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IRTS Radio News Bulletin Sunday 13th February 2011


Request for Return of IRTS Trophies and Cups

It is time once again to recall all trophies presented at the 2010 IRTS, AGM held in Dundalk.

Trophies and Cups can be returned to the IRTS Stand at the Phoenix Radio Club Rally in Coolmine on Sunday February 20th 2011 or to any IRTS Committee Member before end of February 2011.

This will allow for any engraving to be done, or to allow any repairs as needed.

Early return will be appreciated. Peter EI4HX can be contacted on ei4hxperimental / at/eircom / dot/ net.


IRTS Awards Nominations.

The time is here again for nominations for the several awards for IRTS Trophies and cups that are required from within the membership, this includes the awards for,

1. Service to the Society or to Amateur Radio. Awards in this category can be to members or non-members.

2. Awards for other achievements.

Awards in this category [2] include the 4 and 6 Meter Shields, the SWL Award, and the awards for Quality Construction Projects. These are confined to members only.

When considering your nominations, please refer to previous successful winners as included in www.irts.ie/cgi/awards.cgi

Nominations may be from Clubs or Individuals, must be by post or e-mail, and can be forwarded to the Awards Committee Members, Pat EI2HX and Pat EI9HX, or to Peter Grant EI4HX, Chair of Awards Committee, QTHR, or by e-mail to ei4hxperimental/ at/ eircom/ dot/ net.

Closing date for nominations is February 30th 2011.


IRTS News E-mail Address

With immediate effect the preferred email contact address for both the weekly news bulletin and Echo Ireland is newsteam / at / irts/ dot/ ie .


IRTS AGM Annual Dinner and Rally 2011

You are reminded of the importance of attending the IRTS AGM weekend, including Annual Dinner and Rally will be held this year on Saturday March 26th and Sunday March 27th. The event will be hosted by the Limerick Radio Club. The venue is the Radisson Blu Hotel, Ennis Road, Limerick.

For more information contact, Ger McNamara EI4GXB on 087 2532512 or ei4gxb/ at /gmail/ dot/ com. A new website for the Rally in Limerick on 27 March 2011 is now available, please go to limerickradiorally.com for more details.

The AGM dinner tickets priced at €35 are now available from Tony Condon at QTHR or by email to condona /at / eircom/ dot/ net.


IRTS Stand at Friedrichshafen Rally

IRTS members attending the Friedrichshafen rally this year and who are willing to be in attendance at the IRTS stand for some of the time whilst there are requested to contact Sean Nolan, EI7CD on email ei7cd / at / gofree / dot/ indigo / dot / ie .


Engineers Week

This year’s Engineers Week organised by Engineers Ireland, runs from 14 – 20 February. The IRTS are participating in this programme in conjunction with Engineers Ireland.

IRTS Steps to Engineering, Cavan Library

Dundalk Amateur Radio Society, EI7DAR, will deliver the steps programme to two national schools in Cavan Public Library.

Tuesday 15th February 10.30 - 12.00 and 12.30 - 14.00

IRTS Steps to Engineering, Dundalk Institute of Technology

Dundalk Amateur Radio Society, EI7DAR, will deliver the steps programme to two national schools in the Dundalk area. The venue is the Engineering Department, Dundalk Institute of Technology. (DKIT)

Wed 16th February 10.30 - 13.00

Thurs. 17th February 10.30 - 13.00

Should DARS members wish to volunteer for the Dundalk event please contact Thos EI2JD or Peter EI4HX.


IRTS Committee Meeting

The next IRTS committee meeting will be held on March 12th in Portlaoise. All affiliated clubs representatives are encouraged and welcome to attend.


Limerick Radio Club

Limerick Radio Club had a large turnout of members for their Annual General Meeting on 10 February and the following officers were elected: Chairman Dermot Gleeson EI2GT, Secretary Ger McNamara EI4GXB, Treasurer Tony Condon EI2AW, committee Mike Griffin EI4FMB, Simon Kenny EI7ALB, Michael Kingston EI2IX, Brendan McNamara EI9GHB.

We would also like to welcome the following new members: Barry Merrill W5GN, Judy Merrill KA5PQD and Philip Hogan SWL.


Your Club Listing on IRTS Website

Club Secretaries Séamus EI8BP as Web Editor is preparing to update the Clubs page on the Website. Some of this information is somewhat outdated.

Please have a look at your club’s entry on the IRTS Website and contact Séamus by Email at ei8bp / at / eircom / dot / net with any changes. The Website information is an important point of contact for prospective club members and an opportunity to promote your club.


First Radio Rally of 2011, Phoenix A.R.C.

