Archived News Script

IRTS Radio News Bulletin Sunday 29th April 2018


ComReg Licensing

ComReg has finalised its new online application facility for all Amateur Station licence applications.

All applications for Amateur Station Licences should now be submitted through the eLicensing website.

Details: The facility will be available via the existing elicensing website;

www.elicensing.comreg.ie

The only Payment options for Amateur Station Applications is by credit card

Detailed instructions how to submit an application may be found on our website

www.elicensing.comreg.ie

Please email licensing /at/ comreg.ie for all queries in relation to the above.


Additional Frequencies

In December 2015 ComReg published a Draft Radio spectrum Management Strategy 2016-2018. The Society responded with a comprehensive submission to this draft and a summary of this was published in the March 2016 edition of Echo Ireland.

In June 2016 ComReg published its final Radio Spectrum Management Strategy 2016-2018 and indicated its intention to grant some additional spectrum to the amateur service. This has now been done and is in line with some of the requests made in the Society’s submission.

The 70 MHz band has been extended to 69.9 MHz to 70.5 MHz. This is an increase of 275kHz over the existing band of 70.125 to 70.450 MHz and is the full band that may be allocated to the amateur service under the European Common Allocations table.

Further spectrum covering all modes including digimodes has been granted on a secondary basis at 30 to 49 MHz and 54 to 69.9 MHz. The latter band also includes digital television in addition to all other modes. These new frequency bands are listed among the bands available generally to radio amateurs in Annex 1 of a recently revised version of the Amateur Station Licence Guidelines document ComReg 09/45 R4 which is available on the ComReg website.

The new bands in the 40 MHz and 60 MHz regions will, among other things, facilitate modern type beacons in the region of these frequencies as well as moving the existing 70MHz beacon on 70.130 MHz to the section of the band designated for beacons.

IRTS will be producing a local band plans for these two bands in consultation with countries that have allocations at these frequencies and IARU.

The Society would like to express its appreciation to ComReg for the release of this extensive spectrum to the amateur service on a secondary basis.


Counties Contest

The IRTS 40 metres Counties Contest takes place on Sunday next, 6th May. It starts at 12:00 UTC and runs for 2 hours. There are SSB only and SSB/CW mixed mode sections for both fixed and portable stations. Multipliers are the 32 EI and GI counties as well as overseas DXCC entities. See www.irts.ie/contests for the full rules which include permitted frequencies.


Amateur Station Licence Examination

The next Amateur Station Licence Examination will be held on Thursday 31st May in the ComReg Offices in Dublin. Some applications have already been received. As places are limited and are allocated on a first come first served basis those intending to sit the examination should apply soon. Full details, including entry procedure, examination fee and how to pay the fee online are available at www.irts.ie/exam

Please note that it is necessary to download the application form from the web page and forward the completed form and the appropriate fee so as to secure a place for the examination. It is important to note that even if you pay the fee online you must still complete and forward the application form. The closing date for receipt of completed applications is Thursday 17th May.


Limerick Radio Club

Congratulations to all individuals and clubs who received their WAW Trophies and certificates at the IRTS AGM in Galway.

LRC activated Marconi Day from the Atlantic Air Adventures centre, Shannon. Despite challenging propagation conditions most contacts were made using CW.

Harry EI2KL and Brendan EI0CZ continue with CW instruction on the LRC 2 metre repeater on Monday evenings, after the IRTS news at 20:00. Please note that CW instruction will cease on Monday 7th May.


Tipperary Amateur Radio Group

A reminder that the next meeting of the Tipperary Amateur Radio Group will take place in The Park Hotel, Clonmel on Thursday 3rd May at 8.30pm. New members or anyone interested in amateur radio are very welcome to attend. Plans will be finalised for events taking place over the summer months.

For anyone who wishes to find out more about the Tipperary Amateur Radio Group and its activities you can come along to any of their meetings. You can also check out their website www.ei7trg.ie or contact club PRO Ronan EI4KN at QTHR for further information.


