI4GXB, IRTS Youth Coordinator.
DX News
Zorro JH1AJT will be in Cambodia from 5 - 17 December. He will use the callsign XU1A and be QRV on all bands 160 – 10m CW and SSB. QSLs go via the JA bureau.
Renner PY7RP will spend a few days on the island of Fernando de Noronha from 6 – 10 December. This is a separate entity for the DXCC award and the callsign will be PY0FRP. QSLs go via his home call.
Ralph H44RK will be active from Samoa with the callsign 5W0RK from 8 December until 3 March 2013. He hopes to be QRV mainly on 20 – 10m. His QSL manager is NR6M.
Mario CT1FTR is now in Sudan and has obtained the callsign ST2FT. QSL info is direct to CT2GBU.
Haru JA1XGI will be active from the island of Yap in Micronesia from 5 – 12 December. His call is V63XG and he will be 40 – 6m, CW, SSB and digital. The Islands on the Air reference for this one is OC-012. QSL to his home call.
ZL9HR DXpedition
The much-anticipated DXpedition to Campbell Island, a sub-antarctic island south of New Zealand, will be starting shortly. Campbell Island's antipode (the point on the Earth's surface diametrically opposite to its location) is not far off the south-west coast of Ireland. Nigel G3TXF has pointed out that this should provide considerable propagation enhancement across the spectrum for EI stations near the antipode, due to the phenomenon of "antipodean focussing" which reputedly can boost signal levels between stations located near their respective antipodes. Those with QTHs in Cork and Kerry may be very popular over the next few weeks!
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 maybe telephoned to the radio news editor, Aidan, EI7JC on 085 7100511.
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.
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