The next Amateur Station Licence Examination will be held on Thursday 4th October at 2 p.m. in the ComReg Offices in Dublin. Full details, including entry procedure, examination fee and how to pay the fee online are available by clicking on the Licence Exam button on the IRTS homepage at www.irts.ie Places for the examination are limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis. The closing date for applications to sit this examination is Thursday, 20th September Please note that it is necessary to download the application form from the web page and forward the completed form and the appropriate fee in order to secure a place for the examination. If you pay the fee on line you must still complete and forward the application form.
An IRTS team of young operators/SWL's will represent Ireland at the Youngsters on the Air event to be held over the week of 19 - 26 August in Eeklo, Belgium. Radio related events will be held during the week, including, kit construction, ARDF, dxpeditions, use of datamodes. contesting etc. Each country will also give presentations on youth in amateur radio in their respective countries. 9 teams from different European member associations of IARU R1 will be participating. The following countries are participating: Romania, Slovenia, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Ireland, Germany, Belgium and The Netherlands.
ON4YOTA will be callsign used for the week and we look forward to working many EI's.
The annual Vintage Valley in Inistioge, Co Kilkenny took place on Sunday last the 5th August. The SEARG display proved very popular with young and old alike. The display of old vintage radio’s brought many people back down memory lane. People were also amazed at Mark’s (EI7IS) ability of using CW to communicate with a station in France. SEARG would like to thank Roy and the organisers of the Inistioge Vintage Rally for inviting us to put on the radio display and we look forward to returning in 2013. We also would like to thank Mick (EI7GH) for manufacturing and donating a 40/80 metre trapped dipole to the club. SEARG theory classes continue to run every Wednesday night running up to the next exam in October and our monthly meetings take place in Roanmore Social and Sports Centre, Cleaboy Road, Waterford at 8.30 p.m. on the last Monday of each month. New members are always welcome.
NCRG will be activating Blackrock Castle as part of Cork Heritage Week on Saturday 18th August from 11am - 4pm approximately.
We will also be operating from Roches Point Lighthouse on Sunday 19th August from 11am - 5pm approx as part of the International Lighthouse & Lightship weekend.
Expected frequencies to be used are 7.170 +/- QRM and 14.270 +/- QRM. We will be activating Blackrock Castle as part of Cork Heritage Week on Saturday 18th August from 11am - 4pm approximately.
NCRG are pleased to announce their annual Radio Rally & Electronics Fair to be held on Sunday, 9th September 2012 at the Roebuck Room, Commons Inn, Blackpool, Cork.
Doors open at 11am and admission is €5 per person (children are free). Raffle tickets will also be available at the door.
The usual traders will be present. Also, due to high demand, anyone wishing to reserve a table, or anyone interested in setting up a stall, should contact Pat Thompson (EI2GHB) on 085 1407715 or Edwin Van Mierlo (EI2HEB) on 086 3885741, or alternatively via email at ei2heb /at/ ei1nc.com, as soon as possible to avoid disappointment
A team of over 15 operators from Limerick Radio Club will activate Loop Head Lighthouse, in Co. Clare, Ireland, for ILLW weekend on 18 & 19 August 2012. 2 stations will be active on all bands on CW & SSB. The call sign is EI0LHL. Loophead Lighthouse is designated IE0009. QSL Via EI4GXB. Logs will be uploaded to Clublog & LOTW.
CASOTA- IRELAND and CASHOTA - Castles and Stately Homes on the Air, will be holding its 2nd annual Heritage Month, throughout the last two weeks of August to encompass the Irish heritage Fortnight and the whole of September for the many Uk dates and regions. This award is open to anyone wishing to take apart either as an activating station or heritage chaser. All details of this event and CASHOTAS many other awards and events can be found at www.cashota.co.uk, with details for contacting the CASHOTA-Ireland Representative also being listed on the contacts page for Irish locations.
A DXpedition by a group of Indian operators to the Lakshadweep Islands will take place from 13 – 22 August. This separate DXCC entity will be remembered by older members as the Laccadive Islands. The operation will be based on Minicoy Island which counts as AS-106 for the Islands on the Air Award. The callsign to look for is VU7M and QSLs go via VU2JHM.
Ron DL4ME will be on holiday in Tanzania from 14 August to 3 September. While there he will operate as 5H3ME mainly on CW.
Dominic M1KTA will be visiting Senegal from 15 – 22 August where he will sign 6W/M1KTA. This will be followed by a trip to Gambia where the call will be C5/M1KTA from 22 – 29 August. QSLs go via his home call.
On 3 August the ITU updated its Table of International Call Sign Series to reflect a callsign change for Niue Island. In future calls will be issued with the prefix E6 instead of ZK2. Niue Island has a population of about 600 and lies approximately 1700 miles northeast of New Zealand. It is a self-governing island and has been in free association with New Zealand since 1974.
The special callsign M0RSE (M zero RSE) will be activated by Phil G3SWH on 18 – 19 August. Not unexpectedly CW will be used and further details can be found on www.m0rse.org . The log will be uploaded to Logbook of the World.
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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