IRTS are going to relaunch the Worked All Ireland Award with an Activity Day on Sunday 26th September. IRTS want to encourage operators with mobile and portable facilities to activate squares and everybody is asked to work out their WAI square to boost activity.
The W.A.I. awards are open to all amateurs and short wave listeners throughout, the world, who wish to participate. Membership of any specific organisation is not pre-requisite.
The aim of the awards scheme is to expand the geographical knowledge of Ireland and its offshore islands.
1) To encourage activity in general and promote mobile and portable expedition activity on both LF and VHF bands.
2) To encourage amateurs and Shortwave Listeners to improve their operating skills by participating in or running nets.
The worked all Ireland awards were inspired by the WAB awards scheme devised by the late John Morris G3ABG and are based on extensive work carried out by David Jones GI3KVD and the late Paddy McGill GM3MTH.
Tom Rea, EI2GP, and Steve Wright, EI5DD, took the original work, checked the areas, made additions and compiled the book to its present day format which is now printed and distributed by the IRTS.
The Galway VHF Group sponsors the Certificates and manages the awards.
Stations calling into the radio news on the 26th are encouraged to give their WAI square as well as the report.
More details on the Worked All Ireland program is available in the current issue of Echo Ireland
Anyone interested in attending Theory Classes at Dundalk Amateur Radio Society Please contact Tony EI4DIB at ei4dib /at/ ei7dar.com or via text to 086 4066660
DAR has also begun live Morse tuition on Tuesday nights commencing at 20:40. The first class was this past Tuesday 14th September on 145.400 FM. DAR have decided to use this frequency as it is used by a lot of Hams and SWL’s locally in the North East. If the idea is a success we may eventually QSY to the Dundalk 2m repeater, giving National and International coverage with the Repeater linked for live streaming on the Internet.
The idea is to send some Morse at a slow and easy pace with good gaps between words. It is hoped to help those of you who are just starting out and those that want to sharpen up. So please tune in to 145.400 with pen and paper at the ready.
More info is available on the DAR website at www.ei7dar.com
Michael EI2GKB is starting a study group in the Naas Newbridge and Kildare area, for further details Michael can be contacted by mobile on 087 2481970 or via email miklef /at/ oceanfree.net
South Eastern Amateur Radio Group will be on air from the promenade in Tramore on Saturday the 25th of September from 12:30 to 17:30. The event is the Tramore Surf and Sea Festival. As operations will be to publicise to hobby, we would appreciate if operators could keep a listen out for us on both the SERN repeater network and around the 80m WAI frequency.
John EI7IG hosts an email list any experimenters interested in APRS. This is a low-volume list for further details please Contact, John Ronan, EI7IG 086 8167310 for more information.
The weekend of the 25 / 265h of September is the annual 30m Multi Mode Weekend. This weekend give Amateurs and SWL’s alike the chance to participate in Activity on the 30m band.
This weekend is a good opportunity for those that have Multimode software to use and Experiment some of the less used modes. Please bear in mind the 30m Region 1 band plan and also if calling CQ on a exotic or less heard mode during regular operation to be patient and call a number of times using the chosen mode as it may take some time for operators to actually find and decode the mode you have chosen to use.
Please also note this is not a contest, however most stations active on Digi modes particularly on 30m will be a member of the 30 Meter Digital Group, membership to this group is free. A membership certificate is issued once an application has been processed, which can be printed. Each member of the Group receives a membership number on their certificate, these numbers usually get exchanged in QSO’s with Signal Reports and can be used for various Group issued awards and certificates etc.
Please note this is not a contest Weekend the 30m band is Contest Free.
More details on this Multi Mode weekend and membership of the 30 Meter Digital Group please check out the groups website at www.30mdg.net
For the week starting 18th September, members of Sands Contest Group and Workington Radio Club along with Brendon Minish, EI6IZ will be visiting the Isle of Arran off the coast of south western Scotland, operating under the callsign MS0SCG.
They plan to operate on VHF, HF, SSB, CW and data modes. The location is IOTA island number EU123 and SCOTIA island number CS14.
For more information and an up to date blog on the event, Please checkout the group's website www.m0scg.org.uk
Jean-Robert Gaillard, HH2JR, has been presented with the Golden Antenna award for his work in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake.
He was presented with his award by the Deputy Mayor of Bad Bentheim, for his efforts as the "voice of Haiti".. When in January 2010 an earthquake destroyed large parts of his homeland Haiti and claimed many lives HH2JR used his amateur radio station to tell the world about the disaster. He was assisted by two U.S. Hams, Fred, W3ZU, Florida, and Rick, WA1RTK, in New Hampshire.
The town of Bad Bentheim in Germany makes an award every year to the amateur or amateur group who has made exceptional effort following accidents or natural disasters.
HH2JR was interviewed via video earlier this year by Brendan Nutley EI1429 This video interview is stored on the video link on the DAR website which can be found at www.ei7dar.com
Radio Group’s First Annual Rally and Electronics Fair. The venue is the Blarney Golf Resort, Tower, Co. Cork
Doors open at 11:30 a.m. The Rally Organiser is Liam, EI7GTB
For further details on Rallies please see www.irts.ie/rallies
1918 First direct radio message, UK to Aust. received by E Fisk, Sydney.
Items for inclusion in next weeks Radio News should be forwarded to Charlie EI8JB, preferably via e-mail to “charlie dot carolan at gmail dot com” Or by phone to 087-6265418 News can also be submitted via e-mail to “newsteam at irts dot ie” for automatic forwarding to both the radio and printed news services.
Please note that items for the radio news should reach the editor no later than midday on Thursday in order to be guaranteed inclusion in the following Sunday’s bulletin.
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