Irish Radio Transmitters Society
Radio News Bulletin
Sunday 7th April 2013

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IRTS AGM, Dinner and Radio Rally

This year the 81st IRTS AGM is hosted by Shannon Basin Radio Club. The
event takes place in the Shamrock Lodge Hotel in Athlone, Saturday
April 27th and Sunday April 28th 2013. Tickets for the Dinner on
Saturday night (8.00 for 8.30pm) will be available at 30 Euro each from
Brian EI8IU QTHR and through IRTS Committee Members. Dress code, as
usual, is smart/casual. Menu details is available from the IRTS
website. Please visit www.irts.ie for more details.
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Echo Ireland - March

The March edition of Echo Ireland, the IRTS journal, was mailed to
members during the week. It has reports on a number of recent events,
including the Limerick, Lough Erne and Coolmine rallies as well as a
presentation on all aspects of the Summits On The Air programme to the
Dundalk club by Graeme MI0WGM.

This is AGM season, and Echo Ireland includes reports from the AGMs of
Cork Radio Club, South Eastern Amateur Radio Group and Limerick Radio
Club, along with the formal notice of the IRTS annual general meeting,
which takes place later this month.

Cork-based Edwin van Mierlo EI2HEB recounts the journey from his
introduction as a young boy in the 1970s to the "magical" world of
amateur radio by an uncle, to passing the exam and obtaining an amateur
station licence in 2011. CW and QRP enthusiast Tom EI2AJ tells us how
someone with a small garden and budget can get on the air with a
low-cost commercial vertical antenna. Staying with verticals, Tony
EI4DIB gives the results of SWR tests on a range of rubber duck
antennas for 2 metres and 70 cms.

"HF Happenings" by Anthony EI2KC includes some suggestions for
achieving DXCC on individual bands. Anthony also covers recent and
forthcoming DXpeditions. In the "Excerpts from the HX files" Pat EI2HX
talks about his efforts to fit a telescopic sight to a 10 Gigahertz
dish, so that it can be used to line up two portable stations. Pat's
experience while using an angle grinder on an aluminium block is worth
noting!
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2 Metres Counties Contest

Our listeners may remember that Monday last, Easter Monday, was another
cold and windy day. Nevertheless, quite a few stations braved the
elements to operate in the portable sections of 2 metres counties
contest. Those heard operating portable included David EI7GEB, who was
on Slieve na Calliagh - the highest point in County Meath and part of a
prehistoric complex of passage tombs in the county - the South Eastern
Amateur Radio Group who were in Carlow on Mount Leinster, and the
Shannon Basin Radio Club on the Leitrim hills. Another portable station
heard was Joe EI7GY, who pitched his tent on the Slieve Blooms in
County Laois.

There was also good support from the fixed stations, with most counties
represented. The deadline for logs is Monday 15th April.
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Youngsters on the Air

Last weekend, a team of 14 young operators participated in the CQ WPX
contest from Sweden using the call sign SH3Y in the Multi/Multi
section. 5 stations were active using up to 3 antennas on each band.
This is the youngest multi operator, multi transmitter team operated in
Sweden for the last 13 years. Most of the team from outside Sweden met
at the Youngsters On The Air program in Belgium last year and a total
12.22 Million points were gained over the weekend.
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Limerick Radio Club

Limerick was well represented for last weekends IRTS 2M Counties
contest, and members are requested to send their logs to contestmanager
/at/ irts.ie , deadline April 15th.

The next club meeting will take place on Wednesday next 10th April in
LIT at 7.30pm.

Liam Rainford EI7DSB will give a talk on WSJT Modes and Simon Kenny
EI7ALB will talk on VHF DX.
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International Marconi Day Saturday 20th April 2013

The Hurdy Gurdy Museum of Vintage Radio will be celebrating
International Marconi Day, and the tower will be open from 11 AM to 4
PM at least, and probably longer. The Call Sign is EI0MAR. The tower
was the site for an experimental Marconi Station in 1905. All visitors
are welcome, licenced amateurs, SWLs and anyone with an interest in
radio. The museum is located in the Martello Towel, Howth Harbour,
Fingal, County Dublin. The web link is http://bit.ly/QXkBTi
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South Eastern Amateur Radio Group

The next monthly meeting of the South Eastern Amateur Radio Group will
take place in the Roanmore Social and Sports Centre, Cleaboy Road,
Waterford on Monday the 29th April at 8.30 p.m. The meeting will be
preceded by a committee meeting at 8.00 pm sharp and as always new
members are very welcome.
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Bangor & District ARS Rally

The BDARS Annual Rally is on 6th July this year in the usual venue of
Donaghadee Community Centre, Donaghadee, County Down, BT21 0HB - Doors
open at 11:30.
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West Tyrone Amateur Radio Club

The West Tyrone Amateur Radio Club recently held their AGM. The
following were elected to the club's committee Chairman - Eddie Mc
Crystal GI7FHZ Vice-Chairman- Frank Kearney 2I0FPK Secretary- Paul
Rafferty-Floyd 2I0LDC Treaurer- Sean Rafferty GI0EJT Pro - John Martin
2I0OMA Committee Member - Eric Barker GI4SXV Committee Member - James
McCann GI3YBZ
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DX News

Maurizio IK2GZU will be back in Tanzania from 7 April until 8 May. He
will be working on electrical installations in the local hospital and
orphanage. In his spare time he plans to reactivate his 5H3MB callsign.
QSLs go via his home call.

Mario CT1FTR will be in Khartoum, Sudan until June. He is signing
ST2FT.

Rick AI5P is off to the Caribbean and will firstly visit Dominica from
6 - 20 April. While there he will use the callsign J75PX. Then he
travels to Martinique until 30 April where his call will be TO5PX. QSLs
are via the home call.

Two Mexican operators, XE1AY and XE2AA, will sign V31NV and V32EE from
Belize from now until 12 April. They will be joined by V31HU. Operation
will take place from South Water Cay which counts as NA-180 for the
Islands on the Air Award. QSL Manager is IT9EJW.
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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.