Archived News Script
IRTS Radio News Bulletin Sunday 12th August 2018
Silent Keys
With deepest sympathy we announce the passing of Tony Siviter EI2IZ from Ballinskelligs, Co Kerry. Tony was a former member of KARG, but suffered ill-health in recent years. Tony passed away at University Hospital Kerry on Tuesday 31st July. Sincere sympathies to all of his family and friends. May he rest in peace.
KARG also announce the recent passing of the wife of KARG member Mark Smith EI6HWB, from Waterville, Co Kerry. May she rest in peace.
IRTS Committee meetings
Please note that the date of the September meeting has been changed to the 8th September, Creggan Court Hotel, Athlone at 11am.
IRTS Committee Meetings for the remainder of the year are set 20th October in Portlaoise and 8th December in Athlone.
International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend
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.
Kerry Amateur Radio Group
Celebrating the 1866 Newfoundland to Valentia inaugural Trans-Atlantic telegraph message The inaugural successful transmission from the western terminus of the trans-Atlantic telegraph cable was carried out between Heart’s Contents, Newfoundland, to Valentia, Ireland on Friday 27th July 1866. Prior to this, messages would have taken up to 2 weeks to cross the Atlantic by ship.
On Friday 27th July 2018, Kerry Amateur Radio Group (KARG) celebrated the anniversary of the connection of Europe to America, old connecting to new, by making wireless communication contact with Hearts Content Cable station in Newfoundland, from Valentia Cable station. QSO’s were made on 20M SSB and CW on the day, with a collaborating VO1TAC Amateur Radio group at Hearts Content.
The occasion also acknowledges Valentia as a potential World Heritage site due to its importance in telegraph and radio communication and its historical influence in technology.
This year’s event was a collaboration between KARG and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). At 2.30pm the original message sent in 1866 was re-sent via wired CW in front of the approx 60 strong audience. This was followed by lectures including, “A technical journey for very early telegraphy up to the modern era of Radio & Satellite Communication” and “The evolution of submarine cable design since the 1850s”.
Cromwell Point Lighthouse
The Kerry Amateur Radio Group will once again participate in ILLW 2018 from Cromwell Point Lighthouse, Valentia on Sat 18th and Sun 19th August, using club call EI1K. KARG plan to begin set-up approx. 6pm on Friday and disassemble approx. 4pm on Sunday. It is planned to be QRV on all bands and modes, running two stations. This event is open to all, and KARG would especially like to welcome anybody who may have an interest in Amateur radio, to come along over the weekend.
For further details and information on KARG, see www.kerryamateurradiogroup.com or their Facebook page.
Tipperary Amateur Radio Group
The next meeting of the Tipperary Amateur Radio Group will take place in The Park Hotel, Clonmel on Thursday 23rd August at 8.30pm. Plans will be finalized for the HF SSB Field Day taking place on the 1st September and all those taking part are requested to attend. New members or anyone interested in amateur radio are very welcome.
For anyone who wishes to find out more about the Tipperary Amateur Radio Group and its activities you can come along to any of their meetings. You can also check out their website www.ei7trg.ie or contact club PRO Ronan EI4KN at QTHR for further information.
South Eastern Amateur Radio Group
The South Eastern Amateur Radio Group will activate Hook Lighthouse ILLW Ref: IE0003 on Saturday and Sunday the 18th & 19th of August 2018 as part of the 21st International Lighthouse & Lightship weekend. Hook Lighthouse is located on the South-East coast of Ireland in Co. Wexford. The present structure is about 800 years old and is the oldest intact operational lighthouse in the world. Hook Lighthouse offers guided tours of the lighthouse tower all year around and is counted as one of the top tourist sites to visit in the Wexford and Waterford areas. For more info on the Hook Lighthouse please see www.hookheritage.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.
M.R.E.N Lighthouse activation 2018
The mayo radio experimenters will be activating Blacksod lighthouse IE0008 for this years international lighthouse lightship weekend with the clubs call EI7MRE/p. This activation will be held next weekend 18th and 19th August. The team will be operating on all bands from 80m to 4 meters depending on band conditions. Anyone wishing to work the IO44xc square on VHF, look out for them on the DX cluster or ON4KST chat. The station operators hope to be active from the evening of Saturday 18th until Sunday afternoon.
New 144 MHz DX record
On Sunday the 5th of August 2018, there was a remarkable contact on the 2 metre band between Ireland and the Cape Verde Islands off the west coast of Africa. Mark Turner EI3KD in Cork managed to work D4Z on 144.300 MHz, a distance of some 4163 kms. This contact made on CW was also a new DX record for tropo in IARU Region 1. To put the distance into perspective, the equivalent distance to the west would span the Atlantic stretching from Ireland to Nova Scotia in Canada. Congratulations to Mark on this achievement.
Limerick HAREC Course
A reminder that preparations are well in hand to provide a HAREC course in Limerick 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.
South Dublin Radio Club
A reminder that SDR is taking its traditional break for the start of August, so there will be no meeting on 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.
Limerick Radio Club
A reminder that this will be LRC's 8th year at Loop Head and it has been one of the highlights of the Club's yearly activities. This year up to 16 club members have shown interest in attending over the weekend with some new club members especially interested..
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. While the club will be providing a ICOM 756PRO and a Kenwood TS940, anyone wishing to bring their own rig and/or antenna are more than welcome to do so. It is an opportunity to contrast and compare rigs and antennas as well as picking up some hints and tips from the 'elder lemons'
DX News
A team of experienced U.S. DXers will operate as TX5T from the Austral Islands from 13th – 22nd August. The Austral Islands are the southern-most group of islands in French Polynesia and count as a separate entity for DXCC purposes. They will operate on all bands 160 – 6m on CW, SSB, RTTY and FT8. See www.australs2018.com for full details.
Rene F6CTW is at present in Cambodia where he is signing XU7AEX. He will be there until 20th August and can be found on 15, 17 and 20m CW. QSLs go via his home call.
Victor WB0TEV will be back in Belize from 16th – 22nd August and will reactivate his V31VP callsign on 15 and 20m on SSB and RTTY. QSL to his home call.
Tev TA1HZ will be in Kosovo for about 10 days starting 17th August. He hopes to be active as Z68HZ on SSB and FT8. Logs will be uploaded to Logbook of The World.
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.
[A]
