Irish Radio Transmitters Society
Radio News Bulletin
Sunday 18th December 2011

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Seasons Greetings & Happy Christmas 2011

The Officers and Committee of the Irish Radio Transmitters Society wish
everyone seasons greetings and a happy Christmas. Thank you for your
support in 2011 and we look forward to your continued support in 2012,
as we continue to serve you in our 80th anniversary year. Good wishes
to everyone for a good and prosperous New Year.

Athbhliain faoi mhaise daoibh!
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IRTS 80th Anniversary

IRTS will be celebrating its 80th anniversary next year. Details of a
worldwide contest - CQIR - to take place on Saint Patrick's Day,
Saturday 17th March 2012 have just been announced. Full rules and
information are available at www.irts.ie/cqir or by email to cqir /at
/irts / dot/ie

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IRTS News Radio News Service

This is the last IRTS radio news bulletin for 2011. The next radio news
bulletin will be January 8th 2012. The radio news editor thanks
everyone who regularly submits items for

inclusion in the radio news service.

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Revised HAREC Examination Format

Following recent consultations with ComReg on the renewal of the
agreement under which IRTS administer the examinations for the HAREC
qualification, we are pleased to announce that ComReg has approved a
change in the format of the examination: it will, in future, consist of
two sections, each containing 30 questions. The pass mark is 60% and a
pass is required in each of the two main sections of the paper, Section
A - Amateur Radio Regulations and Related Topics and Section B - Radio
Theory and Related Topics. There have been no significant changes to
the content of the Syllabus and Notes for Candidates which was
published in June 2010, however its layout has been adjusted to conform
to the revised structure mentioned above. In addition, a new Annex has
been included containing the principal national call sign prefixes for
Europe and North America, knowledge of which is required for the
examination. Intending candidates are advised to study the Syllabus
carefully paying particular attention to the associated Notes for
Candidates and the Annexes to the Syllabus The web page at
www.irts.ie/downloads contains a link to the syllabus with the adjusted
layout. This page also includes a link to an IRTS document Studying for
the Harmonised Amateur Radio Examination Certificate which includes
both the syllabus and a new Sample Paper. A revised CD Course Guide,
which is closely aligned with the Syllabus topics and the revised
examination format, is at an advanced stage of preparation and will be
available in the New Year.
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Tipperary Amateur Radio Group

The Tipperary Amateur Radio Group Would Like to wish all Radio Amateurs
and Shortwave Listeners a Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year and
a thank you to Group members who read the news and helped out at the
various events over the year.
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Teenager Wins IRTS Contest Award

Lough Erne Amateur Radio Club is delighted that a teenage member, Jamie
Nelson 2i0MFB won an Award in the IRTS Autumn 2 metre Counties Contest.

The results in the December issue of Echo Ireland show Jamie winning
the OEI Award - best station outside EI - in the Low Power Portable
section. His portable station was up on Carnmore, near the Club's
Repeater GB3CP and not far from his Magheraveely home in south east
Fermanagh. Lat year this same award was won by another radio amateur in
that same part of the county, David Corbett MI0VKO.

Jamie at 17 years old was likely the youngest contest operator and had
been a radio amateur for about 19 months at the time of the contest.

Jamie did the Club's Foundation course last year, then the examination
for his Intermediate examination earlier this year. He has postponed
study for the full license examination until after next summer's very
important A-level examinations at Portora Royal School.

Jamie is a fine example of the kind of young people we need to recruit
into amateur radio. Lough Erne Amateur Radio Club is very proud of his
successes.

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Global Data Traffic

An interesting statistic is that by 2014, global data traffic will
increase by 39 times from current levels, reaching 3.6 exabytes (around
3.9 billion gigabytes) per month, according to wireless firm Cisco.
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DX News

F4FOO will operate from Togo in West Africa during the period 19
December until 4 January. He will be on 20 - 10m using SSB. The
callsign to look for is 5V7MA and QSLs go via his home call.

Gerry VE6LB is returning to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates for a 3
week stay. He will be active as A6/VE6LB from 20 December until 10
January. As before this is a part time vacation operation. He will run
100w to a G5RV antenna and concentrate mainly on working 12m and 10m.
QSL is via the home call and Logbook of the World.

SM6CPY will be signing 9X0PY from Rwanda from 24 December until 7
January. Cards go via his home call.

At this time of year there are often special event stations on the air
with a Christmas or New Year theme. Already on the air this year is
PB11XMAS from Holland. The operator is PB5X and he will be workable
until New Year's Day.
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IC Chip Inventors Birthday

We celebrate the birthday of the late Robert Norton Noyce, nicknamed
"the Mayor of Silicon Valley". Noyce and Gordon Moore founded Intel in
1968. The integrated circuit was one of the stepping stones toward what
we take for granted today, the ubiquitous microprocessor. Noyce was
born on December 12, 1927 and died in 1990 at the age of 62.

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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 maybe telephoned to the radio news editor, Aidan, EI7JC on
085 7100511.

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.