Archived News Script
IRTS Radio NEws Bulletin Sunday 15January2023
Tony Bluett EI6ES Silent Key
We regret to report on the death of Tony Bluett EI6ES of Clonakilty, County Cork on January 10th in the Bons Secours Hospital, Cork. Tony, a life long supporter of the IRTS, has not been active on the air in recent times, but his antenna tower will have been a familiar landmark to many on the Cork road into Clonakilty. We extend our deepest sympathy to his children Peter EI2GI, Andre, Jacqueline Holland EI9GH, Thomas and Alan and his extended family. There will be a Requiem Mass on Monday, January 16th 2023 in the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Clonakilty at 12 noon. Funeral afterwards to St. Mary's Cemetery, Clonakilty.
Jim Bartlett EI2BB Silent Key
The death took place last Thursday 12th of January of Jim Bartlett EI2BB, peacefully in Tullamore Hospital. Jim was the reader of the first IRTS 80m news bulletin in January 1969. On January 20th 2019, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of that event, Jim read out the then current 80m IRTS news bulletin and also repeated the original 1969 bulletin. Jim was a member of the Baggot Street Radio Club while living in Dean's Grange in Dublin. He was a keen CW operator, experimenter and contester. When Jim retired, he moved QTH to Clonaslee in County Laois. To his partner Georgina, son Philip, EI5EXB, daughters Ruth and Natasha and to his extended family and friends, we extend our deepest sympathy. May he rest in peace.
Reopening of Ye Olde Hurdy Gurdy Museum
Saturday, January 15th saw the reopening of Ye Olde Hurdy Gurdy Museum of Vintage radio at the Martello Tower in Howth. The museum had been closed for the past two months for repairs. For now, the museum will open at weekends from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. The late Pat Herbert founded the museum in 2003 to display his vast collection of vintage radios, gramophones and related paraphernalia. It is his legacy to us and we owe him a great debt of gratitude. The museum also houses amateur station EI0MAR. The museum's website is found at sites.google.com/site/hurdygurdymuseum , where there is a link to book a visit online. EIs can also contact Tony, EI5EM by email ei5emtony /at/ gmail.com or joe.ei2jz /at/ gmail.com for further information.
News from the IRTS
The IRTS committee meeting on the 17th of December 2022 lasted over two hours, and was very well attended by IRTS committee members, officers of the society and many club representatives. The Zoom meeting was chaired by IRTS Vice-President Enda EI2II and many topics were discussed. With the 2023 IRTS AGM taking place in Ballinasloe, Co. Galway, over the weekend of April 29th and 30th, the IRTS Awards Committee is seeking nominations for “Awards for Services to the Society or to Amateur Radio” and for “Awards to IRTS Members for Other Achievements”. The winners will be presented with their inscribed trophy/shield in person at the AGM. Please send your nominations for specific awards to the Awards Manager, Jim EI4HH by email to holohaj2 /at/ hotmail.com no later than Saturday, February 5th. The working groups for “SWOT Analysis” and “EMF” have now been formed and are continuing with the work in hand in both areas. A big thanks to all who volunteered for both working groups. The IRTS Archive working group had a productive kick-off meeting on December 20th 2022, where the session was primarily focused on outlining the society’s current and past data to establishing its importance in relation to backup and historic value. Technology solutions to achieve proposed goals will need to be researched in the new year. The IRTS are continuing to compile a panel of newsreaders for the weekly Sunday morning 40m and 80m IRTS news bulletins for 2023. If any fully licensed EI feels like that they would be interested in becoming part of the IRTS News Readers panel, can they please get in touch with the IRTS Public Relations Officer Seany EI2HZB directly on 083 4713001 or by email to irts_pro /at/ irts.ie by Friday, January 28th. The next IRTS committee meeting will take place on Saturday, January 29th at 11 a.m. and will once again take place on the Zoom platform.
Scouts join IRTS
Radio Scouting Ireland are pleased to be applying for affiliation to the IRTS. Radio Scouting Ireland are a group of amateur radio operators and scout leaders who have been working over the last year at engaging with scout troops to ensure that amateur radio is at the heart of scouting activities. This means that instead of scouts only seeing our great hobby at JOTA-JOTI, they will have the chance to incorporate amateur radio in their regular scouting activities such as hikes, and camps. Radio Scouting Ireland is lead by Marty Grady, EI2IAB and a team of dedicated volunteers including John Holland EI3ISB, Albert White EI6KO, Declan McGuire EI6IVB, Neil Goolding EI9IWB, and the IRTS youth officer Niall Donohoe EI6HIB, to name but a few. To get in contact with Radio Scouting Ireland send an email to radioscoutingireland /at/ gmail.com
NSWLC Annual Dinner
The National Short Wave Listeners Club will be holding their annual dinner on Saturday, the 25th of February at the Temple Gate Hotel in Ennis, Co Clare. This hotel is also the location of the Limerick Clare Radio Club radio rally, taking place the following morning. Everyone is welcome to join NSWLC for their annual celebration of friendship, teaching, and mentoring of future generations of Irish radio amateurs. Please contact info /at/ swl.ie to reserve a place at the dinner table.
