Archived News Script

IRTS Radio News Bulletin Sunday 7th January 2018


80 Meters Counties Contest

The 80 metres Counties Contest on New Year's Day was well supported, with participation by more than 80 EI and GI stations along with several overseas stations. Nearly 40 contest logs have been received to date. The Contest Manager is hoping that many more logs will be submitted before the deadline on Monday 15th January.


Morse Tests

Morse testing will be held at The Creggan Court Hotel in Athlone on Saturday January 20th starting at 1400.

Testing will also be held at the Phoenix Radio Club Rally at the Coolmine Community School on Sunday February 11th starting at 1100.

Places can be booked by contacting Dave EI4BZ on 087-6290574 or by email to “ei4bz /at/ eircom /dot/ net”.


Wild Atlantic Way

While the on air activity for the WAW operators and co-ordinators has ended, the work goes on for the WAW QSL Manager, Dave EI6AL. Please don't forget to send your logs as soon as possible to him, so that he can crunch the numbers to make the totals available.

Please note that the cut off date receipt of all WAW logs is the 14th January 2018.


Mayo Radio Experimenters Network

The Mayo Radio Experimenters Network would like to wish all their radio friends and their families in Ireland and around the world every good wish for the New Year ahead.

MREN’s first outing of the New Year was on the 80m counties contest where they operated / portable with the call-sign EI0M for the occasion, 59 stations and 21 counties were worked. Weather conditions were mixed but they enjoyed the occasion none the less.

Due to severe weather conditions their repeater system (EI2TGR. Freq: 145.600, locater IO53LU) is off the air, work is expected to be carried out on it in the near future.

MREN’s next meeting is on Wednesday 10th January 2018 at 9.30pm in the Breaffy House Hotel, Breaffy.

For anyone that wishes to find out more about the Mayo Radio Experimenters and their activities you can come along to any of their meetings. You can check out their website www.ei7mre.org also you can join them on Facebook.

For more information about the club please contact the club secretary Brendan Minish EI6IZ at QTHR or by dropping an email to “mayoradioexperimentersnetwork /at/ gmail /dot/ com”


Phoenix Amateur Radio Club Rally

A date for your diary. The Phoenix Amateur Radio Club rally will take place on 11th February 2018 in Coolmine Community School, Dublin 15, D15 FW97. Doors will open at 10:00 a.m. To book a table contact Tony at 087-243 9997. Tea and refreshments will be available all day. Unlimited free car parking.


Cork Radio Club

Cork Radio Club will meet on Wednesday next January 10th in Carrigtwohill Community Centre at 2000.

Activities for 2018 will be discussed and Jim EI8GS will demonstrate some digital modes with particular emphasis on FT8, the mode that is taking the world by storm..

Mentoring for members intending sitting the HAREC examination in the summer continues and new participants are very welcome to join in.

Congratulations to club member Justin McDonagh on recently passing the HAREC examination and we look forward to hearing him on the airwaves soon.

Contact regarding any Cork Radio Club activity can be made by email to “info /at/ corkradioclub /dot/ ie” or by telephone to 087-6290574


Limerick Radio Club

Club meetings resume on the 11th January when Harry EI2KL will give a talk about what life is like at sea these days. He's been there recently and lived to tell the tale. It promises to be an interesting talk as he contrasts life as a Radio Officer, way back when, to how communicatioins are established from ships today. All are welcome.

Morse code instruction will resume on Monday the 8th January after the IRTS News, which is read at 20:00.


South Eastern Amateur Radio Group

Happy New Year from everyone at The South Eastern Amateur Radio Group. The club hopes that 2018 brings you all good health, good wealth and good DX.

SEARG were QRV as EI2WRC/P in the IRTS 80m Counties Contest on New Year’s Day from Kilmeaden, Co. Waterford. Operators were David (Ei6GVB) and Mark (EI7IS). Despite the wind and cold, an 80m dipole was erected on a 15m fibreglass mast and good band conditions prevailed with 59 QSOs worked around EI/GI and a significant number of QSO's with the UK. This was a very enjoyable contest and a great start to 2018

The January meeting of the group will take place on Monday the 29th of January 2018 in the Roanmore Social and Sports Centre, Cleaboy Road, Waterford at 8.00 p.m. sharp. At this meeting Keith EI5KJ will be doing a show and tell on working amateur radio satellites entitled "Satellites made simple!". New members or anyone interested in learning more about amateur radio or the group are as always very welcome to attend

For anyone that wishes to find out more about the South Eastern Amateur Radio Group and their activities you can come along to any of their meetings. You can check out their website www.searg.ie and you can also join them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.


Wexford Wireless Club

Weekly meetings for the Wexford Wireless Club have resumed as normal for 2018. Wexford Wireless Club would like to wish everyone a happy new year and a lot of good DX this year.

For more information about the club please contact the club secretary Michael Fitzgerald EI9GGB at QTHR or by dropping an email to “wexfordwirelessclub /at/ live /dot/ ie”


DX News

Kenneth LA7GIA and Adrian KO8SCA plan to be active from Somalia for 12 days this month. They have been issued with the callsign 6O6O (Six Oscar Six Oscar). Operation will be mainly CW on 160 – 10m. Somalia is considered a semi-rare DXCC entity so look out for the pile-ups. QSL manager is M0OXO.

Vadym UT6UD has been very QRV from the island of Sint Maarten in the Caribbean using the callsign PJ7/UT6UD over the past week. He remains there until 13th January. Logs will be uploaded to Logbook of The World and QSLs can be obtained directly from UT6UD.

John KB4FB will be operating holiday style from Laos starting 9th January and using the callsign XW4FB. He should be there for about two weeks.

A group of Japanese amateurs will sign 6Y6J from the home station of Josh 6Y5WJ from 11th – 22nd January. QSLs are OK via Club Log OQRS and logs will be uploaded to LoTW.

Rich PA0RRS will be on Penang Island, West Malaysia using his 9M2MRS callsign until 31st January. The IOTA reference is AS-015 and QSLs go via his home call.


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, Mark EI6HPB on 086 355 2370.

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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