Archived News Script
IRTS Radio News Bulletin Sunday 29th July 2018
Silent Key
With deepest sympathy we announce the passing of Nicholas EI4GBB. Sincere sympathies to all of his his family and friends. May he rest in peace.
South Dublin Radio Club
SDR will be taking its traditional break for the first 2 weeks in August, so there will be no meetings on Tuesday 7th or Tuesday 14th August. Club meetings will recommence on Tuesday 21st August. In the meantime club members and others are welcome to join the SDR Net on 6 metres on 50.205 Mhz any weekday evening from 8 to 9pm local time, and of course the SDR Net on Sunday mornings 7.123 MHz for about an hour before the radio news broadcast at 11am.
South Eastern Amateur Radio Group
The July meeting of the South Eastern Amateur Radio Group will take place on Monday the 30th of July 2018 in the Roanmore Social and Sports Centre, Cleaboy Road, Waterford at 8.30 PM sharp.
Please note the later start time of meeting. This is to facilitate a committee meeting on the same night and the committee apologise for any inconvenience this late start time may cause. New members or anyone interested in learning more about amateur radio or the group are as always very welcome to attend.
The South Eastern Amateur Radio Group will be QRV as EI2WRC/P from the Inistioge Vintage Rally, Inistioge, Co. Kilkenny on Sunday the 5th of August.
The Inistioge Vintage Rally is a great fun filled family day out with loads of vintage cars and engines from times gone past. Loads of things for all the kids too. So, if you’re looking for a great day out, head on down to Inistioge and call by the SEARG demonstration area where the SEARG crew will be delighted to meet you. For more information about the Inistioge Vintage Rally please see www.inistioge.ie
For anyone who wishes to find out more about the South Eastern Amateur Radio Group and their activities you can drop them an email to “info /at/ searg /dot/ ie” or please feel free to come along to any of their meetings. You can check out their website www.searg.ie and you can also join them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.
International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend
This year the 21st annual International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend will be held over the weekend of August 18th and 19th. At this time 307 stations worldwide have registered their station callsigns already.
Three stations from Echo India are listed although it is believed a few more intend to participate but have not just yet registered.
The Avondhu Radio Club will operate EI1E from Charlesfort Lighthouse in Kinsale, County Cork, the South Eastern Amateur Radio Group will operate EI2WRC form the Hook Lighthouse in County Wexford, Limerick Radio Club will operate from Loop Head, while the Lagan Valley ARS will operate using the callsign EJ0L from Arranmore Lighthouse in County Donegal.
For the latest information on this popular event, log on to ILLW.net.
Limerick Radio Club
Plans are now completed for LRC's participation in the 2018 International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend from Loop Head. Preparation requires a lot of coordination between LRC, Clare County Council, Commissioners of Irish Lights (CIL), NUIG and of course issuance of a licence from ComReg.
NUIG run a wave height monitoring station at Loop Head, which transmits just below 14.000 MHz and because of proximity, the Wave Height transmissions swamp the 20 metre amateur band. CIL kindly arranged for the unit to be switched off for the duration of the IL&LW.
This will be LRC's 8th year at Loop Head and it has been one of the highlights of the Club's yearly activities, with up to 14 club members participating at various times over the weekend. Set up will begin on Friday 17th August from 14:00 and take down about 16:00 on Sunday 19th August. As usual two stations will be operating; one from the observation room and the other from the base of the lighthouse.
Preparations are also well in hand to provide a HAREC course beginning in September. It is expected that the course will be run in the Limerick College of Further Education. Details of dates, times and fees will issue as we get closer to the start date.
IECRO Radio Club
Jarad KE8GBF from Northern Michigan would like to thank Tony EI5EM, Mark EI6HPB, Hugh EI2HI, Adrian EI2KJ and all of the many other amateur radio operators whom he managed to establish a QSO with on the air or meet face to face during his visit to Dublin.
During parts of his visit he managed to operate under three callsigns, EI0MAR Howth Martello Radio Group, EI0IPN the IECRO Radio Club and his own personal callsign EI/KE8GBF.
Initially after picking up from the airport Jared was brought to the Howth Hurdy Gurdy Museum of Vintage Radio to meet with Tony. He enjoyed several hours of activities including a tour of the museum, operating the club station and a lot of friendly banter with multiple hams present in the tower during the day.
After this a portable station was established at various locations around the Dublin area by the IECRO Radio Club and Jared spent some time working fellow amateurs through the repeaters.
Later in the evening Jared was brought up into the Sally Gap of the Wicklow Mountains and had fun working VHF/UHF around the area.
88 MHz Trans-Atlantic signals heard in Ireland
Paul Logan in Lisnaskea, Fermanagh, Northern Ireland has managed to recently hear a Canadian radio station across the Atlantic at 88 MHz. Using a 5 element beam and a SDR receiver, Paul managed to catch CBC radio 1 on 88.5 MHz from Newfoundland, Canada at 22:35 local time (21:35 UTC) on Sunday the 8th of July 2018.
With a distance of some 3200 kms, it is very likely that it was double hop Sporadic-E, which is remarkable. Paul has heard transatlantic Band 2 signals in the past but it really is a rare phenomenon. This is only the fourth time Paul has heard a Canadian radio station on Band 2 (88-108 MHz) since 2003. He is the only person to have heard Band 2 signals from the USA.
The only other person to have heard a Band 2 transatlantic signal from North America was David Hamilton in Scotland who heard Newfoundland in 2003. Incredibly, a small number have managed to hear Band 2 stations from the Caribbean which is a more southerly path albeit further away.
Howth Martello Radio Group
Last Saturday the Howth Martello Radio Group celebrated the 120th anniversary of the first ever use of wireless for reporting a sporting and news event during the annual Kingstown Regatta in 1898. Gugliemo Marconi was aboard the Flying Huntress tug moored at the finish line and transmitted the results back to the harbour master's office in what is now Dún Laoghaire.
The results of the races were then telephoned to the offices of the Dublin Express newspaper. Special editions of the newspaper with the results were on sale in Kingstown even before the yachts had returned to port, a really successful scoop for both Marconi and the newspaper.
As the races took place in Dublin bay just off Howth Head, EI0MAR operated last Saturday from the Hurdy Gurdy Museum of Vintage Radio in Howth. Joe EI2JZ went out to Dún Laoghaire and operated portable on two metres from the pier near where the 1898 reports were received. He was copied 5 and 5 in Howth despite Howth Head being in the way.
Special QSL cards will be sent for all contacts and SWL reports. A big thanks to Pat Herbert, the curator of the museum, for facilitating the event and for the eight EIs who attended and assisted.
DX News
Dave G4BUO will be active as E51BUO from Rarotonga Island in the South Cook Islands from 30th July – 6th August. He will be operating on CW using 100w to wire antennas. QSLs go via his home call.
Puiu YO5BIM is a radio engineer who travels widely workwise. He will be in Papua New Guinea until 13th August and will be on the air as P29VIM. Look for him on 160, 80 and 40m mainly CW and also some SSB. QSL to his home call.
During August SP7VC will visit two of the Channel Islands. Firstly he will sign MU/SP7VC from Guernsey from 5th – 11th August. This will be followed by activity from Jersey where he will be QRV as MJ/SP7VC from 11th – 14th August. In each case he will be on all bands 160 – 10m and also some VHF.
Mike VE2XB will be on Baffin Island in northern Canada until the end of 2018. His callsign is VY0BRR and the IOTA reference is NA-047. He will be QRV when time permits.
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, Mark EI6HPB on 086 355 2370.
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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