Archived News Script
IRTS Radio News Bulletin Sunday March 30th, 2025
News from the IRTS News Team
With the SEARG radio rally taking place on Sunday, April 13th, there will be no 80m HF news bulletin that Sunday. The 40m bulletin at 11 a.m. will be read live from the SEARG rally. To facilitate this and due to the lack of HF readers on the day, the 80m bulletin on that day has been cancelled. Normal weekly 80m bulletins will return to normal on Sunday, April 20th.
The next HAREC exam is on May 17th
The next HAREC exam will take place on the 17th of May 2025. The location of the exam is the Clayton Hotel Dublin Airport, Stockhole Lane, Clonshagh, Co Dublin, K67 X3H5.
Due to expected high numbers, there will be a morning exam and an afternoon exam. The morning exam will commence at 11 a.m. till 1 p.m. and the afternoon exam will commence from 2 p.m. till 4 p.m. Candidates are advised to state which time suits when making their application.
Please see the licensing section of the IRTS website or contact Mick EI6IKB at IRTS_exams /at/ irts.ie if you need any further information.
South Eastern Amateur Radio Group EI2WRC
The March meeting of the EI2WRC group will take place tomorrow, Monday, March 31st at 8 p.m. sharp at the South East Technological University. Netlabs Research and Innovation Building, SETU West Campus, Carriganore, Waterford. The Eircode is X91 WR86. New members or anyone that has an interest in amateur radio or communications in general are very welcome to come along. SWLs are in particular very welcome to attend.
EI2WRC is delighted to announce that after further consultations with the Woodford Dolmen Hotel, and as all prebooked rooms have been taken, and with many people still looking for a room, they are willing to make five additional rooms available for the AGM weekend. These five additional rooms are the last rooms available. For anyone that still requires a room, you are advised to contact the hotel straightaway.
With regards to the IRTS Gala Dinner on April 12th, EI2WRC would like to inform people that unless you have a dinner ticket, you will be unable to attend. All dinner tickets must be booked and paid for before 4 p.m. on April 8th, 2025. In previous years, people could turn up on the day or let the club know the day before they wanted a dinner ticket.
Due to a change in hotel protocol, this is no longer the case. Whatever number is given to the hotel at close of business on April 8th is the number of people the club is then required to pay for whether or not that amount of people may be in seated for dinner. Likewise, anyone that might have purchased a dinner ticket and needs to get a refund, a full refund will be given if you request it before 4 p.m. on April 8th. Unfortunately, requests for refunds cannot be catered for after that deadline.
For more information about EI2WRC, their activities, and for contact details, please see www.searg.ie
South Dublin Radio Club AGM
South Dublin Radio Club's AGM will take place at 8 p.m. on Tuesday 29th of April 2025 at Ballyroan community centre on the Marian Road in Rathfarnham. All members are asked to attend.
Update from Shannon Basin Radio Club
The very popular Shannon Basin Radio Club HF SSB DX nets have now concluded for the season. SBRC would like to thank all who called in and supported the very successful nets over the last months. They especially wish to thank all the SWLs who supported the nets and hopefully will hear some of them on the mic in the near future. The club looks forward to resuming the nets in autumn.
You can contact Shannon Basin Radio club via email to admin /at/ sbrc.ie. Their website is www.sbrc.ie where you can also find further information.
VHF/Microwave News
If you missed the tropospheric propagation opportunities last week, don't worry. From today, Sunday, and for most of the coming week, periods of fair to strong tropo are forecast according to the DX Info Centre. The best conditions are likely to occur later in the week presenting operators on VHF and above with potential opportunities for DX into continental Europe.
Jeffrey Roe is hosting a Soldering Workshop
Jeffrey Roe EI7IRB and TOG Hackerspace are hosting a hands-on soldering workshop on Saturday, the 5th of April 2025 in Dublin. This two-hour workshop starting at 11 a.m. will guide you through the different types of soldering tools, materials, and techniques. You will practice what you've learned so you can feel confident in your newly acquired skills.
Starting with the basics, such as how to properly use a soldering iron, you will work your way up to soldering components onto a circuit board. Participants will leave the workshop with a fully functioning circuit of their own creation, a greater understanding of soldering, and a newfound sense of confidence.
The workshop will take place in Unit 1B Motor City, Kylemore Road, Dublin 12, D12 KRW1. The cost is 35 euro plus fees. No electronics skills are required. Participants must be at least 18 years old. Space is limited and booking is essential. You can book your spot via the link at www.tog.ie/calendar
Contest Updates
The next contest in the UK and Ireland Contest Club 2024 to 2025 series of 80m events takes place next Wednesday, the 2nd of April 2025 at 20:00 UTC using SSB. The EI5G bonus station will be operated by Roger EI8KN and the G5GEI bonus station will be operated by Tim G4FJK.
The RSGB FT4 International Activity Day takes place next weekend over Saturday April 5th and Sunday April 6th. It is a six-band, 24-hour contest to allow entrants to experience FT4 in a competitive context. It starts at 12:00 UTC next Saturday.
The IRTS 2m and 70cm Counties Contest will take place on Easter Monday, April 21st. The fast-paced 70cm counties contest starts at 2 p.m. local time and runs for just thirty minutes. The two-metre contest commences immediately afterwards and runs for ninety minutes from 2.30 p.m. until 4 p.m. The modes used will be FM and SSB. Six different contest sections are supported which include a SWL category. Both are fun and friendly events, and all are encouraged to join in. Further information and the rules may be found at www.irts.ie/contests
Items for Inclusion in Next Week's Radio News
That is the news for this week. Thanks to everyone for sending items into the weekly IRTS radio news. They are very much appreciated and are a great way to update the rest of the community about activities. If you have any club events, activities, meetings, or other items of interest, you are very welcome to email newsteam /at/ irts.ie with the details. These will be automatically forwarded to the IRTS radio and printed news services. The deadline each week is midnight on Thursdays.
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