Archived News Script
IRTS Radio News Bulletin Sunday February 22nd, 2026
Updates from the IRTS
As we enter Spring - a favourite season for outdoor radio adventures, the IRTS encourages everyone to enjoy radio experiments and field activities with safety first in mind. Your IRTS membership includes complimentary public liability insurance, please find the full policy at irts.ie/insurance
For those new to the ham radio hobby, the license exams are typically held twice yearly - in early summer and late autumn. While the 2026 exam dates are not confirmed yet, now is a great time to start preparing, you can find study materials, including a free complimentary study guide at irts.ie/study
IRTS wishes all members a safe and fun season of radio activities.
IRTS AGM Weekend Gala Dinner
The Limerick Clare Amateur Radio Club reports that it is continuing its preparations for hosting the IRTS AGM Weekend. They are pleased to confirm that anybody wishing to book tickets for the Gala Dinner on April 18th should send their details to their club treasurer using the email address irtsgaladinner.2026 /at/ gmail.com
When the tickets are printed and available, the treasurer will contact those who have booked and make arrangements for payment. As the gala dinner is one of the highlights of the AGM Weekend, it is hoped to see as many people as possible in attendance.
South Eastern Amateur Radio Group EI2WRC
The 2026 Annual General Meeting of the South Eastern Amateur Radio Group EI2WRC will take place, tomorrow Monday the 23rd of February 2026 at 8.00 p.m. sharp on in the South East Technological University, Netlabs Research and Innovation Building, SETU West Campus, Carriganore, Waterford. Eircode X91 WR86. All members are asked to please attend. Any new members or anyone interested in radio communications in general or finding out more about the group are welcome also. For more information about EI2WRC, their activities, and for contact details please see www.searg.ie
DMR Demonstration Evening with South Dublin Radio Club and TOG Hackerspace
South Dublin Radio Club in collaboration with TOG Hackerspace will host a Digital Mode Radio (DMR) demonstration evening on the 24th of March from 7.30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., at the club. Jeffrey EI7IRB will give a practical demonstration covering setting up a DMR hotspot, creating and programming a codeplug in addition to tips and lessons learned during setup. This session will be of interest to anyone curious about DMR or looking to improve their existing setup. Members who would like to contribute presentations on other aspects of DMR are very welcome to get involved. The venue will be the South Dublin Radio Club, Ballyroan Community, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14.
Shannon Basin Radio Club Updates
The next Shannon Basin Radio Club SSB DX net takes place on the 80m band next Thursday night from 9 p.m. The exact net frequency will be posted on the club’s social media channels closer to the time. For information about the club, you can email admin /at/ sbrc.ie or visit their website.
World Amateur Radio Day
Every April 18th, radio amateurs worldwide take to the airwaves in celebration of World Amateur Radio Day. Operators worldwide take to the airwaves in celebration of amateur radio and to commemorate the formation of the International Amateur Radio Union in 1925. The IARU has announced that the theme for this year’s World Amateur Radio Day will be “Entering the Next Century of Amateur Radio Communications and Innovation”. Special event stations will be active all around the world. Of note so far is the Radio Amateurs of Canada holding a “Get on the Air on World Amateur Radio Day” special event. They encourage amateurs to get on the air and contact as many RAC stations. The RAC official stations will operate across Canada from 00:00 UTC to 23:59 UTC that day.
New 60m allocation in the U.S.A.
The Federal Communications Commission in the United States of America recently expanded Amateur Radio privileges on the 60-meter band. The new rules took effect on the 13th of February. United States Amateurs holding a General, Advanced, or Extra class license are now permitted to operate on four fixed frequency channels, each having an effective bandwidth of 2.8 kHz, as well as one 15kHz wide segment. The channels are 5330.5, 5346.5, 5371.5, and 5403.5kHz with 100W Effective Radiated Power, and a 15kHz segment from 5351.5 to 5366.5kHz with 9.15W ERP. Here in Ireland, we have six spot frequencies with 200W ERP authorisation and 15W on the same 15kHz wide segment. This means that the USA and ourselves now share three of the fixed channels which use the USB/CW dial frequencies of 5330.5, 5346.5, and 5403.5kHz as well as the 15 kHz wide segment. Please consult the ARRL webpage on arrl.org/60m-channel-allocation for details, especially when working American hams on CW on 60m.
VHF/Microwave News
Periods of enhanced propagation due to tropospheric ducting are expected during the coming week. At the time of writing, late Monday night and for a short time on Thursday afternoon appear to be the best opportunities. Round 3 of the European FT8 and FT4 activity series continues on the 2m band on March 4th from 5 p.m. The project focuses on encouraging regular activity, fair comparison of results, and easy log submission for everyone interested in weak-signal digital modes.
Contest Calendar
The 2026 CQ 160M SSB Contest will be held next weekend, starting at 22:00 UTC on Friday, and ending after 48 hours at 22:00 UTC on Sunday. All skywave propagation on 160m is limited to the hours of darkness. This means Irish hams can achieve a total of 32 to 38 hours of night time operation, while catching some sleep during daylight. Continental operators may eke out a few more contacts on groundwave during the day but being on the western edge of Europe we have an advantage just before sunrise on Saturday and Sunday, with opportunities to catch American stations, just as topband fades out.
The next UK and Ireland Contest Club contest in the 2025-26 series of 80m contests is on Wednesday 25th February 2026 at 20:00 UTC on CW.
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 the radio news editor Keith EI5IN via email to 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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