Archived News Script
IRTS Radio News Bulletin Sunday 10th March 2019
Echo Ireland
Ahead of the society's Annual General Meeting in Athlone on 14th April, the Spring 2019 edition of the members' journal includes the Committee Report for 2018 and the society's accounts for the year. The Committee Report is compiled from reports submitted by the society's officers and provides a useful summary of the work they undertake during the year. There is also a separate report, by Dave EI3IO, on the important work being done, on behalf of radio amateurs, at the IARU level in preparation for the ITU World Radiocommunication Conference which takes place towards the end of this year. Key decisions on frequency allocations and on other areas of interest to the amateur radio community, such as protection from interference, will be made at this Conference, so IARU's participation is critical for the future of the hobby.
Club reports in this issue include updates from Skerries Radio Club, Shannon Basin Radio Club, Mayo Radio Experimenters Network, South East Amateur Radio Group, IECRO Ireland Radio Club, Kerry Amateur Radio Group and Lough Erne Amateur Radio Club. Kerry Amateur Radio Group's report includes their plans to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first ever wireless telephony transatlantic communication from east to west, which was made from the Marconi radio station in Ballybunion in March 1919.
Another commemoration is featured on the cover of the latest Echo Ireland, it is the 50th anniversary of the first IRTS radio news bulletin. The anniversary of this event was celebrated by Jim EI2BB (one of the newsreaders in 1969) reading the original script 50 years later, in January 2019. The inside pages include the full text of the original script, along with photos of many of the current newsreaders.
In the HF Happenings column, Don EI6IL tells us how his new homebrew co-ax loop receive antenna has helped him to work a few new ones on top band. A homebrew antenna of a different kind is the subject of a well illustrated article by Tony EI5EM, who describes how he put together a "Cobwebb" antenna. Also in this issue, Brian EI8EJB chronicles his experience as a beta tester of a Chinese VHF/UHF handheld, while the "Excerpts from the HX Files" by Pat EI2HX covers the replacement of a memory back-up battery, and Pat EI5IX reports on his involvement in a recent DXpedition to Tonga.
Evening Counties Contest
A date for your diary: there is an evening IRTS Counties Contest on Tuesday 19th March at 20:00 UTC. It is a one-hour contest, on 80 metres, for SSB and CW. See www.irts.ie/contests for more details, including the full rules.
Limerick Radio Club
A reminder that the Limerick Radio Club Rally is taking place today, 10th March, at the Radisson Hotel Ennis Road Limerick. Doors open at 11am. All are welcome.
Please note that the weekly IRTS News continues to be read on the LRC 70cms repeater at 8:00 PM on Monday evenings.
Tipperary Amateur Radio Group
The next meeting of the Tipperary Amateur Radio Group will take place in The Park Hotel, Clonmel on Tuesday 19th March at 8.30pm. 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 attend 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 2019 AGM of the South Eastern Amateur Radio Group took place on Monday the 25th of February 2019 in the Roanmore Social and Sports Centre, Cleaboy Road, Waterford at 8.00 p.m. The following is the SEARG Committee voted in for 2019- Chairman John Tubbritt EI3HQB Vice Chairman Mark Kilmartin EI4FNB Secretary David Gainda EI6GVB Treasurer Ray Cowman EI6HFB Public Relations Officer Seany Byrne EI2HZB Club Officer 1 John Ronan EI7IG Club Officer 2 Eoghan Kinane EI5HBB & Club Officer 3 Wayne Lewis EI7HKB. A full report of the AGM is published in the current edition of Echo Ireland.
The club will be active in the St Patricks Day Award which takes place 12 noon on the 16th March to 12 noon on the 18th March UTC. The club will be active from 5pm on the Friday evening till 5pm on the Saturday evening. The location of the station will be the Copper Coast Drive View car park on the R675 Tramore to Bunmahon road just up from Kilmurin cove For more info contact John EI3HQB
The club will also be holding a Radio Foxhunt on Monday the 18th of March 2019 in Kilbarry Nature Park, Waterford at 12pm sharp. Kilbarry Nature Park is located just outside the city on the Tramore Road just past the Waterford Regional Sports Centre Eircode X91 X2XY. This is a fun event open to everyone young an old, licensed or SWL. Please note this event will be dependable upon weather conditions. For more info contact any SEARG committee member.
For anyone that 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 attend any of their meetings. You can check out their website www.searg.ie, join them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.
A Date for the Diary
Reminder: The Shannon Basin Radio Club are hosting the 2019 IRTS Dinner and AGM with a radio and electronic fair on the weekend of the 13th and 14th April in the Hodson Bay Hotel Athlone.
Talks and demos will take place on the Saturday afternoon with the annual dinner taking place on Saturday night. The radio and electronics fair will take place on the Sunday 14th April.
Tickets are available now. For further details and contact information please see www.shannonbasinradioclub.com or www.irts.ie
Incorrect Phone Number - Assessment for CW
Important notice: An incorrect phone number for Dave EI4BZ was supplied in previous weeks news. If any listeners have been attempting to make contact with him, please use the currect phone number listed here.
Dave will be conducting CW assessment at the IRTS AGM in Athlone on April 14th. Booking for these tests is essential and intending candidates should contact Dave EI4BZ on 087-6290574 or by email “davebeag /at/ gmail /dot/ com”.
Full details of the Morse test are available on the IRTS web site under licensing at www.irts.ie
DX News
A team of mainly Norwegian operators are active from Lesotho until 16th March. Their callsign is 7P8LB and operation is on all bands CW, SSB and FT8. QSL via M0OXO OQRS.
Don’t forget that the EI DX Group Dxpedition to Togo will hit the airwaves in the coming week. The plan is to operate as 5V7EI on all bands 160 – 10m CW, SSB and Digital. They will be there from 14th – 26th March. QSL manager is M0OXO OQRS.
A group of Russian Robinson Club members will activate the callsign XR0ZRC from Robinson Crusoe Island located in the Juan Fernandez Archipelago. Starting date is 11th March and they will finish on 27th March. QSL via Club Log OQRS.
The Italian Dxpedition team will be in Uganda from 13th – 25th March. They will operate as 5X3C on CW, SSB and RTTY. For QSOs on FT8 they will use the callsign 5X3E. QSL manager is I2YSB.
Yuki JH1NBN has obtained a licence to operate as XZ2C in Myanmar and hopes to be on the air in the near future. QSLs go via his home call.
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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