This Week’s News
IRTS Radio News Bulletin Sunday September 20th, 2026
Updates from the IRTS
Thanks to our operators who took part in the IRTS 70cm and 2m Counties Contest last week, as a friendly reminder, please submit your contest log by the 27th of September to contestmanager /at/ irts.ie
IRTS is made up of passionate operators who love to make the hobby work better for everyone. We are currently seeking volunteers to join the IRTS Hamfest 2027 sub-committee to help organise the logistics for the largest ham radio gathering in Ireland. If you would like to take part, please reach out to the society secretary at irts_secretary /at/ irts.ie
The IRTS Promoting Amateur Radio Fund is available to support affiliated clubs with educational projects that encourage participation in the ham radio hobby, such as banner printing, leaflet printing, and other promotional material. Interested clubs are invited to apply by contacting the treasurer irts_treasurer /at/ irts.ie
We are less than a month away from Kildare Amateur Radio Club's buy & sell extravaganza, scheduled for 18th of October at the Kill GAA football club. The Eircode is W91 XP95. The day coincides with the upcoming IRTS in-person committee meeting and many committee members will be present at both events. This is a good opportunity to shop and meet the IRTS committee in person.
DX Féile 2026
DX Féile is taking place on Saturday, 3rd October at The Temple Gate Hotel, Ennis. The convention starts at 10:30 a.m. and runs until 6 p.m. It will be hosting International DX presentations and throughout the day, there will also be a fun DX Quiz, SSB, and CW simulated pileups and their famous giant tombola raffle. A great day is assured for the dedicated DXer. Tickets are selling out fast so please contact David Deane via email to ei9fbb /at/ gmail.com as soon as possible if you want to attend.
Shannon Basin Radio Club Hosting the IRTS AGM Weekend 2027
Shannon Basin Radio Club is hosting the 2027 IRTS AGM Weekend. It will take place in the Athlone Springs Hotel, Co. Roscommon over the weekend of the 24th and 25th of April 2027. Radio-related activities will take place on the Saturday afternoon which will be followed by the IRTS Gala Dinner that night. The Shannon Basin Radio Club rally will then commence on the Sunday morning. The rally will then be followed by the IRTS 2027 AGM which will take place on Sunday afternoon April 25th. Applications for trader and club tables for the rally are now open. Please email admin /at/ sbrc.ie for more information. Further details about the weekend’s event will be announced over the coming weeks.
Silent Key – Joe Brezina EI3I
We regret to report the death of Joe Brezina EI3I from Blackrock on September 14th. Joe was a radio engineer with RTÉ and he worked on transmitters around the country. We extend our deepest condolences to his family and wide circle of friends. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam. May he rest in peace.
Upcoming Talks at South Dublin Radio Club
South Dublin Radio Club has two talks coming up over the next few weeks at its regular Tuesday evening meetings in Ballyroan Community Centre, Rathfarnham. On Tuesday, 29th September, they will welcome guest speaker Pat EI7LH - previously EIØDH - who will give a presentation on RF and EMF safety awareness from a radio amateur perspective. Pat will cover topics such as RF exposure and its effects on the human body, safety standards, measuring equipment, and practical examples of RF and EMF in the shack and in the field. Pat has extensive experience working in radio telecommunications and in environmental health and safety across Ireland’s telecommunications infrastructure.
Then, on Tuesday, 13th October, Jeffrey EI7IRB will present “EI0MEOW: Cats, SSTV, and a Thermal Printer.” Jeffrey will look at the EI0MEOW project demonstrated at this year’s IRTS Hamfest and Dublin Maker, where SSTV was used to transmit a gallery of cat images, which could then be automatically decoded and printed as physical cards. He will also cover some of EI0MEOW’s other activities during August, including POTA activations. Both talks take place during the club’s regular Tuesday meeting, from 7.30 p.m. at Ballyroan Community Centre, Marian Road, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14. Visitors and members of other clubs are very welcome to attend.
IARU Intruder Watch Service Newsletter
The August edition of the IARU Intruder Watch Service has been published. In addition to the intruder reports, it is noted that the new IARU Intruder Watch Service coordinators will be formally appointed by the IARU Administrative Council during the IARU AC Meeting in Vienna. They will also be announced in the next IARU IWS monthly newsletter. The newsletter can be downloaded from the Intruder Watch Service page on iaru-r1.org
Items for Inclusion in Next Week’s Radio News
That is the news for this week. Thanks to everyone for sending items into the weekly IRTS radio news. They are very much appreciated and are a great way to update the rest of the community about activities. If you have any club events, news, meetings, or other items of interest, please send them via email to newsteam /at/ irts.ie . The deadline is midnight on Thursdays. Items intended for inclusion in Echo Ireland should be sent to echoireland /at/ irts.ie
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