In the interests of generating some activity on the 4 metre band there will be a call in on 70.2625 MHz on the first Tuesday of every month. The first 4-metre activity evening starts at 8.00pm on the 4th of June. Whether you have AM/FM/SSB gear, use vertical or horizontal polarization, please call in. Even if you do not have access to 4 metre equipment, SWL reports would be most welcome, e-mail Joe EI3IX at joe_fadden@yahoo.com For anyone interested in 2-metre SSB activity, there is a call in every week after the Sunday 11 o'clock I.R.T.S. news, on 144.300Mhz. Again it does not matter whether your antenna is horizontal or vertical, just give a call to help get some activity going on this mode.
The squares table is up and running again this year, anyone working DX on any of the VHF/UHF bands please forward their totals for inclusion on this table. The table will be published in each edition of Echo Ireland, anyone looking for the up-to-date scores will find them on EI7GL's web page at www.qsl.net/ei7gl Thanks to John for including the table on his homepage.
Finally the rules for the up coming VHF Field Day in July will be unchanged, there will be the usual 2 sections, Restricted 2 metres only & the Open section, 2 metres, 6 meters, 4 metres, 70cm & 23cm. (See the IRTS member directory). It is hoped that there will be plenty of active stations in EI for this contest.
The Slievenamon Perpetual Trophy was presented to the IRTS by Tipperary Amateur Radio Group in 2001. It will be awarded to the station that achieves the highest number of points in a 70cm's only competition.
Tipperary Amateur radio Group hopes that this award will in part encourage activity on the 70cm band throughout the month of July. The competition is to be restricted annually to all Sundays over the month of July and only FM simplex contacts are valid. Points are calculated as follows; 1 point per contact multiplied by the number of counties. Outside EI/GI only 1 point and no multiplier. Entrants are permitted to include contacts made during the IRTS UHF/VHF field day, so long as the contacts are on 70cms FM and simplex. There is a power restriction of 150watts. Contacts can be made mobile, portable and stationary. This is an IRTS members only competition and standard competition logs are to be submitted to the IRTS Contest Manager ei2jc@hotmail.com before the 31st of August. For further details please e-mail TRG secretary at john.burke@honeywell.com. July seems like a long way but now is the time to start planning on potential sites to use, equipment and antenna setup.
Paul EI6FE will be activating WAI square M40, Co. Claire in June. Operation will be with and FT817 running 5 watts and a dipole antenna. More information will be released soon.
The next general meeting of South Eastern Amateur Radio Group will take place at 8.00 p.m. on Wednesday the 29th of May in the Roanmore Social and Sports Centre, Cleaboy Road, Waterford. The guest at this meeting will be IRTS President, Dave Moore EI4BZ. Members are asked to attend and visitors and new members are welcome.
The 6-metre shield in now running for the third year, it has been won by Charlie EI5FK in 2000 and by Dave EI3IO in 2001. This shield has done a lot to promote 6 meter activity in EI. Rules are unchanged. Its run over a calendar year, 01/01/2002 - 31/12/2002. The scoring is calculated as follows: Unique contacts x Maidenhead locator squares x DXCC. All modes count. At the end of the year, logs are to be submitted to the contest manager Noel Walsh, ei2jc@hotmail.com.
Paul G4IJE plans to be QRV from IO55 (as EI4VXB/P) from June 8th to the 14th. Mainly SSB, a little CW if necessary and perhaps WSJT. As with his previous activities from IO41 and IO66, this will be a holiday not a DXpedition, but Paul should manage several hours operation on most days.
IRTS Contest Manager Noel Walsh EI2JC has released the results of the Spring Counties Contest held on April the 1st last. Participation was excellent with stations from 31 counties appearing in the 18 logs submitted. The standard of log entries was variable with many failing to indicate the section entered and some did not understand the scoring system.
All logs were re-scored by the contest manager and careful checking of the logs before submission would have yielded higher scores for some entrants but would not have altered the section winners.
The most competitive section was the Low Power Portable with 8 entries and the long trip to the Slieve Blooms in County Offaly paid off for Society President Dave Moore EI4BZ who came out on top with 3,819 points.
Another East Cork entrant finished runner up with Dennis EI6HB making 3,135 points from his County Waterford location. The third spot went to the South Eastern Amateur Radio Group EI2WRC/P operating from County Kilkenny with 2,955 points.
Other stations in this section were Joe EI3IX, Shannon Basin Radio Club EI2SBC, Pat Hurley EI2JF, Peter Grant EI4HX and Tipperary Amateur Radio Group EI7TRG.
A close battle between the two entrants on the High Power Portable Section saw the South Dublin Radio Club EI2SDR just hold off the Dundalk Group EI7DAR with scores of 5,994 and 5,795 points respectively.
In the High Power Fixed section, Mark Boothman EI9IB with 2,012 points was the winner with Clifford Beck EI5FQB taking the runners-up spot.
The Low Power Fixed Section winner was Hugh EI2HI.
The FM Only Section was headed by Niall Foley EI4CF with 2,064 points followed by Eamonn Kavanagh EI3FFB with 1,376 points. Third place went to John O'Sullivan EI6ARB with 1,210 points. John Edgeworth EI6IW was fourth and Padraig O Meachair EI7GK was fifth.
Thanks to all who participated, especially those who sent in logs and a special thanks to the 10 stations who took the trouble to get out portable and activate some of the rarer counties on VHF. The next 2 Metres Counties Contest will be held on Sunday August the 25th. Please mark your diaries and don't be caught napping.
Items for inclusion in Echo Ireland should be forwarded to Dave Moore EI4BZ at 021-4883555. Items can also be submitted to Dave by e-mail at ei4bz@eircom.net.
Items for inclusion in the Radio News should be forwarded to Mark Wall EI7IS at QTHR or via e-mail to ei7is@qsl.net or cyberis@e-merge.ie. Items can also be sent to Mark over the phone at 087-6302026.
News can also be submitted via e-mail to news@irts.ie for automatic forwarding to both news services.
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