Phoenix Amateur Radio Club will host the first amateur radio rally of 2011. This annual rally will be held on Sunday 20th February 2011 in the usual venue, Coolmine Community School, Blanchardstown.

Doors open for Traders at 9.00 am Doors open to public 3.00am Admission 5 Euros. To book tables contact Tony at 0872439997 or Tom at 01-8211043.

Plenty of Parking, Refreshments and Bring and Buy Sale. All usual traders will attend.

For further details on Rallies please see www.irts.ie/rallies


Dundalk Amateur Radio Society, Radio Theory Classes

Please note that radio theory classes at EI7DAR are now fully subscribed. New applications for now will not be accepted. We thank all the participants and wish them well in their studies and success in the forthcoming radio theory examination.


False Call MN0LEC appearing on QRZ.com

Lough Erne Amateur Radio Club, GI0LEC repudiates the similar looking but false club call sign MN0LEC that was posted on QRZ.com.

QRZ.com is a valuable, voluntary service to amateur radio, world-wide. It is delivered by few and used by many in amateur radio. It should NOT be abused.

MN0LEC looks like a modernised GI0LEC, the long-held call of Lough Erne Amateur Radio Club. Moreover, the MN0LEC posting names a local amateur and its text claims ownership of Lough Erne Amateur Radio Club’s repeater GB3CP.

MN0LEC is a pirate call. It abuses a genuine call M0LEC that is already issued to an amateur in Plymouth. UK.

QRZ.com has de-listed MN0LEC and posted a news thread. Ofcom advises that anyone hearing MN0LEC on-air should report details to Ofcom.

For more information go to www.qrz.com and www.learc.eu

Michael Clarke, Mi5MTC, Chairman Lough Erne Amateur Radio Club


Blackrock Castle Observatory Cork

North Cork Radio Group will be active EI1NC/P on February 19 and 20 from 10am until 5pm at Blackrock Castle Observatory a 16th century Castle located 4km from the heart of Cork city on the banks of the river Lee.

The Castle has seen many uses in its vast history and now houses the cutting edge of space and observation technology, more info on the Castle is available at www.bco.ie information on NCRG is available at www.ei1nc.com


DX News

The call sign PZ5P will be activated from Suriname by RX3APM from 15 – 22 February. QSL Manager is UA4LU and logs will also be uploaded to Logbook of the World.

The German DXpedition team on the Island of Sao Tome using the call S9DX have been very active and are due to remain on the island till 17 February. Logs are uploaded regularly to Clublog. QSL Manager is DL1RTL.

An unusual prefix is in use from Switzerland this month with the appearance of HE3OM. This station is using the antennas at the former broadcast transmitter site at Sottens. Members of the local club HB9MM are the operators and QSLs go via HB9TOB.

The husband and wife team K4LTA and K4UPS are active till 10 March from the island of Grenada in the Caribbean as J37BO and J37RO.

Torsten DG7RO will be in Belize until 27 February. He plans to be active as V31TF.

QSLs go via his home call and he will also upload to Logbook of the World.


Solar Radio Astronomy

The February edition of Sky & Telescope contains a very interesting article "Solar Radio Astronomy...Listening to the Sun." The article recounts how solar radio emissions were discovered by accident by the British physicist Stanley Hay in 1942. Hey was a member of the Army Operational Research Group which was asked by the War Office to investigate loud radio static that was jamming radar and rendering detection of German shipping movements useless. The War Office was concerned when the German ships slipped through the English Channel undetected by British coastal radar. At first it was thought that the static was originating in the east and was deliberate interference by the Germans. However, he soon discovered that the source of the static followed the path of the sun across the sky and was a natural, not a man-made phenomenon. He contacted the Royal Greenwich Observatory and learned that an exceptionally active sunspot was in transit across the sun's disc at the time. Thus by accident the science of solar radio astronomy was born.

The article goes on to explain the type of radio emissions emanating from the sun and how they are generated. Of particular interest to radio amateurs is the account of the current Solar Cycle 24. The start of the cycle was much later than expected but commenced in earnest with a powerful solar flare in January of last year. In the second half of 2010 the sun produced more than 400 solar flares and as many as 137 radio bursts a week. The peak of the cycle is predicted to occur in the summer of 2013. Between now and the peak, we should see radio propagation conditions improve, particularly on the higher HF bands. The website of the publication is skyandtelescope.com.


Nicholas Callan, Priest Scientist at Maynooth

In 1953, the world of physics, officially acknowledged that Fr. Nicholas Callan invented the induction coil.


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 maybe telephoned to the radio news editor, Aidan, EI7JC on 085 7100511.

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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