Archived News Script
IRTS Radio News Bulletin Sunday January 8th 2006
EI DXpedition to Southern Africa 2007.
The December issue of Echo Ireland carried a request for expressions of interest from members who would like to take part in a DXpedition to various countries in Southern Africa in 2007. If there is sufficient interest then initial planning will commence next month with a view to the expedition taking place in Spring 2007 as part of the IRTS 75th Jubilee celebrations. Contact Paul EI2CA if you wish to be put on the list for further information by emailing him to "paul at comma dot ie" or telephone 087-2523908.
80 Metre Counties Contest
The IRTS 80 metre Counties Contest which took place last Monday and was a great success.
While most counties, North and South, were well represented in the contest, a number of counties with a relatively large number of licensed amateurs, were heard only very occasionally: these rare counties included Donegal, Wexford, Kerry and Kildare. Considering the time of year, there was a good turnout of portable stations, with at least 5 counties activated by portable stations, these being Wicklow, Mayo, Kilkenny, Tipperary and Offaly.
We look forward to running the contest again next year.
2005 IOTA Contest Results
Provisional results for the 2005 IOTA Contest have now been published. These results show a strong performance by a number of Irish stations, including first place in the "Expeditions" section by the Bere Island Group EJ2MT, which was formed from members of the East Cork Radio Group and the Bristol Contest Group. Results for the EI and EJ stations are available on the IRTS web site www.irts.ie, which also includes a link to the full provisional results.
Tipperary Amateur Radio Group
The next meeting of the Tipperary Amateur Radio Group will be held this coming Thursday, the 12th of January 2006 in Raheen House hotel, Clonmel at 8 p.m.
Cork Radio Club
As extensive renovations will be underway in the New Year at Wilton Park House, it will not be possible to have any meetings there for some time to come.
The committee is endeavoring to find alternative accommodation for meetings and would be grateful for any suggestions. The club will keep members posted of any developments.
Squares table 2005
Could everyone who supported the VHF/UHF squares table during the past year send in their final updates for 2005 before the end of January. Some good square scores were achieved on 6 meters this year even though conditions were poor. If you have not sent in a score during 2005, you can still do so.
IRTS 4 and 6 metre Shields
The 4 Metre and 6 Metre shields will be presented to the leading 4 and 6 Metre operators at this years I.R.T.S. AGM. This competition is run on a calendar year basis from the 1st of January 2005 to the 31st of December 2005. The scoring will be calculated as follows; Unique contacts multiplied by the Maidenhead locator squares multiplied by DXCC. All modes count. Could anyone interested in this competition please send their 2005 logs to the Contest Manager, Noel Walsh "ei2jc at hotmail dot com".
Only unique contacts count. For example, if you make contact with a particular station say 5 times during the year, you can only claim this as 1 QSO. Squares mean; IO51, JO63 KM78 etc., not IO51aa, IO51cd etc. It is hoped that everyone can send in a log, It’s easier for those that have computer logs as it takes all the hard work out of counting squares & unique QSO’s, however all logs would be appreciated.
ComReg
The next Radio Theory Examination will take place on Wednesday January the 18th at 2 p.m. in the ComReg offices, Irish Life Centre, Lower Abbey St., Dublin 1. A sample question paper is available on the IRTS web site at www.irts.ie
The full ComReg document No. 05/89 is available on the ComReg website www.comreg.ie under Consultations. IRTS is pleased that most of the points raised in its submission have been accepted by ComReg and incorporated into the amended document. This will change the licensing practice in 2006.
Morse Proficiency Assessments
Morse Proficiency assessments will be held in Greystone Community Centre, Ballycraigy Road, Antrim on Saturday the 29th of April 2006 commencing at 1:30 p.m.
These assessments are open to anyone with an interest in Morse and will be offered at speeds of 5, 12 and 20 words per minute. Other speeds may be available upon request. A small charge of £10 Sterling is levied to cover the costs incurred in running the scheme, this being payable on the day. If you are interested in taking a proficiency assessment please contact Jim Henry, GI0DVU no later than Wednesday the 19th of April 2006 by telephone on 048 9266 2270 or by e-mail to jim dot henry at ntlworld dot com.
Two certificates are awarded to those who successfully complete the assessment, one being presented locally by the Morse Proficiency Team, whilst the other comes from the RSGB in Potters Bar.
Rally News
The Coolmine Rally will take place on Sunday February the 12th at the Coolmine Community School.
The 2006 Oldham rally in the UK has had to be cancelled. The rally organisers have passed on this information as there is not enough time to get it in to the regular publications and there is a number of EI and GI amateurs who regularly attend this rally.
Lough Erne Amateur Radio Club
The Lough Erne Amateur Radio Clubs 25th Annual Radio Show will take place in the Killyhevlin Hotel, Enniskillen, on Sunday the 23rd of April 2006. Doors open at 12 Noon and Admission is £3.00 or 5.00 Euro. There is generous car parking space and refreshments on site. There is a Bring & Buy stand with no fees. There will be traders big & small selling Amateur Radio gear, components, electronics, computer components and various new, surplus and second-hand equipment. UK traders are expected.
Usual large attendance from North and South is expected as the club returns to the familiar venue. For information on accommodation or trade stand space contact Alan Gault GI6PYP on 07771 811484\028 6634 1108, "alan dot r dot gault@homecall dot co dot uk" or Herbie Graham GI6JPO on 028 6638 7761. Call early to avoid disappointment.
Items for inclusion in next weeks Radio News should be forwarded to Mark Wall, EI7IS at QTHR or by phone to 051 853806 or 087 6302026. Items for the radio news can also be faxed to 087 5 6302026. News should be submitted via e-mail to "news at irts dot ie" for automatic forwarding to both the radio and printed news services. Please note that items for the radio news should reach the editor no later than midday on Fridays.
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