Kilkenny 2015
Tickets for the IRTS AGM dinner, this year, held on Saturday 25th April at 7pm are now available from John Ronan EI7IG via email on irtsagm/at/searg/dot/com.
Tickets are available from IRTS regional representatives and also from David EI6GVB at the Phoenix Rally in Coolmine on Sunday 15th February.
When booking your accommodation at the Hotel Kilkenny please use the code IRTS/SEARG RADIO to benefit from a reduced room rate.
The Rally will be on Sunday 26th with doors opening at 11am and admission is €5. The Trade Show will be geared towards a Radio, Electronics, Hobbies and Crafts Show so there should be something for everyone. All are welcome.
IRTS has been issued with the call sign EI150 ITU to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the founding of the International Telecommunication Union in 1865. The call sign is available for use by any EI station in the 26 counties holding a current amateur station licence. Anyone wishing to use the call sign can do so subject to notifying Dave O'Conner EI6AL of the times/ bands/modes prior to going on the air so as to avoid any potential duplication. Anyone applying to use the call sign is considered to be undertaking to use it in accordance with the ComReg Regulations, Technical Conditions, Frequency allocations and Guidelines relating to amateur stations. It is also essential that logs (preferably in ADI format) are kept when using the call sign and copies emailed to Dave EI6AL so that a central log can be held for QSL or other purposes. Dave can be contacted at dave.ei6al /at/ gmail.com or by phone on 086 1000000
The IRTS Contest Results page at www.irts.ie/results now includes the Provisional Results for the 80 metres Counties Contest held on 1st January last. All the logs submitted by email are included in these results. A small number of paper logs sent to the Contest Manager and subsequently forwarded to Joe EI7GY (who was scoring this contest) have gone missing in the mail. Anyone who submitted a paper log for this contest is therefore asked to send a copy of the submitted log to Joe Ryan EI7GY at his home QTH (see the call book).
It is once again that time of year to recall all the trophies and cups which were presented at last years AGM in Galway.
Items can be given to any IRTS committee member by March 25th, or if more convenient returned to the IRTS stand at the Phoenix Rally on Sunday February 15th, or at the very latest at the Limerick Rally on March 29th.
This will allow any cleaning, repairs and up to date engraving to be done.
The first 2015 rally is the annual Phoenix Amateur Radio Club rally, which takes places as usual in the Coolmine Community School, near Blanchardstown Shopping Centre, on Sunday 15th February. €5 will secure your admission and also a trading table should you need one, on a first come first served basis. Doors open at 10.30am.
The Limerick Radio Club will now hold their rally on Sunday 29th March 2015. Doors open at 11am. €5 admission and under sixteen’s are free. For more details see www.limerickradioclub.ie
Radio Theory classes in preparation for the next Amateur Station license examination will be held in Limerick depending on numbers. Anyone interested in attending should contact Ger McNamara EI4GXB before Sunday 15th February, via email ei4gxb/at/gmail/dot/com or 061 354922/087 2532512.
Again this week EI2FRC and EI2HD Dermot will continue their 2metre call-in on Wednesday and every Wednesday at 7p.m. Please try and give your support, by getting on the air, to keep 2metres alive. The frequency is 145.7625MHz, CTCSS 88.5KHz on the Dublin repeater.
SEARG will continue their 2metre net every Tuesday night after the IRTS weekly news. This is to promote the use of 2metres and frequency used is 145.400MHz. Everyone is welcome to join in the net and get 2metres active again.
You can follow SEARG on Facebook and on Twitter.com. www.searg.com
Three German operators will be active as ZD8D until March 6. While on Ascension Island they will be on all bands 40 -160m SSB, CW and RTTY. QSLs go via DL9HO and logs will be uploaded to Logbook of The World.
The well-known DXpeditioner Toshi JA8BMK continues his operation from Laos as XW8BM until 10 February. Next month he will show up from Vietnam as XV7BM.
Rich M5RIC will operate as MJ5RIC from Jersey from 11 -16 February. During the CQ WPX RTTY contest on 14 – 15 February he will use the callsign MJ7C. QSLs for both callsigns are from M0OXO using OQRS.
Prefix hunters may be interested to work TM60TAAF which is on the air to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the French Southern and Antarctic Territories. The station is located at the shack of Francois F8DVD and is due to be QRV on 6 – 8, 13 – 17, 19 – 22 and 27 – 28 February. QSLs go via F8DVD.
For those using ARRL's Logbook of the World service, QSLs have recently been received by the following:
VU4CB Andaman and Nicobar Islands XV2E Vietnam 3A2LF Monaco EP6T - the very recent dxpedition to Iran C5X - another recent dxpedition, this one to The Gambia
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 may be 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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