Archived News Script
IRTS Radio News Bulletin Sunday May 16th 1999
Wicklow Wireless Society
Declan Craig EI6FR visited Wicklow Wireless Society on Tuesday last, May the 11th. Declan showed the video of the ZL9CI expedition to Campbell Island during January of this year and gave an interesting talk on what it was like operating from the other side of the pile-up. The video, which is professionally produced, is being sold to raise funds to defray the cost of the expedition and is available from Declan at QTHR.
IRTS Committee Meeting
The first meeting of the new IRTS committee was held in Athlone on Saturday last May the 8th. This is the meeting where the jobs were handed out and full details will be published in the next Newsletter. Some of the personnel changes include John EI6IR as Contest Manager, Stephen EI4FKB as Packet Co-ordinator and Dave EI4BZ as VHF Manager. John Corless EI7IQ will act as both Secretary and P.R.O. Peter Grant is looking after the Millennium callsigns and application forms are available from him at QTHR. The calls available are EI2K, EI2OOO and EI2MM. Clubs will be hearing shortly from the committee about the Millennium Club award.
Tipperary Amateur Radio Group Celebrate Win
Tipperary Amateur Radio Group members celebrated the awarding of the Pat Conway EI3Z Perpetual Memorial Trophy to the club at this years IRTS AGM, when they met at the Club premises on Thursday 29th April. This coincided with the already planned visits of Honorary Member Club Rob Mannion, G3XFD/EI5IW, Editor of Practical Wireless and Kevin, EI7IM, Editor of the IRTS Newsletter. The Trophy is awarded 'for exceptional service to Amateur Radio or the Society', and special mention was made of the Club's contribution to AREN. Club members won three other trophies. Tommy EI2IT won the high power fixed Spring 1998 VHF Counties Contest and Paul EI3ENB won the Spring and the Autumn low power fixed sections of the same Contests.
The Tipperary Group presented two awards of their own. Rob G3XFD was presented with a Certificate of Appreciation, citing his 'contribution to the continuance of the excellent relations that exist between Amateurs in these islands'. Club member and former Chairman Jim EI8W and his wife Pauline were awarded a similar Certificate for their generous contributions to the Club in the form of hospitality and making a HF rig available.
The local Press attended and a Group photograph and a write up were published in the Nationalist Newspaper with contact telephone number for anyone wishing to make contact.
Islands on the Air awards presented
We forgot to mention in last week's bulletin the awarding of two important operating trophies at the IRTS AGM. Both trophies are associated with the Islands on the Air Contest run by the RSGB each July, an event that is extremely popular with EI contesters. The Hal Hodgens Key was awarded to Martin Gillespie EI8GP for being the leading EI operator in the IOTA single-operator 12 hour CW section. The IRTS DX Trophy was presented to Society President Paul O'Kane EI5DI for his achievement in being the leading EI operator in the IOTA single-operator 24 hour section.
This years Islands on the Air Contest will be held over 24 hours on Saturday and Sunday July 24th and 25th. Once again there will be lots of EI participation and rumours to date suggest that previous winners the WestNet Group will again operate from GI0KOW's station. The Dalkey Island Group are returning to St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands, the East Cork Group are returning to Bere Island, Sean EI4GK will lead a team on the Aran Islands and Anthony EI2HY and friends will activate the Blaskets. We would like to hear of any other planned operations for this contest.
Galway Marconi Station
Members of the Galway Radio Experimenters Club mounted their usual special event station for Marconi Day again this year using the callsign EI4IMD. Unfortunately the event clashed with the annual Maamturk Walk which meant that operators were scarce for the station. However Bill EI5FY, Kieran EI4FFB and Enda EI2II put on a great show and despite poor propagation conditions, several hundred QSOs were made on the day.
Looking ahead
Terenure Radio Club will hold their annual rally on Sunday next, May the 23rd in Terenure College Concert Hall. Doors open at 11.00 am.
The next big international contest on the calendar is the WPX CW event over 48 hours on May the 29th and 30th.
The Region One CW Field Day will take place over the weekend of June the 5th and 6th. There are two categories in this one. A restricted section only allows a single element aerial and an open section with no restrictions on aerials. The Pete Daly Cup is awarded to the winners of the open section and the Paddy Smith Cup goes to the restricted section winners. The new contest manager would like to see an improved entry this year.
Input for the radio news should be sent to Dave EI4BZ at 021-291099 during the day or at 021-883555 in the evenings.
Input for the Newsletter should be sent to Kevin EI7IM at QTHR or on the phone at 01-4509514 or by E-mail to EI7IM@tinet.ie All input to either the radio news or newsletter can also be sent by e-mail to news@irts.ie for automatic forwarding to both news services.
List Requests to John EI8IR (ei8ir@tinet.ie) News submissions to news@irts.ie IRTS Web page www.irts.ie
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