Archived News Script
IRTS Radio News Bulletin Sunday 17th May 2015
Amateur Station Licence Examination
The closing date for the next Amateur Station Licence Examination to be held on Thursday, 4th June in the ComReg Offices in Dublin is Wednesday next 20th May. If you intend sitting the examination you need to apply immediately. Full details, including entry procedure, examination fee and how to pay the fee on line are available at www.irts.ie/exam . Please note that it is necessary to download the application form from the web page and forward the completed form and the appropriate fee so as to secure a place for the examination. If you pay the fee on line you must still complete and forward the application form. Remember the closing date for receipt of completed applications is Wednesday next 20th May. Three Exam Reports which were previously published in Echo Ireland are available on the Downloads section of the website at www.irts.ie/downloads under Studying for the Harmonised Amateur Radio Examination Certificate. These reports contain very useful information for anyone studying for the Licence Examination
North Cork Radio Group
North Cork Radio Group will be having their next activation, which is a new CASHOTA, on Sunday, 24th May from 10am - 4pm approx at Blackwater Castle, Castletownroche, Cork. We will have the CASHOTA reference shortly, however the WAI is R60 with the grid square reference being IO52se. A huge thank you to Sheila who has been so accommodating with her venue and has great enthusiasm for our event. Again this is another 1st for CASHOTA award chasers so we look forward to working you on the air
AREN News
On 9th May AREN took part in a multi-agency mass casualty exercise hosted by Kerry Mountain rescue in Killarney. Other agencies involved included An Garda Siochana, the HSE, The Irish Coast Guard, The Civil Defence, The Search and Rescue Dog Association, Irish Search Dogs, Killarney Water Rescue and others. The AREN station was set up in the on-site co-ordination centre alongside the Inter-Agency Mobile Command Unit. Net Control was in West Cork with two sub-stations operating in County Waterford. 40m voice and Winlink was used to get traffic out of the mountains to the outlying substations who forwarded messages to recipients by normal means. Participating members were Eoghan EI5HBB, Martin EI2HIB, Tim EI2KA John EI7IG and Conor EI4JN. To learn more about AREN, visit AREN.ie.
Counties Contest
The IRTS 40 Metres Counties Contest takes place today Sunday 17th May from 12:00 to 15:00 UTC. This contest provides a good opportunity to test equipment and operating skills, and indeed to meet up with old friends. The objective for EI and GI stations is to make as many contacts as possible during the 3 hour period (work everyone), and for those outside Ireland, to make as many contacts as possible with EI and GI stations. EI and GI counties are multipliers.
The contest has Fixed and Portable sections, and two mode options: SSB Only or SSB/CW. There is also an SWL section. See www.irts.ie/contests for the full rules, note in particular the specified frequency ranges within the 40 metre band for this contest. Awards are available in each section for the leading Irish station and for the leading station outside Ireland.
IRTS AGM 2015 Awards, Trophies & Cups
A complete awards list, trophies and cups presented at the AGM is available on www.irts.ie/awards Amongst the awards presented was the Lough Ree Shield; awarded to Dave Deane EI9FBB, Louth Derg Shield awarded to Paul Martin EI2CA, Lough Boderg Shield awarded to Joe Ryan EI7GY/P, EI5AJ Memorial Cup awarded to George McHugh GI4SRQ, Thomond Trophy awarded to Network Southern Radio Experimenters Club, SDR Trophy awarded to Avondhu Radio Club EI1E/P, Oriel Trophy awarded to Tom McDermott EI9CJ/P. More to follow next week.
EI90IARU
IRTS has been issued with the call sign EI90IARU to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the founding of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) in Paris in 1925. The call sign is available for use by any EI station in the 26 counties holding a current amateur station licence. Anyone wishing to use the call sign can do so subject to notifying Dave O'Conner EI6AL of the times/ bands/modes prior to going on the air so as to avoid any potential duplication. Anyone applying to use the call sign is considered to be undertaking to use it in accordance with the ComReg Regulations, Technical Conditions, Frequency allocations and Guidelines relating to amateur stations. It is also essential that logs (preferably in ADI format) are kept when using the call sign and copies emailed to Dave EI6AL so that a central log can be held for QSL or other purposes. Dave can be contacted at dave.ei6al /at/ gmail.com or by phone on 086 1000000
DX News
Pete N8PR and Bill NZ5N will operate as ZF2EM from the Cayman Islands from 20th to 25th May. While this will be primarily a 2m EME activity they hope to also be QRV on HF on SSB. QSLs will be handled by N8PR.
Harald DF2WO returns to Burkina Faso and will be active as XT2AW from 20th May to 25th June. As before he will operate CW and SSB. QSL to the home call.
The Italian DXpedition Team are off on their next trip to Kenya. They will use the callsign 5Z0L from 21st to 31st May. They have received authorisation to use 6m and hope to be very active on this band as well as on the usual HF bands. A real time Online Log will be available and also an OQRS QSL request facility.
To celebrate 90 years of the REF the special call TM90REF is being used until 31st May. REF is the member society for France of the International Amateur Radio Union. QSL Manager is F6BEE.
South Eastern Amateur Radio Group
The South Eastern Amateur Radio Group will for the 8th consecutive year take part in the Geoparks Communications weekend which takes place over the weekend of 23rd & 24th May to coincide with European Geoparks week. The event is co-ordinated by Martin G3VOF of the Riviera Amateur Radio Club and awards are available for working Geopark stations including the main station GB6GEO. Although most activity is in Europe, a number of stations will be QRV from geoparks around the world.
SEARG will be QRV as EI2GEO from the Copper Coast Geopark in County Waterford. As the Geopark event is not a contest, operation tends to be relaxed with ample time and an ideal location to experiment with antennas and equipment. There is also a strong social aspect to the event with barbecue and drinks on the Saturday night. Activity will be mainly on HF (SSB and CW). SEARG would like to thank Paula McCarthy manager of Copper Coast Geopark Centre for making this excellent site available to us over the past number of years. For more information about EI2GEO please see www.searg.com
The next Amateur Station Licence Examination will be held on Thursday, the 4th of June in the ComReg Offices in Dublin and all the members of SEARG would like to wish all the candidates sitting the exam the very best of luck. We look forward to hearing some new call signs on the air soon.
The May meeting of the South Eastern Amateur Radio Group will take place in the Roanmore Social and Sports Centre, Cleaboy Road, Waterford on Monday the 25th of May at 8.00 p.m. New members and anyone interested in learning more about amateur radio are very welcome to attend. For up-to-date news about the South Eastern Amateur Radio Group and it’s actives you can check our website www.searg.com and you can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
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 may be 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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