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IRTS Radio News Bulletin Sunday April 6th 2008


Repeater / Beacon Update

ComReg would like to advise that following on from the submission of the required information, ComReg will be invoicing all the relevant contacts over the next week. Licences will be issuing shortly thereafter.


International Marconi Day 2008

The 21st International Marconi Day event takes place on the 26th of April next. Among the stations taking part will be EI0MAR, from the Vintage Radio Museum, located in the Martello tower in Howth. An experimental Marconi wireless telegraphy station was set up at the same location in 1905. The HMS Monarch, with wireless telegraphy equipment aboard, transmitted from various locations in the Irish Sea each time relaying its distance from the receiving station in Howth where signal strengths were logged.

Though not a contest, EI0MAR, as an award station will be eagerly sought for QSO’s during the event. Visitors are invited to come along and operate on the day. The EI0MAR website is ei5em.110mb.com/ei0mar.html. If you follow links from that page to the museum page, you can download a free booklet that chronicles the history of the Martello tower and gives greater details of the 1905 Marconi tests. The International Marconi Day event is organised by the Cornish Radio Amateur Club. Further details and a list of participating award stations is available at the club's web site www.g4imd.org.uk


Visitors to Howth Vintage Radio Museum

Last Saturday the 29th of March, members of Fingal Radio Club were guests of the North Dublin Radio Club at the Vintage Radio Museum in Howth. There was a good representation from both clubs and an enjoyable night was had by all. If any other clubs would like to organise a visit to the museum they would be most welcome. Interested club secretaries can, in the first instance, email “ei0mar at eircom dot net”.


IRTS Awards

It is time once again to call for nominations for the various awards sponsored each year by the IRTS.

It is also the time for submission of entries for the two construction awards, which will be judged by the Awards Committee. Submissions or entries can be sent by post to Peter Grant EI4HX Chairperson, Awards Committee at QTHR or by e-mail to “ei4hxperimental at eircom dot net”.


2 metres Counties Contest

Please note that logs for the spring leg of the 2 metres Counties Contest must be submitted before the 23rd of April. Logs should be sent to "contestmanager at irts dot ie".


IRTS AGM 2008 - Galway

The IRTS Annual General Meeting will be hosted this year on the 26th and 27th of April 2008 by the Galway Radio Experimenters Club. The venue is the Salthill Hotel on the prom in Salthill, Galway. See their website for details at www.salthillhotel.com You can also call the hotel on 091 522711 to book accommodation. Rates are 75 Euro per person sharing double room and a single room is 85 Euro to include breakfast. Please mention the Galway Radio Club when booking.

If you prefer B&B, there are ample B&B’s in the Salthill area. The IRTS dinner will be held on Saturday evening the 26th of April in the hotel at 8 p.m. with music in the bar afterwards. On Sunday the 27th there will be a rally in the hotel from 11 a.m. with many of the traders that were at the Knock rally attending. Lunch will be available in the hotel and the AGM meeting will be held afterwards in the meeting room upstairs. Salthill is an ideal venue for a family weekend, walk the famous promenade and avail of the many attractions Salthill has to offer, the Sea Aquarium, cafes, restaurants and bars.

The Leisureland swimming complex is beside the hotel and Galway’s shopping centres are not too far away. For any help and rally details, contact the club’s officers: Damian Commins EI2HG on 086 8316382 or Tom Frawley EI3ER on 086 8224170.


Limerick Radio Club

The guest speaker at Limerick Radio Club's next meeting will be the President of IRTS Fr. Finbar EI1CS. The club meeting will be at Limerick Institute of Technology on Thursday the 10th of April 2008 at 7.30 p.m.


EI2WTR TV Repeater

The EI2WTR TV Repeater is back on air from Helvick Head, overlooking Dungarvan Co. Waterford at the same site as the 2 metres East Cork voice repeater.

The complete repeater was rehoused in separate RF tight boxes over the winter and is back on site since just before Christmas and getting excellent results. The repeater unit consists of a G1MFG Transmitter on 1249 MHz with about 10 watts through a duplexer to a slot antenna horizontally polarized at 100 foot over ground fed through LDF 550 coaxial and a G1MFG Receiver on 1290 MHz from the same antenna through the duplexer. The installation also consists of a Computer for test cards and audio tests and this is due to be upgraded in the coming weeks. The unit has a video overlay unit, which gives the repeater call sign, the time and the location of the repeater, which works in conjunction with a camera overlooking Dungarvan from the site. There is also a homebrew DTMF unit with 4-switched channels. The switching is done on 144.675 MHz and just single digit numbers. The Computer output is on number 5, the Receiver is on 6 and the site camera is on 7.

The installation was completed by Jim Farrell, EI8IG with help from David Stearn EI7FYB and John McCarthy EI8JA.

Reception reports can be sent to Jim Farrell EI8IG or by e-mail to “info at searg dot com” where they will be passed on to Jim.


AREN News

A meeting for all AREN members nationwide will take place on Saturday the 12th of April in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary. All members are requested to attend. A copy of the Agenda has been circulated to all members.

There have been some changes at the Committee level. Outgoing Finance officer Dave Moore is succeeded by Tim McNight. John Ronan takes over as acting coordinator (pending the appointment of a new National coordinator). John Ketch will remain on the committee in a new role as Secretary while Conor O Neill continues in Operations. Mark Wall stands down as PRO leaving the position open. Declan Horan stands down as Training and recruitment officer. Expressions of interest for these posts are welcomed. We would like to thank Dave, Mark and Declan for their support over the past few years.


Upcoming Rallies

The Lough Erne Amateur Radio Club Annual Rally takes place on Sunday the 13th of April in the Share Centre, Lisnaskea, Co. Fermanagh. Doors open at noon and the rally will feature a Bring and Buy. Access is available from the Lough Erne/Shannon Waterway. Food and parking are available on site. For further details contact Alan Gault GI6PYP or visit www.lougherneradioclub.co.uk


GB3GEO Special Event

GB3GEO will be on the air from The Prehistoric Caves, of “Kent’s Cavern”, England’s oldest home in Britain. GB3GEO will be situated in The English Riviera (Torbay) that is recognised as having Geo Park status. There are six in the UK, and fifty-three in the world. It is hoped that GB3GEO will help to promote geological heritage to the general public.

There will be a special open day at the caves on Sunday the 25th and GB3GEO will be on the air during the weekend of 24th and 25th of May, operation is on 80 metres to 2 metres and the station will be run by Martin G3VOF, with help from John G7HIK, Paddy M1EIW, and Roger 2E0GHR.

There will be a special QSL card sent for all QSO’s made with GB3GEO via the bureau.


Items for inclusion in next weeks Radio News should be forwarded to Mark Wall, EI7IS at QTHR or by phone to 087-6302026 or 051-340850. 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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