Archived News Script
IRTS Radio News Bulletin Sunday January 25th, 2026
Update from the IRTS
The Coolmine Rally is on Sunday the 15th of February 2026 at Coolmine Community School in Dublin. Doors open at 10 a.m. IRTS will be present for casual chats about our work and memberships. IRTS awards curator Mark Kilmartin will also be collecting award trophies from previous winners. For anyone who needs to get in contact with Mark regarding return of trophies, you can find his contact details on the contact section on irts.ie
We are seeking additional HF newsreaders to join our current panel of news readers for the weekly Sunday morning 40m and 80m IRTS news bulletins. If any licensed IRTS member living in EI feels like that they would be interested in becoming part of the IRTS newsreaders panel, please get in touch with the IRTS news team via email to newsteam /at/ irts.ie
AGM Weekend Update from Limerick Clare Amateur Radio Club
In preparation for the IRTS AGM Weekend on the 18th and 19th of April, the Limerick Clare Amateur Radio Club writes in to say that they have secured the following accommodation arrangements with Treacy's Oakwood Hotel in Shannon. Standard room rates per night for bed and breakfast are €169 for a twin room and €149 for a single room. Upgrades, if desired, are available for an additional charge. To avail of these prices when booking, it is essential to use the reference number 232938 and book by phone and not online. The reference does not work for online bookings. The hotel phone number is 061 361500. Further details regarding the weekend are now available on the club website limerickclareamateurradioclub.ie and the IRTS website. Additional material will be made available nearer the event.
EI2WRC Group Meeting
The January meeting of the EI2WRC group will take place tomorrow, Monday, January 26th at 8 p.m. sharp at the Southeast Technological University in the 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 very welcome to attend also. For more information about EI2WRC, their activities, and for contact details please see www.searg.ie
Tipperary Amateur Radio Group
The next meeting of the Tipperary Amateur Radio Group will be held at Raheen House Hotel, Raheen, Clonmel, Co Tipperary on Tuesday the 27th of January 2026 at 8 p.m. The Eircode for this new venue is E91 AC82. TARG would like to thank Tim and Lucy Clarke, the owners of The Princess Bar, Clonmel for all their help and assistance over the years in hosting the meetings at their licenced premises. TARG also wishes them both a long and happy retirement, having recently closed after 39 years in business. For more information about Tipperary Amateur Radio Group, you can email them at ei7trg /at/ gmail.com
VHF/Microwave News
IRTS members active on VHF and above are encouraged to submit their worked squares information for 2025 and earlier years where applicable. The team is updating the information for the VHF/Microwave section of the IRTS website. You can send the information to the VHF/microwave managers by email.
The repeaters, beacons, and gateways listings are included as part of the upcoming updates. Thanks again to those that contributed to the refresh of information over the past few months. The team continue to welcome any additional changes or updates.
Interest is sought regarding a CW activity event for the 2m and 70cm bands in the near future. It will not be a contest but a fun relaxed activity to try some CW contacts on the bands. If interested, contact the VHF/Microwave team with suggestions regarding possible dates, duration, and format.
The email address to reach Keith EI5IN and Denis EI4KH for all these topics and any other items of interest is vhf_manager /at/ irts.ie
Amateur Radio as a Vital Link for Emergency Communications
Allegations of undersea cable sabotage or damage is motivating some citizens in Taiwan to learn how to send and receive their own emergency communications. A nonprofit civil defence group, Ganghu, has started training people on how to communicate using amateur radio, in case the internet becomes unavailable. Taiwan relies on 15 international and 10 domestic communication cables to carrying most of its internet traffic. These cables are damaged on average seven to eight times a year, according to a 2025 report by Taiwan's National Security Bureau.
Belarus Threatens Ham Radio Operators with the Death Penalty
It is reported that Belarussian state authorities have detained over 50 licensed members of BFRR, the Belarusian Federation of Radioamateurs and Radiosportsmen. They are accused of treason and espionage and have been paraded on state television. The accusations are that they have used Baofeng handhelds and consumer-grade SDR dongles to intercept military radio traffic. Hardware like that is incapable of cracking the modern AES-256 digital encryption typically used by government security forces. QSL cards received through the QSL bureau and logged contacts with operators in Europe or the United States are being presented as clandestine reporting to NATO agents.
Bouvet Island DXpedition Update
The operators, the medical and the support team of the upcoming Bouvet expedition are preparing for their departure from Cape Town on the 1st of February. They will be on air for around three weeks until the end of February. Travelling on a large sailing vessel, an onboard helicopter will be used to transfer numerous generators, tents, tools, radios, antennas, and amplifiers to the island. Two camps are planned which will be sited at favourable locations for propagation towards North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Operations will be on all bands from 160 to 10m, except 60m, and on the QO-100 satellite, giving preference to human based modes like CW and SSB. Unlike the ill-fated DXpedition in 2023, expect to be able to at least hear the 3YØK CQ calls, and hopefully make contact amid what will no doubt be the biggest pile-up in 2026. Up-to-date information can be found at 3YØK.com
IRTS 80m Counties Contest Results
The results of the IRTS 80m counties contest on New Years Day are now available on the IRTS website. Well done to the winners and all that took part.
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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