Archived News Script
IRTS RADIO NEWS BULLETIN Sunday September 13th 1998
Cork Rally next Sunday
The annual Blarney Rally promoted by Cork Radio Club will take place next Sunday at the Blarney Park Hotel starting at 11 am. The rally will close at 4.30pm. All the usual traders will be in attendance and the Cork Astronomy Society will attend with a display of telescopes etc. There are still a few tables available which can be booked by ringing Con EI7DJB on 021-270136.
Tir Conaill Amateur Radio Society
The Tir Conaill Amateur Radio Society annual general meeting will be held in Jackson's Hotel in Ballybofey on Wednesday September the 30th at 8.30pm. All members are asked to attend and of course intending members will also be made very welcome. The annual rally will also be held in Jackson's Hotel on Sunday November the 1st and the annual dinner dance will as usual be held the previous night at the same venue. All information about the rally or the dinner dance can be had from the secretary, Gerry Dykes EI8HO, on packet at GB7TED or EI5TCR or on the telephone at 072-52598.
World Amateur Radio Day
This year's world amateur radio day will be held on Saturday next, September the 19th with the theme of "Communicating Worldwide for three quarters of a century". This is to honour the first two-way transoceanic amateur radio contact made 75 years ago on November the 27th 1923 between a French station 8AD and American stations 1XAM and 1MO. This was the start of the shortwave era. No doubt there will be many special event stations on the air worldwide to mark the occasion.
2 Metre Counties Contest
The Autumn 2 Metres Counties Contest will be held on Sunday next September the 20th from 1400 to 1600 local time. Please note the time change from previous years.
Intending participants are reminded that there are some changes to the last published rules, the important ones being that a club entry must be in a portable category and a club entry cannot take part in the FM only section. FM only stations must be single operator but may be fixed or portable. Logs must be submitted within 30 days to the Contest Manager at P.O. Box 462, Dublin 9 and should be include a summary sheet showing station location, section entered, claimed score, the equipment used and the names and callsigns of the operators.
EI3TSR Operation at Tall Ships' Race
Members of the North Dublin Radio Club operated a special event station, EI3TSR, for the Cutty Sark Tall Ships' Race, in Dublin Port. The station was located in the den of The 1st Port of Dublin Sea Scouts, at Pigeon House Road.
The EI3TSR callsign was active from Saturday 22 August until the following Tuesday, when the Tall Ships left Dublin Port in a spectacular colourful armada. The station went QRT for a minute at 3.10pm on Saturday as a mark of respect for the victims of the Omagh bombing.
There were two HF stations active, on CW, and SSB. A two metre VHF station was also active. The backbone of the operation consisted of Joe EI4FV, Sean EI3IP, Tony EI5EM, Dermot EI4ESB, and not forgetting Mike EI/PA3FPZ who handled big pileups with great ability.
Sean EI3IP handled the packet station and logged on to Mir on many occasions. Tony EI5EM operated the CW station with EI6CW and EI5EN guesting. The Club would like to thank these, and all others who assisted, by operating or loaning equipment, or by helping in any other way, including John EI0DK, Paul EI3FKB, John EI6HL, Mark EI4FNB, Brendan EI3GV, and Jack EI7HX.
Cork Repeater AGM
The Annual General Meeting of the Cork Repeater Group will be held on Tuesday next September the 15th at 8 pm. The meeting will be held at the premises of Cork Radio Club in Wilton Park House, Bishopstown and following the recent upgrade of the 2 metre aerial system and the consequent big increase in activity, a large crowd is expected.
Tipperary AREN and GPS
Several members of Tipperary AREN have recently added personal Global Positioning Satellite units to the range of communications equipment already available for use by the operators if required by the emergency services. Coupled with the knowledge to read maps, GPS units provide comprehensive route information and are capable of providing accurate position fixes in either latitude/longitude or Irish Grid to an accuracy of 15 metres. They also give Maidenhead Grid and WAI square location information. Sunday the 30th of August offered an opportunity to practice with the GPS units when Tipperary AREN provided safety communications for a sponsored walk through the Comeragh mountains to raise funds for the Brewery Lane Theatre Group located in Carrick-on-Suir.
Upcoming HF Contests
The Scandinavian CW Activity Contest will be held next weekend, from 1500utc on Saturday September the 19th until 1800 on Sunday the 20th. The SSB leg of the same contest will take place over the following weekend, the 26th and 27th. The CQ World Wide DX RTTY contest will be held over 24 hours on Sunday September the 27th.
WAI Activity
Sunday September the 6th saw WAI activity on 40 metres when George GI0SRQ activated squares in counties Armagh, Tyrone, Derry and Antrim. George was travelling from Armagh to the rally in Coleraine and he activated all squares en route. On his return journey, he travelled a different route to activate some rarer squares. The band was in good shape but there were some problems due to the field day stations.
Wicklow Wireless Society
Wicklow Wireless Society has reopened following the summer break. Meetings will be held on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month in the Old School Ravenswell Convent in Bray commencing each evening at 8pm.
Items for inclusion in the Radio News can be faxed to 021-632730 or passed on the telephone to Dave EI4BZ at 021- 632444 during the day and at 021-883555 in the evening.
Input for the Newsletter should be sent to Kevin EI7IM at QTHR or on 01-4509514 or on E-mail to EI7IM@tinet.ie All input to either the Radio News or the Newsletter can also be sent by e-mail to news@irts.ie
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