Archived News Script
IRTS Radio News Bulletin Sunday July 13th 2003
CW Field Day
Following the recent successful running of the CW Field Day in Cloughjordan, Co. Tipperary, it has been decided by the IRTS committee to look into the possibility of holding the HF SSB Field day at a central location also. In order to proceed with plans for the Field Day it is necessary to gauge interest from Clubs.
Clubs interested in taking part in the Field Day at a central location should contact the Contest Manager Noel Walsh EI2JC at QTHR, or by email to contests@irts.ie, by Friday the 1st of August. The event will only proceed if sufficient numbers express interest. Details of the event will be discussed with the Clubs involved.
Dalkey Island Contest Group
The Dalkey Island Contest Group, EI1DD will be QRV for the IOTA contest on the 26th and 27th of July next. They had originally intended to travel to one of the Aran Islands, but due to some logistical problems there has been a change of plan and the team will now return to one of their old haunts on Bere Island in west Cork.
VHF/UHF Field Day
Last weekend's VHF/UHF Field Day attracted six portable entries and while the weather was reasonably good, propagation conditions were unfortunately mainly flat. Tipperary Radio Group operated from the top of Slievenamon, Cork Radio Club operated from a cliff-top site near Crosshaven and a joint entry from the Wexford VHF Group and the East Cork Group operated from their usual site on Fort Mountain near Wexford Town. The Galway Radio Experimenters Club made a welcome return to Field Day while the east coast was represented by the North Dublin and the Dundalk Radio Clubs.
Shannon Basin Radio Club Challenge
The Shannon Basin Radio Club has announced a new operating event for EI experimenters and shortwave listeners. It will be held on the first Sunday in November and will run from 0800 to 2000. The aim of the challenge is to work or hear as many stations as possible and each DXXC entity will be a multiplier. There are three perpetual awards available. The Lough Allen Shield will be awarded to the highest scoring station on SSB, the Lough Ree Shield goes to the top CW station and the Lough Derg Shield will be awarded to the leading shortwave listener.
The full rules of the challenge will be published in the next edition of Echo Ireland and will be available on the IRTS web site. In the meantime, queries can be addressed to the Shannon Basin Club Contest Manager, Noel Mulvihill EI6HW at QTHR.
Outgoing QSL Bureau
The Society would like to pay tribute to Hugh O'Donnell EI2HI who has run the outgoing QSL Bureau for the past few years. Hugh is not in a position to continue with the job and members are asked not to send outgoing cards to the bureau for the time being. Any member or members interested in taking over the running of the outgoing bureau are invited to contact any of the society officers. Interim arrangements are being put in place to deal with outgoing cards and members will be advised shortly. Outgoing cards are despatched to foreign bureau in one kilogram packages and all cards, regardless of numbers are cleared every three months. It is not expected that there will be any delays incurred with outgoing cards.
World Radio Conference
The WRC '03 concluded in Geneva recently. A number of important issues for radio amateurs were under discussion at the conference, notably the 7 MHz allocation and the Morse Code requirement. It resulted in an extra 100 kHz at 7.1 to 7.2 MHz effective from March 2009. For us this effectively means an exclusive allocation of 7.0 to 7.2 MHz. Region 3 of the ITU will remain unchanged with an exclusive amateur allocation of 7.0 to 7.3 MHz.
The requirement for a knowledge of sending and receiving Morse code as a condition of obtaining an amateur licence for the bands below 30 MHz has been deleted from the ITU Radio Regulations with effect from the signing of the final acts of the conference. It will be a matter for individual administrations to decide whether or not CW will be required by them for the future.
The Conference also decided that third party traffic in emergency situations will be automatically allowed unless a particular administration decides otherwise.
We would like to express our thanks and appreciation to John Breen EI7BV the Head of the Irish Delegation to the Conference, who despite a busy schedule took time out to make a number of phone calls during the course of the conference to keep us briefed of developments.
Silent Key Sale
On Tuesday the 1st of July last, the radio equipment owned by the late John Kearns EI8DE was sold at the weekly meeting of South Dublin Radio Club. John Kearns was interested in many different aspects of radio, including HF DXing and satellite operation, so there was a wide range of HF and VHF equipment on offer. The sale was well attended by SDR members and visitors, and everything was sold. Sean EI4GK, Declan EI9HQ and Joe EI7GY - who organised the sale on behalf of the Kearns family would like to record their appreciation to South Dublin Radio Club for their assistance in arranging the sale.
DX News
SM0DTK/1 is QRV from Gotland, which counts as EU-020 for the IOTA awards programme. SM0DTK/1 is operational until the 18th of July.
AREN
The Amateur Radio Emergency Network operates nationally on the first Tuesday of each month. Local groups will be called on 145.525 at 2130 local and the national group will be called on 7.043 plus or minus at 2145 local, when local nets will cease to operate. Traffic for individual members of local groups who cannot call the national net will be passed by local net controllers.
Operators who are interested in becoming members of AREN should contact John, EI2GN at the IRTS or QTHR.
South Eastern Amateur Radio Group
The next general meeting of South Eastern Amateur Radio Group will take place at 8.00 p.m. on Wednesday the 30th of July 2003 in the usual venue of Roanmore Social and Sports Centre, Cleaboy Road, Waterford.
The meeting will feature a talk on Amateur Television and a demonstration by Jim EI8IG and John EI8JA. A working station will be in operation at the meeting venue. All are welcome to attend.
The theory classes in Dungarvan have now come to an end. A number of 'refresher' classes will take place prior to the exam. More information will be made available when an exam date has been set.
Fingal Radio Club
Fingal Radio Club will be running a mini bus to Telford for their forthcoming Rally on Sunday the 31st of August 2003. The club will leave Dublin on Saturday the 30th and travel to Holyhead and then on to Brosley where they will stay overnight. The following morning the group will head to the venue for the rally at RAF Cosford where the rally is being held. The stalls are set out amongst the planes including World War 2 bombers and more modern commercial passenger jets. The group will return to Dublin later that evening arriving in Dublin Port at approximately 10.30 p.m. The all in cost including all transfers evening meal, breakfast and entry to the show will be 170 euro based on 10 travelling. For more details call Liam EI3HK on 01-8316266 or mobile 087-2521542.
Mayo HF Net
The Mayo Radio Experimenters Network plan to establish a HF net on Sunday afternoons at 12.30 on 3.670 MHz SSB. This will get as many members as possible on the air and promote eighty metre activity within the county.
The club meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 9 p.m. upstairs in the Meeting Room at Stenson's Lounge, Ballyvary, Co Mayo, on the N5. Visitors are always welcome.
Items for inclusion in next weeks Radio News should be
forwarded Mark Wall EI7IS. He can be contacted on 087-6302026. News can also be submitted via e-mail to news@irts.ie for automatic forwarding to both the radio and printed news services.
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