LCARC Rally 2023
The Limerick Clare Amateur Radio Club Rally 2023 will take place in the Temple Gate Hotel in Ennis, eircode V95H0XK, on Sunday, the 26th of February. The doors will open at 11.00 a.m. The usual traders, including Long Communications and MakerShop, will be in attendance. Tables can be booked by contacting Dermot EI2GT dermotgleeson1 /at/ gmail.com. Also, individuals can email Dermot if they wish to have a list of their items for sale published on the LCARC web site, plese have a look at the club's website at www.limerickclareamateurradioclub.ie On the Saturday night the IRTS Shortwave Listeners Club will be holding their informal dinner in the Hotel. Those wishing to make reservations with the Hotel for Saturday night can do so by contacting them at info /at/ templegatehotel.com or telephone 065-6823300. When making reservation for Saturday night please quote reference number 84187 to get special Rally rate at 99 Euro for single occupancy and 109 Euro for double occupancy, and a Dining room Dinner for 35 Euro, good Bar food is also available in the Hotel. The Rally and the Saturday night event are open to anyone with an interest in Radio or associated interests. More information will be posted on the club's web site in the lead up to Rally.
South Eastern Amateur Radio Group EI2WRC
The January meeting of the South Eastern Amateur Radio Group EI2WRC will take place on Monday, the 30th of January 2023, at 8 p.m. sharp at the New Community Men's Shed, Ozanam Centre, Coffee House Lane, Waterford. The Ozanam Centre has no eircode, but it is easy to find it directly behind the St. Vincent De Paul shop on Henrietta Street which has the eircode X91FEK1. So that would be a good starting point for anyone who might be interested in coming along and maybe not sure about our new location. New members, or anyone interested in learning more about amateur radio or the group are as always very welcome to attend.
Members of the South Eastern Amateur Radio Group EI2WRC will be QRV as EI2IMD on Saturday, the 22nd of April for International Marconi Day 2023. The station will be active from Tramore, Co. Waterford. Tramore has a direct connection with Marconi as he often stayed there with his aunt, a Mrs. Cookman who resided at the Cove, Tramore. Special thanks to the organisers the Cornish Radio Amateur Club for organising this special event. More details will be made known in the coming days on the SEARG Facebook and EI2IMD QRZ pages. For more information on the International Marconi Day please see www.gx4crc.com For anyone wishing to find out more about the South Eastern Amateur Radio Group and their activities can drop them an email to southeasternarg /at/ gmail.com or please feel free to go along to any of their meetings. You can check their website www.searg.ie and you can also find them on Facebook.
Lagan Vally ARS Rally
The Lagan Vally Amateur Radio Society will be holding it's annual rally on the 4th of March 2023 at the Hillsborough Village Centre, 7 Ballynahinch Road, Hillsborough, BT266AR. THe doors will open at 10:30, please note the earlier starting time. The Rally ends at 13:00. The Hillsborough Village Centre is just off the main A1 road linking the north and south of the island. Lagan Valley ARS hopes to welcome many EI hams again.
HF Activities
7U7C is the call-sign used by the members of the 7X2VFK club on the occasion of the 7th African Nations Championship. The football tournament takes place every two years and is organised by the Confederation of African Football. This year it is held in Algeria between January 13th and February 4th.
Ken K4ZW, Bob W9XY and Nodir EY8MM will be broadcasting from the ET3AA club in Addis Ababa until next weekend. QSL via Club Log OQRS or N2OO.
Przemo SP3PS, operating as C5SP from the Gambia, is active on SSB and FT8. Awaiting the arrival of more antennas and equipment, he expects improved working conditions this week.
The TN8K Team reports rain storms, a broken generator and a flaky internet connection, but that did not stop them from logging over 60,000 contacts so far. For their last week of operation in the Congo Republic, the Czech TN8K team has installed Beverage receiving antennas, and they are now also QRV on 60m on all modes.
IARU Monitoring System
The latest issue of the IARU-MS newsletter reads almost like a DX propagation report. Apart from detailing the recurring problems caused by the over-the-horizon radars of various origins, mainly from Russia, China, Iran and Cyprus, there are unusual reports about taxi radios and fishermen on 10m, and village radios in Indonesia heard on the 40m band. The IARU-MS reports can be downloaded from www.iaru-r1.org
The Propagation Horoscope
Solar activity is set to remain high over the coming weeks as two large active regions, designated NOAA 13169 and NOAA 13170, will re-appear on the east limb of the sun, likely generating more X-flares. NOAA predicts a solar flux index of 160 to 170 and a Kp index of 3 for the first few days of the week. After sunrise the MUF will quickly rise to above 30 MHz, at night the MUF this will occasionally dip below 7 MHz, with excellent night-time propagation on 160, 80 and 60m.
That is the news for this week. Items for inclusion in next week's radio news can be submitted by email to newsteam /at/ irts.ie for automatic forwarding to both the radio and printed news services. The deadline is Friday noon.
[A]
