Archived News Script

printer friendly version

IRTS Radio News Bulletin Sunday August 22nd 1999


2 Metres Counties Contest

The top scorer in the Spring 2 Metre Counties Contest was Peter Grant EI4HX who made 43 QSO’s and worked into 14 counties for a score of 2,574 points in the low power portable section. Denis EI6HB was second and Brendan EI8IB was third in this section.

The High Power portable section was won by Paul EI6FE with 46 QSOs, 12 counties and 2,472 points. Second place in this section went to Pat EI2HX and third place went to Robert EI7EPB.

High power fixed was headed by Tommy EI2IT with 58 QSO’s, 14 counties and 1946 points. The runner up here was Mick EI6GF.

Low power fixed was won by Paul EI3ENB with 24 QSOs and 9 counties.

The FM only section winner was John EI6ARB with 33 QSO’s and 10 counties. The runner up was Joe EI4FV.

Don GW0PLP won the overseas section with 19 QSO’s and 11 counties.

Unfortunately two entrants had to be disqualified because all of their operators were not IRTS members as per rule number one.

Congratulation to all participants, especially the section winners.

The Autumn leg of this contest is being held next Sunday and runs from 1400 to 1600 utc.

Please remember that contest QSO’s are not allowed on repeaters or on simplex channels S20 to S23.

Tipperary AREN.

Tipperary AREN were in action again last Sunday, August the 15th. A sponsored walk in the Comeragh and Knockmealdown mountains, organised by the Friends of St. Joseph’s Hospital, to raise money for a cardiac monitor and equipment for the children’s ward, provided an opportunity for the Group to practice, while providing safety communications. Fifty walkers participated.

The purpose of the exercise was to establish if a base station located in Clonmel could maintain reliable communications, on VHF, with backpacking portable operators accompanying the 28 Kilometre walk and a mobile station in the area. These operators would be up to 13 km's from Clonmel, and, for a large part of the time, on the other side of the Comeragh mountains in dense forests or deep in a glen within the mountains. To ensure, however, that reliable communications would be provided to the walkers, two other sites were selected where mobile stations were located for the duration, to relay messages to Clonmel if necessary.

It is well known that radio communications, to or from the area of operation, are difficult to impossible for other users. Yet, Tipperary AREN was able to provide unfailing communications between all operators and base in Clonmel, without the need for relay by the fixed mobiles at any stage. The Group received compliments on the effectiveness of the communications from members of other Emergency Services, alongside whom they were working.

Participants were, Hugh EI2HI, Tommy EI2IT, John EI3DIB, Paul EI3ENB, John EI6FOB, Ron EI6GO, Liam EI7FE, and Marie SWL.


North Monaghan Hobby Radio and Computer Exhibition

The North Monaghan Hobby Radio and Computer Exhibition will be held this year on Sunday the 24th of October in the Four Seasons Hotel, Monaghan (in the function room and not the disco). Doors open at 11.30 a.m. and the rally finishes at 4.30 p.m. All the usual retailers will be in attendance including large displays of computer equipment and a bring and buy. A bar and restaurant will be available in the hotel.


Solar Eclipse Experiments

Operating as EI7SEE (Solar Eclipse Experiments), the Waterford Institute of Technology Amateur Radio Society, from their temporary base in Wicklow at IO62WX, were active on the Solar Eclipse net on 7.060MHz on Tuesday 10th, Wednesday 11th and Thursday 12th August. The eclipse had some truly amazing effects on radio conditions. G stations disappeared for about 1½ hours around the maximum of the partial eclipse. GM stations were unaffected, and stations in ON and F actually improved their signals. There was also a DL station heard and logged trying to call into the net at one stage, but he failed to get through to the net controller. Conditions were as at night on 40m, with much QRM from European stations, but with no significant increase or decrease in QRN during the period. When the G stations returned, G0WRS, the net controller increased his signal from barely audible to S9+ in a matter of seconds, a truly amazing phenomenon to witness.

The next outing for the WIT Amateur Radio Society EI3RCW, is hoped to be the DARC (Worked All Germany) Contest in the autumn.


Dates for your diary

The Coleraine Rally will be held in the Bohill Hotel, Cloyfin Road in Coleraine on Sunday next August the 29th.

The Cork Radio Club annual rally will be held on Sunday September the 19th in the Blarney Park Hotel in Blarney.

Enquiries to Con EI7DJB QTHR or on the telephone at 021-270136.

The Leicester Amateur Radio and Electronics Exhibition will be held on September the 24th and 25th The RSGB International HF and IOTA Convention will be held at the Beaumont Conference Centre, near Windsor, over the weekend of 8th to the 10th of October.

The London Amateur Radio and Computer Show will be held this year on November the 27th and 28.


Input for the radio news should be sent to Dave EI4BZ at 021-883555 in the evenings only. You may E-mail to EI4BZ@tinet.ie or to EI8IR@tinet.ie

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@qsl.net 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.

[A]

contact IRTS
irts groups.io