The next IRTS committee meeting will take place on 10th December at 11.00 in Portlaoise. Affiliated clubs are encouraged to send a representative.
The December issue of Echo Ireland will go to print in the early days of December. With the CQWW CW contest taking place that means a deadline for ECHO Ireland is two weeks from now, that is the first few days in December. No later please. Your co-operation is gratefully appreciated.
RMS Titanic, the world’s largest passenger ship at the time, sank on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York, following a collision with an iceberg, at approximately 0245 on the morning of April 15th 1912.
1,517 people lost their lives in the tragedy.
The 100th anniversary of the sinking will be marked by several special event stations at ports associated with the ships maiden voyage.
These include Belfast, Southampton, Cherbourg, Cobh, Cape Race, VO1MCE and a maritime mobile station, VE0MGY, at the site of the sinking.
The call sign EI100T has been issued for the year 2012 and will operate in co-operation with the Cobh Titanic 100 Committee.
The main events will happen over the weekend of April 13/14th and EI100T will also be operated regularly throughout the year.
A special award will be announced before the end of December in conjunction with the other special event locations.
Enquiries and QSLs to EI4HQ QTHR.
On Wednesday 16th November last Michael EI5GG gave a superb information talk on ATV. Michael’s encyclopaedic knowledge of ATV was most certainly demonstrated combined with his unique teaching style. Among the audience were our most welcome visitors from South Dublin Radio Club (SDR), Daniel EI9FHB and Tom EI7HT. We look forward to the next talk and demonstration to follow very soon. Everyone welcome.
This year's South Dublin Radio Club Christmas Party will take place on Tuesday the 13th of December.
The venue will be the same as last year, "The Morgue," Templeogue Village from 8.00 pm until late.
Members of other clubs and visitors are as usual very welcome to this social event. Limited free food will be available for paid-up members & visitors can choose from the bar menu until 9.00 pm.
The Lough Erne Radio Rally will take place April 1st, 2012, an easy to remember date. This promises to be a very worthwhile rally to attend. Keep your diaries free for April 1st next and don’t be fooled.
Scientists boost battery strength with small holes.
Batteries for phones and laptops could soon recharge ten times faster and hold a charge ten times larger than current technology allows. Scientists at Northwestern University in the US have changed the materials in lithium-ion batteries to boost their abilities. One change involves poking millions of minuscule holes in the battery. Batteries built using the novel technique could be in the shops within five years, estimate the scientists.
N7OU has been very active from the South Cook Islands as E51NOU on CW during the past few weeks. His plans to travel to the North Cook Islands, which count as a separate DXCC entity, have had to be put on hold due to problems with flights between the two islands. It is hoped that by the time you hear this that fuel will again be available in the North Cook Islands to enable flights to resume and hopefully N7OU will be on the air as E51MAN from Manihiki Island. As with his earlier operation he will use only CW and plans to be there till 6 December.
Darko E70A, who also operates as J28AA from Djibouti, has indicated that he may be active from Somalia using the call 6O0DX from 21 -30 November. Due to the general security situation in the area there is some doubt as to whether this operation will take place.
Following on from his recent visit to Guinea in West Africa with the 3XY1D team Sigi DL7DF is now headed for Kenya for a holiday until 6 December. He will reactivate his Kenyan Call 5Z4HW which he had previously used in February 2004 and February/March 2008.
A team of German amateurs will be active from Banana Island off the coast of Sierra Leone from 22 November until 4 December. They will use the callsign 9L0W and for the island chasers the IOTA reference is AF-037. QSLs go via DK2VW.
The IARU Region 1 website reports that the use of HF for relief operation in Italy and Turkey has finished.
The use of HF frequencies by RNRE in Italy for the flooding in the North West of their country and TRAC for the Earthquake in Van province of Turkey has finished. There is no further need to take care when operating around 3.643, 3.760MHz, 7.045-7.060 and 7.092-7.095 MHz.
Thanks to all amateurs who kept the frequencies clear for emergency traffic.
Items for inclusion in next week’s Radio News can be submitted via e-mail to “newsteam /at/ irts / dot / ie” for automatic forwarding to both the radio and printed news services. Urgent news items for the radio news maybe telephoned to the radio news editor, Aidan, EI7JC on 085 7100511.
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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