Shannon Basin Radio Club

The Shannon Basin Radio Club is holding a meeting on Thursday next 3rd of May at 20:30 In Hannons Hotel Roscommon.

As several topics are on the agenda, all members are requested to attend and as always, new members are always welcome. For more information please see shannon Basin Radio Club facebook page or www.shannonbasinradioclub.com


South Eastern Amateur Radio Group

The group will be meeting at the Suir Valley Railway Station in Kilmeaden at 10.30am sharp on the 6th of May, for testing of fox hunting equipment for the upcoming Foxhunt at the Geopark weekend. If anyone wants to bring any equipment such as handheld radios or antenna to try their hand at finding the fox, please feel free to do so. Later that day from the same location the club will be taking part in the IRTS 40M contest using the club call EI2WRC. This will be an ideal opportunity for non-licensed members of the club to try their hand on 40m under supervision of course, during the contest. Please keep an eye on their Facebook page for updates on this event.

The April meeting of the group will take place on Monday the 30th of April 2018 in the Roanmore Social and Sports Centre, Cleaboy Road, Waterford at 8.00 p.m. sharp. At this meeting John EI7IG will be doing a show and tell on DMR entitled “DMR and Brandmeister in Ireland”. 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 attend 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.


Wild Atlantic Way

The WAW trophies and certificates were presented to the Top Operators and Top Clubs at the 2018 IRTS AGM in Galway. Congratulations go to the top operators Seamus Campbell, Jim Barry, Gerard Scannel and the top clubs Cork Radio Club, Carndonagh Radio Club and Kerry Amateur Radio Club.

Each participating club, representing a WAW County, was presented with a certificate indicating the number of QSOs worked. Total QSO’s were 158,561. WAW lookups on one website alone amounted to almost 500,000 hits.

The effort and commitment from individual operators, clubs, co-ordinators and the WAW QSL Manager, Dave O'Connor EI6AL is very much appreciated. Dave's guidance was key to putting a workable structure in place. Not to forget the IRTS, who lent support and encouragement in obtaining the 9 WAW licences, to facilitating access and providing background information on the IRTS website.

In the past week there was local press and also radio coverage live on the Gavin Grace, Clare FM programme. The podcast can be heard on www.limerickradioclub.ie/site/wild.atlantic.way.htm


5 MHz Newsletter

The latest edition (Number 20, Spring 2018) of The 5 MHz Newsletter is now available for free pdf download from the ‘External Links’ section of the Wikipedia 60m Band page or the RSGB 5 MHz page. This edition features news from 7 countries, SK tributes to UK 5 MHz stalwarts G3LEQ and G8DQZ, The Luxembourg 5 MHz beacon, LXØHF and a 60m low-pass filter.


DX News

To mark the 25th Anniversary of the Russian Robinson Club several members will be activating two different IOTA islands in Mozambique. Firstly they will be on Mozambique Island (IOTA AF-088) from 29 th April – 3 rd May using the call sign C96RRC. This will be followed by activity from Inhaca Island (IOTA AF-066) from 5 th – 9 th May using the call sign C98RRC. QSLs for both call signs are via Club Log OQRS.

Cezar VE3LYC will be active as H40D in the Duff Islands (IOTA OC-179) which are located in the DXCC entity of Temotu. Planned dates are 29 th April – 3 rd May. QSL via Club Log OQRS.

Harry JG7PSJ will be back on the Ogasawara Islands as JD1BMH from 29 th April – 4 th May. He will be on 40 – 10m CW, SSB and RTTY. QSL via his home call.

The month of May will see the 80 th Anniversary of the First Class CW Operators’ Club and to mark the occasion many stations with the ‘FOC’ suffix will be on the air. As part of the celebrations the FOC 80th Anniversary Challenge will take place from 1 st – 31 st May. Full details of the Challenge can be found on www.g4foc.org/foc80 EI members of FOC include EI5DI, EI5DS, EI6FR and EI7BA.


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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