Irish Radio Transmitters Society
Radio News Bulletin
Sunday 25th October 2009

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DX contesters killed in plane crash

The tragic news is that four members of the C6APR DX
team perished when their light aircraft crashed soon
after take-off in South Carolina.

They were heading to Crooked Island in the Bahamas for
this weekend’s CQ World Wide Contest, a location used
on seven previous occasions by the team since 2006
including in the CQ WW and IOTA contests.

Killed were the pilot Pete Radding W2GJ, Ed Steeble
K3IXD, Randy Hargenrader K4QO and Dallas Carter W3PP.
Our thoughts are with their families at this time.
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Train the Trainers

The Society is considering running a "Train the
Trainers" session for theory tutors intending to run
classes and who wish to use the Society's CD Exam
Course Guide. This may also be of interest to those
unable to attend classes and who wish to use the Guide
as a study aid for the Theory Examination.

The two-hour session would most probably take place on
a weekend afternoon and would demonstrate how best to
use the CD Guide and also practical matters relating to
preparing students to sit the Exam. If you are
interested in participating in such a Training Session
please drop an email to Paul EI2CA or Seamus EI8BP or
indeed any of the Committee Members. Their contact
details are on the IRTS website and in the latest issue
of Echo Ireland.
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Affiliated Clubs

Affiliated Clubs are reminded that they are entitled
to send a representative to IRTS Committee meetings.
The next Committee meeting will take place next
Saturday 31st October in the Port Laoise Maldon Hotel
at 11am. The meetings usually finish by 1pm and it is
an opportunity for Clubs to participate in the
Committee process.
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CQIR Contest

Following the success of the first CQIR contest held
during the IRTS 75th Anniversary celebrations in 2007,
the Society's Committee at their last meeting discussed
requests from at home and abroad for a repeat event.
You may recall that this HF event celebrated the Irish
diaspora overseas and gave an opportunity for those
with green blood in their veins to enjoy a Worldwide
Irish Contest.

The committee decided to consider running the event
every five years on a weekend close to St. Patrick's
Day which would mean that the next event would be in
March 2012 to coincide with the IRTS 80th Anniversary
celebrations. We can also look forward to improved
Solar Cycle conditions by then.

The Committee will consider revising the rules based on
lessons learnt during the first event. If you have any
suggestions or comments please forward them to the
Contest Manager, Thos EI2JD.
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GlobalSET 2009

Global Simulated Emergency Test Saturday

IARU Region 1 invites the HQ-Stations of all IARU
member societies and stations of Emergency
Communications Groups to participate in a Global
Simulated Emergency Test on Saturday November 14th,
2009 18.00 – 22.00 UTC.

The operation will take place on and near the emergency
Centre-of-Activity (CoA) frequencies on 80, 40, 20, 17
and 15 metres (+-QRM ).

This is an exercise between stations interested in
emergency communications and is not a contest. Activity
will be concentrated around the IARU Emergency Centre
of Activity frequencies which are now incorporated in
band plans around the world.

The details of the exercise will be published on the
IARU Region 1 website (www.iaru-r1.org) under the
Emergency Communications Working Group section.
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Dxpedition and IOTA Talk by Declan Craig EI6FR

The Mayo Club has organised Declan Craig EI6FR to
give a talk the evening before the Mayo Radio
Rally, Saturday 21st November. He will have an
interesting account about past Expeditions and
IOTAS’s he has taken part in, how to plan future
events and what is involved.
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DXpedition to Midway Island

Midway Island, in the North Pacific Ocean, was home to
a group of US and European radio amateurs earlier this
month. Using the call sign K4M the team made over
60,000 QSOs during a seven day period. CW was used for
over 60% of their QSOs, with 20, 30 and 40 metres
accounting for most of the traffic.

Midway is ranked 13th "most wanted" DXCC entity in
Europe, so there was a good deal of interest in this
DXpedition from EI and GI. 18 EI and 11 MI/GI stations
made contact with Midway during the month, nearly all
of these QSOs being on 20, 30 or 40 metres. Top of the
Irish leaderboard were John EI7BA, Nicki EI9JF and Dick
GI3OQR - each with 5 band/mode QSOs in the K4M log.
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SWL Activity

Brendan Nutley EI1429 has recently been involved in the
SWL Category of the Sprint / Worked All Europe tests
where he has Achieved 2nd place.
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RSGB General Manager to visit Northern Ireland

The RSGB General Manager Peter Kirby, G0TWW will be
visiting clubs in Northern Ireland in November.

He will be speaking at the following clubs and would
like to meet as many radio amateurs as possible, both
RSGB members and non-members alike.

Tuesday 17th November: GEARS: The Knockagh Lodge, 236
Upper Road Greenisland.

Wednesday 18th November: West Tyrone: The Technology
Education Centre, Spillers Place, Omagh BT78 1FA

Times to be confirmed.

For further information please Email:: mi5jyk at
rsgb.org.uk
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YI/KV4EB DXCC credits

Bill Moore, NC1L, ARRL Awards Branch Manager, reports
DXCC credit for this operation originally noted dates
from April 20, 2003, to November 28, 2003.

An update to this operation has been received and the
DXCC approval dates are now from April 20, 2003,
through January 9, 2004.

This credit is only if your QSO falls within the date
period noted above. The email address to send the
details to for the above credit is dxcc /at/ arrl.org
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Visitors to EI

Oliver EI/ON4EI is back in Ireland until the 26th
October 2009 to enter the CQ WW DX SSB 2009 from the
top of Benneshill.

Marc EI/W4MPS is currently visiting also until the
26th of October and has been worked by EI’s on the
AO-51 Satellite from his location in the Fermoy area.
Marc hopes to be active on the low bands also during
his visit.
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Tipperary Amateur Radio Group

The 2009 Annual General Meeting of the Tipperary
Amateur Radio Group will take place on Thursday the 5th
of November at 8.00 pm in Raheen House Hotel, Raheen
Road, Clonmel. All are Welcome.
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Rallies

Sunday 1st November 2009 Foyle and District ARC Rally
Venue: White Horse Hotel, 68 Clooney Road, Derry, BT47
3PA (same hotel as last year)

Sunday 22nd November 2009 Mayo Radio Rally Venue:
Welcome Inn, Castlebar, Co. Mayo

The rally organiser and main contact is Padraic Baynes
EI9JA mobile 087 - 695 7154 or email pbaynes1 at
eircom dot net Special Accommodation Rates are also
available please check the full details on the
www.ei7mre.org website

For more information on Rallies please check the
IRTS website.
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This week in History

1861 First transcontinental telegraph msg San Francisco
to Washington. The Pony Express completed its last run
the same day.

1879 Edison invents the incandescent electric lamp.

1884 Edison patents the 2 element lamp. (Diode valve)

1915 First transatlantic speech relay by radiotelephone
by AT&T Arlington to Paris.
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Items mentioned in the IRTS Radio news are of a
general, educational or informative nature, there
is no guarantee that stations mentioned can be
heard or worked

Items for inclusion in next weeks Radio News should be
forwarded to Charlie EI8JB, preferably via e-mail to
“charlie dot Carolan at gmail dot com” Or by phone to
087-6265418 News can also be submitted via e-mail to
“newsteam at irts dot ie” for automatic forwarding to
both the radio and printed news services.

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.