Archived News Script
IRTS Radio News Bulletin Sunday September 13th, 2026
Updates from the IRTS
The IRTS Vice President, Paraic Nolan EI2LH, has decided to step down from his role due to personal reasons. The IRTS would like to thank Paraic for his contributions to the society and to the wider amateur radio community. We wish Paraic all the best.
Each year, the IRTS annual general meeting is typically hosted by a volunteering member club. For the host club, the AGM is a great opportunity to bring operators together across the country while showcasing the club's contribution to the Irish amateur radio community. The IRTS is very grateful to Shannon Basin Radio Club which has stepped up to host the 2027 AGM. The AGM weekend is scheduled to take place on April 24th and 25th, 2027 at the Athlone Springs Hotel, Co. Roscommon. The AGM itself will be held on Sunday, April 25th. Further details will be announced in due course.
The IRTS would like to invite all operators to take part in the upcoming 2m and 70cm counties contest, taking place today, Sunday, 13th September. The contest begins at 2 p.m. local time with 30 minutes on the 70cm band, followed by 90 minutes on the 2m bands, both FM and SSB modes are used. We would like to extend a special invitation to our SWL members to take part, listeners should keep a log of the exchanges they receive and submit their log in accordance with the contest guidance. The winning operators and successful short wave listeners will be published on the IRTS contest results site. For full details and contest guidance, please visit irts.ie/contests
Kildare Amateur Radio Club’s upcoming Buy and Sell Extravaganza is scheduled for Sunday, October 18th, 2026. The venue is the Kill GAA Football Club in Kill Village, County Kildare. The Eircode is W91 XP95. Doors will open at 11 a.m. and admission is free to children under 12, and five euro for the general public. Further details and updates can be found online at kildarearc.com . On the same day, the IRTS committee will be also holding its in-person committee meeting, thus many committee members will be attending the extravaganza, this presents a great opportunity to meet the IRTS team in person. We look forward to seeing you there.
ComReg has advised the IRTS that its review of the current amateur radio licensing framework is progressing. LS Telcom has been appointed as technical adviser and is examining matters including transmitter power limits, operating modes, automatic stations and amateur frequency allocations. Over the past six weeks, it has met with a range of Irish amateur radio clubs and societies.
DotEcon has been appointed to review how HAREC examinations should be administered in the future. This includes examination delivery, locations, frequency, question formats, pass marks and the transparency of question pools. The review does not include changes to the HAREC syllabus.
Compliance Engineering Ireland will also carry out non-ionising radiation measurements at volunteer amateur stations during September. ComReg currently expects to publish its consultation and supporting reports before Christmas. It is considering allowing between six and eight weeks for responses. A longer update, with further details, is available through the IRTS Groups.io group. Anyone with questions is welcome, as always, to contact the IRTS ComReg Liaison Officer, Jeffrey Roe, EI7IRB.
DX Féile 2026 on October 3rd
Now in its 9th year, DX Féile will be taking place on Saturday, 3rd October at The Temple Gate Hotel, Ennis. The convention starts at 10:30 a.m. and runs until 6 p.m. It will be hosting International DX presentations by the FP5KE, XX9W, TK5SI, and S21WD DXpedition teams. Throughout the day. there will also be a fun DX Quiz, SSB, and CW simulated pileups and their famous giant tombola raffle. A great day is assured for the dedicated DXer. Tickets are selling out fast so if you are interested or need any further information please send enquiries to David Deane via email to ei9fbb /at/ gmail.com
Silent Key – Joe Dillon EI4FV
We are very sorry to report that Joe Dillon EI4FV passed away on September 10th. Joe was licensed in the early 1980s having first being active on CB. Joe had been a member of the North Dublin Radio Club as well as a founder of the Bayside Scouts Radio Club. Joe was also a former Treasurer of the IRTS and founded the radio club of the National Council for the Blind in Drumcondra. Between the different clubs, Joe was responsible for introducing a lot of people to the world of amateur radio. We extend our deepest condolences to his family and wide circle of friends. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam. May he rest in peace.
EI2REG is back on air
Limerick Clare Amateur Radio Club is pleased to announce that their local repeater, EI2REG, is now back fully functional after a period off air for repairs and some maintenance. The club extends a special thanks to Simon EI7ALB and Diarmuid EI4LF for their work in that regard.
Shannon Basin Radio Club Hosting the IRTS AGM Weekend 2027
As announced at the start of the news bulletin, Shannon Basin Radio Club will host the 2027 IRTS AGM Weekend. It will take place in the centrally located Athlone Springs Hotel, Co. Roscommon over the weekend of the 24th and 25th of April 2027. Radio-related activities will take place on the Saturday afternoon which will be followed by the IRTS Gala Dinner that night. The Shannon Basin Radio Club rally will then commence on the Sunday morning. The rally will then be followed by the IRTS 2027 AGM which will take place on Sunday afternoon April 25th. Applications for trader and club tables for the rally are now open. Traders and clubs will be contacted directly over the coming days, but you are invited to email admin /at/ sbrc.ie for more information. Further details about the weekend’s event will be announced over the coming weeks.
Emergency Traffic Priority Requested for ORARI Operation in Indonesia
In response to an ongoing disaster situation in Indonesia, the national amateur radio organization ORARI has activated emergency communication operations running through September 24th. Radio amateurs are kindly requested to avoid causing interference and to give strict priority to emergency traffic. Voice emergency communications are operating on 7.110 MHz, with JS8Call USB data traffic taking place on 7.100 MHz. Satellite operations for the LAPAN-A2 / IO-86 spacecraft are using an uplink of 145.880 MHz and a downlink of 435.880 MHz. Operators are encouraged to maintain a listening watch where possible, follow any further announcements from ORARI, and keep these frequencies clear.
Contest Updates
Well done to all those that took part in the SSB Field Day weekend last week. This is a friendly reminder that the deadline for log submissions is next Sunday, September 20th. These should be sent to contestmanager /at/ irts.ie
As reported earlier in the news, the IRTS 70-centimetre and 2-metre Counties Contests take place today September 13th. The 70cm leg begins at 2:00 p.m. followed immediately by the 2-metre contest from 2.30 p.m. The 145 Alive event is also taking place – it starts at 12 p.m. Every operator is encouraged to get on the bands and enjoy the increased level of activity.
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, news, meetings, or other items of interest, please send them via email to newsteam /at/ irts.ie . The deadline is midnight on Thursdays. Items intended for inclusion in Echo Ireland should be sent to echoireland /at/ irts.ie.
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