Archived News Script
IRTS Radio News Bulletin Sunday April 5th, 2026
IRTS Updates
After receiving additional nominations for committee positions beyond those published in the Spring edition of Echo Ireland newsletter, the IRTS is now holding a paper ballot under Rule 24.1 of its constitution. The election will determine the 11 committee members. Members should soon receive a paper ballot by post. Please return it by post to arrive by Friday, 17 April 2026. Members who have not returned their ballot ahead of the AGM at 2 p.m. on Sunday, the 19th of April 2026 may place them in the ballot box at the AGM venue.
On Easter Monday, tomorrow, April 6th, all radio operators are invited to participate in the two-metre and seventy-centimetre counties contests. This year’s event takes place on the afternoon of Easter Monday, April 6th. Both SSB and FM modes are welcome, and the required contest exchange consists of a signal report, a serial number, and the operator's county. For the full set of rules and scoring details, please visit irts.ie/contests. We wish all participants the best of luck on what is a friendly and enjoyable event on the air.
The next HAREC exam is scheduled for Saturday, May 16th, at the Clayton Hotel, Dublin Airport. Due to high demand and limited spacing, anyone wishing to sit the exam is urged to submit their application as soon as possible via the website at irts.ie/exams. For any specific inquiries regarding the examination process, you can reach out to Mick, EI6IKB, via email at irts_exams /at/ irts.ie
Update from your ComReg Liaison Officer, Jeffrey EI7IRB
ComReg Liaison Officer Jeffrey, EI7IRB, has provided an update following recent communications with the regulator. Regarding the "Health of the Hobby" survey, ComReg received 250 responses from over 1,900 invitations. While the high level of detail provided by participants was appreciated, the response rate represents less than 13 percent of Irish amateurs, which ComReg states is insufficient to support meaningful policy analysis or firm conclusions at this time.
Additionally, ComReg is currently reviewing the 1300 to 1304 MHz and 2400 to 2450 MHz bands to determine if they can be made generally available in the future. Since 2018, 70 individual authorisations have been issued for these bands, and technical consultants will soon begin a formal review. ComReg has contacted all past and present authorisation holders via email to gather specific data on equipment and usage.
Finally, it has been confirmed that ComReg will speak on the Saturday afternoon of the upcoming AGM weekend. The regulator will present the aggregated data from the "Health of the Hobby" survey and, if timing allows, provide feedback on the microwave band review.
IRTS AGM Weekend in Shannon
The Limerick Clare Amateur Radio Club is looking forward to hosting the IRTS AGM Weekend on April 18th and 19th in Shannon, County Clare. The IRTS Gala Dinner will take place on Saturday, April 18th, and is a ticket-only event. Tickets cost 40 euro and must be purchased in advance by the strict deadline of April 11th to accommodate hotel catering requirements. Those wishing to attend should contact the club treasurer at irtsgaladinner.2026 /at/ gmail.com as soon as possible.
On Sunday, April 19th, the club rally and monster draw will open its doors at 10:30 a.m., with many prizes available in the raffle. Ahead of the AGM weekend, the next regular club meeting is scheduled for April 9th at TUS, starting at 7:30 p.m. The meeting will feature a presentation on electromagnetism by Seán Kearney, and all members are encouraged to attend.
Buildathon Event from Limerick Clare Amateur Radio Club
As part of a full programme of events for the IRTS AGM weekend, the Limerick Clare Amateur Radio Club has organised a buildathon event on Saturday the 18th at 10 a.m., at the Shannon Aviation Museum. Participants will build and take home their own high-tech internet radio. For just 20 euro, all components, tools, and technical support will be provided on the day. There are a small number of places still available. Those wishing to participate need to register at limerickclareamateurradioclub.ie
Updates from Shannon Basin Radio Club
The next Shannon Basin Radio Club 80m SSB DX net takes place on Thursday night from 9 p.m. The frequency will be in the region of 3.775MHz plus or minus QRM. All are welcome especially SWLs. Andy McCarthy EI7IOB, Pat O’Connor EI9HX, Keith Nolan EI5IN, and Daniel McDowell EI8ICB from the club are among the list of nominees for the IRTS committee in the upcoming IRTS AGM. Shannon Basin Radio Club wishes the best to them and to the rest of the candidates. Visit sbrc.ie for more information about the club and its activities.
Bletchley Park Presentation by Galway Radio Experimenters Club
The Galway Radio Experimenters Club will be giving a presentation on a recent trip to Bletchley Park and the RSGB National Radio Centre at its next club night. Among the 4 that visited the centre was Paul O'Connor EI5IPB who is also running as a nominee for the IRTS committee. Galway Radio Experimenters Club wishes him the very best in his endeavours. The club night is on 7th April at The Menlo Park Hotel, Galway at 8 p.m. All are welcome.
Special Event Callsign EI0WAAAW for Autism Awareness
April 2026 marks World Autism Awareness Month, with World Autism Awareness Day having been observed on April 2nd. To commemorate the month, Ian EI3LH has been allocated the special event callsign EI0WAAAW. This callsign will be active for various operations throughout the month of April. This activation also intends to promote the 'Make 270 CW Great Again' campaign, involving several operators from Ireland and members of the FISTS club. The use of EI0WAAAW is more than just a QSO opportunity; it aims to raise awareness of the complex needs of children and adults living with autism. Further information and updates will be posted to the IRTS Groups.io reflector and on Ian’s personal blog at www.ei3lh.eu
VHF/Microwave News
On the irts.ie/repeaters webpage, you can now download importable files for programming your radios. These CSV files, for Chirp-compatible radios as well as the Icom 9700 so far, contain the latest EI repeaters information as published on the website. A version for Anytone radios will follow in due course. The team would like to hear about other formats that would be of benefit to the community. You are asked to please contact the VHF/microwave managers Keith EI5IN and Denis EI4KH via email to vhf_manager /at/ irts.ie with your suggestions.
The team encourages operators to join in the fun on the 2m and 70cm Counties Contest on Easter Monday from 2 p.m.
Periods of tropospheric propagation are expected from approximately Tuesday onwards. These may provide good but fleeting opportunities for contacts in the UK and beyond.
Another SSTV event from the International Space Station is scheduled to run from April 10th until the 14th on 437.55 MHz using the Robot36 mode.
TOG POTA Activation on Easter Monday
The TOG Hackerspace group will be active for a Parks on the Air activation from Ticknock Forest, park reference IE-0116, on Easter Monday, April 6th. The operation is scheduled to begin at approximately 10:30 a.m. using the club callsign EI0TOG, with Jeffrey Roe, EI7IRB, leading the activation. Listeners and visitors are welcome to join the group in person at the forest or to call the station on the bands throughout the day. Interested parties should follow TOG Hackerspace on social media for real-time updates, including specific bands in use, or visit tog.ie for more information.
Contest Calendar
Results from the recent 80m counties contest have been published on the IRTS website. Well done to the winners and all that took part. The IRTS 2m and 70cm Counties Contest takes place on Easter Monday, April 6th. It starts at 2 p.m. with the 70cm contest running for 30 minutes. It is immediately followed by the 2m contest taking place for 90 minutes until 4 p.m. The 2026 UK/EI DX CW contest will take place over the 25th and 26th of April 2026. The final UKIECC 80m contest in this 2025 to 2026 series takes place on Wednesday 29th April 2026 at 20:00 UTC using 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. The deadline each week is midnight on Thursdays. Items intended for inclusion in Echo Ireland, which is the IRTS quarterly journal, should be sent to echoireland /at/ irts.ie
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