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IRTS Radio News Bulletin Sunday October 7th 2007


Silent Key EI9HY

We are sorry to have to tell you of the death of Brian Lynch EI9HY. Brian died three weeks ago after a short illness. To his wife Eileen and to his three daughters we extend our deepest sympathy. May he rest in peace.


Important Anniversary

Tuesday last marked the 60th Anniversary of the conclusion of the conference of the International Telecommunications Union held in Atlantic City in 1947. The outcome of this conference was very beneficial to the amateur community. A new HF band was obtained at 21 MHz and above 30 MHz the basic structure of the amateur bands up to 10 GHz was established. This included the VHF 2 metre band and the UHF 70 cm band together with the microwave bands at 13 cms (2.4 GHz), 6cms (5.7 GHz) and 3 cms (10 GHz).


Space Anniversary

Thursday last marked the 50th anniversary of the launch of the first artificial Earth satellite. Sputnik 1 was launched by the USSR on the 4th of October 1957. The 59-centimetre aluminium sphere weighed 84 kgs, had four aerials protruding from the back and took about 98 minutes to orbit the earth. The satellite carried batteries, which accounted for most of the weight and two radio transmitters. These transmitters sent pulsed signals on 20.005 MHz and 40.005 MHz and the length of these pulsed signals varied depending on the satellites temperature and internal pressure.

Radio amateurs throughout the world monitored the signals from Sputnik 1 and the signals heard on Radio Eireann here were recorded at an amateur station in Dublin. The batteries in the satellite ran out after three weeks on the 26th of October. The satellite re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere after three months and burned up on the 4th of January 1958 after about 1450 orbits of the Earth. It is interesting to note that just four years after the launch of Sputnik 1 the first amateur satellite Oscar 1 was put into orbit by the American Air Force on one of its rockets. This satellite orbited the earth for 22 days transmitting the familiar "HI"greeting in CW.


City of Belfast Radio Amateurs Society

COBRAS (GI2BX) are based in the Social Club of the famous Shorts aero-engineering firm in Belfast and GB2MGY are closely associated with the nearby SS Nomadic, the original tender ship of the Titanic.

COBRAS, the City Of Belfast Radio Amateurs Society look forward to welcoming Mike McGirr, K9AJ as Guest Speaker on Monday the 8th of October. Mike has become synonymous with many of the most memorable DXpeditions: Most recently, he was a CW operator and Team Physician of the BS7H activation of Scarborough Reef. The talk begins at eight o’clock in the COBRAS meeting room in the Shorts Social Club on Holywood Road, Belfast and all Visitors are very welcome to come along.


CQIR

As you no doubt heard, CQIR caused quite a stir on the bands last weekend. Despite poor propagation conditions on the Saturday, Irish stations on all continents were worked by the Society's headquarters station EI75IRTS from their location in the Phoenix Park. The team had erected a rhombic antenna with five wavelength legs at a height of 65 feet beamed on the states and this helped counter the poor propagation. The station made eleven hundred QSO’s in the 24 hours of the Contest and to date over a hundred logs have been received for the event from around the world. Our thanks to all the EI and GI stations who participated and remember to get your logs in as soon as possible for inclusion in the draw. Details of how to submit your log are available on the IRTS website.


AREN supports Charity walk

AREN members Declan Horan, EI9FVB and Conor O Neill, EI4JN supported a walk in aid of the Irish Heart Foundation on Saturday 29 September last. The walk in the McGillicudy Reeks was led by Conor who radioed regular reports to Declan through the Cork repeater. Declan operated from his home QTH in Ballicollig Co. Cork. The walkers encountered thick fog on the ascent, which later cleared, giving way to clear skies and spectacular views.


Marconi Clifden Celebrations

On the 17th of October 1907 Guglielmo Marconi sent his first commercial message from the then new station at Clifden, Ireland. This October in celebration of this historic event members of the Galway Radio Experimenters Club will be running a special event station from Saturday 13th to Wednesday 17th from Clifden. The club has been issued the call sign EI100MFT for the event, MFT been the last call sign used on the original station.

On the Wednesday they will be making a special linkup with the Marconi sister station in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia. Part of this linkup will be an exchange of greetings between President Mary McAleese and Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia the Honourable Mayann E. Francis. The group will also be honoured to have Princess Electra Marconi present as she is coming to Clifden for the festival along with an Exhibit from the Marconi Foundation in Bologna. The Galway Radio Experimenters Club will also be presenting a display of vintage equipment. More details on the festival can be found at www.clifden.ie Visitors to the station are more than welcome and if you would like to participate this can also be arranged. For further information please contact Enda Broderick (II2II) on 086-8676410 or email: “enda dot Broderick at lightnet dot ie”.


Marconi Lectures

Marconi’s achievements will be celebrated with a series of Marconi Centenary commemorative events from October the 12th to the 17th in Clifden, coordinated by the Clifden Chamber of Commerce. The celebrations include a lecture by Paul Duffy, Chartered Engineer and historian, entitled ‘Marconi-The Engineering Marvel’. This lecture will take place at the Clifden Station House Theatre on Sunday the 14th of October at 1 p.m. Michael Sexton, Chartered Engineer and author of ‘Marconi: The Irish Connection’, will give a lecture on the national aspect of Marconi’s work at the Clifden Station House Theatre on Monday the 15th of October at 1 p.m.

Professor Peter Kennedy will chair a forum entitled "Whither Wireless Communications? Marconi's Legacy in the 21st Century” on Tuesday the 16th of October at Clifden Station House Theatre. This forum will reflect on Marconi's achievements and the future for wireless communications.


Waterford Rally

The Waterford Radio and Electronics Rally will take place on Sunday the 21st of October at the Woodlands Hotel on the Dunmore Road in Waterford. South East Communications and Long Communications will be at the rally. The IRTS, AREN and a bring-and-buy stand will also feature.

Doors open at 11 a.m. and admission is 5 Euro, accompanied children are admitted free of charge. For details including a directions map, visit the South Eastern Amateur Radio Group web site on www.searg.com


Upcoming Rallies

The Foyle and District Rally will take place on Sunday the 4th of November 2007 at the White Horse Hotel, Derry. For more information visit www.mn0aku.org.uk

The Mayo Radio Rally will take place on Sunday the 18th of November in the Belmount Hotel, Knock, Co. Mayo. For more information contact Padraic Baynes, EI9JA @ QTHR.


Talk on TETRA Digital Radio

There will be a free talk on TETRA digital radio in Dublin on the Thursday the 11th of October at 6 p.m. TETRA radio is a new secure radio system currently being rolled out by the Gardai and is in use on the LUAS tram system in Dublin. This system which operates in the UHF band features mobile phone like dialling as well as group calling like most PMR analogue systems. It may be rolled out in the future for all emergency and public services. The talk will be held at Engineers Ireland, 22 Clyde Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, which is beside the American Embassy.


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 Friday in order to be guaranteed inclusion in the following Sunday’s bulletin.

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