From Newsgroup: rec.radio.amateur.misc

(BUTTON) Go Back

This Week's News

IRTS Radio News Bulletin Sunday April 5th, 2026
__________________________________________________________________

IRTS Updates

After receiving additional nominations for committee positions beyond
those published in the Spring edition of Echo Ireland newsletter, the
IRTS is now holding a paper ballot under Rule 24.1 of its constitution.
The election will determine the 11 committee members. Members should
soon receive a paper ballot by post. Please return it by post to arrive
by Friday, 17 April 2026. Members who have not returned their ballot
ahead of the AGM at 2 p.m. on Sunday, the 19th of April 2026 may place
them in the ballot box at the AGM venue.

On Easter Monday, tomorrow, April 6th, all radio operators are invited
to participate in the two-metre and seventy-centimetre counties
contests. This year's event takes place on the afternoon of Easter
Monday, April 6th. Both SSB and FM modes are welcome, and the required
contest exchange consists of a signal report, a serial number, and the
operator's county. For the full set of rules and scoring details,
please visit irts.ie/contests. We wish all participants the best of
luck on what is a friendly and enjoyable event on the air.

The next HAREC exam is scheduled for Saturday, May 16th, at the Clayton
Hotel, Dublin Airport. Due to high demand and limited spacing, anyone
wishing to sit the exam is urged to submit their application as soon as
possible via the website at irts.ie/exams. For any specific inquiries
regarding the examination process, you can reach out to Mick, EI6IKB,
via email at irts_exams /at/ irts.ie
__________________________________________________________________

Update from your ComReg Liaison Officer, Jeffrey EI7IRB

ComReg Liaison Officer Jeffrey, EI7IRB, has provided an update
following recent communications with the regulator. Regarding the
"Health of the Hobby" survey, ComReg received 250 responses from over
1,900 invitations. While the high level of detail provided by
participants was appreciated, the response rate represents less than 13
percent of Irish amateurs, which ComReg states is insufficient to
support meaningful policy analysis or firm conclusions at this time.

Additionally, ComReg is currently reviewing the 1300 to 1304 MHz and
2400 to 2450 MHz bands to determine if they can be made generally
available in the future. Since 2018, 70 individual authorisations have
been issued for these bands, and technical consultants will soon begin
a formal review. ComReg has contacted all past and present
authorisation holders via email to gather specific data on equipment
and usage.

Finally, it has been confirmed that ComReg will speak on the Saturday
afternoon of the upcoming AGM weekend. The regulator will present the
aggregated data from the "Health of the Hobby" survey and, if timing
allows, provide feedback on the microwave band review.
__________________________________________________________________

IRTS AGM Weekend in Shannon

The Limerick Clare Amateur Radio Club is looking forward to hosting the
IRTS AGM Weekend on April 18th and 19th in Shannon, County Clare. The
IRTS Gala Dinner will take place on Saturday, April 18th, and is a
ticket-only event. Tickets cost 40 euro and must be purchased in
advance by the strict deadline of April 11th to accommodate hotel
catering requirements. Those wishing to attend should contact the club
treasurer at irtsgaladinner.2026 /at/ gmail.com as soon as possible.

On Sunday, April 19th, the club rally and monster draw will open its
doors at 10:30 a.m., with many prizes available in the raffle. Ahead of
the AGM weekend, the next regular club meeting is scheduled for April
9th at TUS, starting at 7:30 p.m. The meeting will feature a
presentation on electromagnetism by Seán Kearney, and all members are
encouraged to attend.
__________________________________________________________________

Buildathon Event from Limerick Clare Amateur Radio Club

As part of a full programme of events for the IRTS AGM weekend, the
Limerick Clare Amateur Radio Club has organised a buildathon event on
Saturday the 18th at 10 a.m., at the Shannon Aviation Museum.
Participants will build and take home their own high-tech internet
radio. For just 20 euro, all components, tools, and technical support
will be provided on the day. There are a small number of places still
available. Those wishing to participate need to register at
limerickclareamateurradioclub.ie
__________________________________________________________________

Updates from Shannon Basin Radio Club

The next Shannon Basin Radio Club 80m SSB DX net takes place on
Thursday night from 9 p.m. The frequency will be in the region of
3.775MHz plus or minus QRM. All are welcome especially SWLs. Andy
McCarthy EI7IOB, Pat O'Connor EI9HX, Keith Nolan EI5IN, and Daniel
McDowell EI8ICB from the club are among the list of nominees for the
IRTS committee in the upcoming IRTS AGM. Shannon Basin Radio Club
wishes the best to them and to the rest of the candidates. Visit
sbrc.ie for more information about the club and its activities.
__________________________________________________________________

Bletchley Park Presentation by Galway Radio Experimenters Club

The Galway Radio Experimenters Club will be giving a presentation on a
recent trip to Bletchley Park and the RSGB National Radio Centre at its
next club night. Among the 4 that visited the centre was Paul O'Connor
EI5IPB who is also running as a nominee for the IRTS committee. Galway
Radio Experimenters Club wishes him the very best in his endeavours.
The club night is on 7th April at The Menlo Park Hotel, Galway at 8
p.m. All are welcome.
__________________________________________________________________

Special Event Callsign EI0WAAAW for Autism Awareness

April 2026 marks World Autism Awareness Month, with World Autism
Awareness Day having been observed on April 2nd. To commemorate the
month, Ian EI3LH has been allocated the special event callsign
EI0WAAAW. This callsign will be active for various operations
throughout the month of April. This activation also intends to promote
the 'Make 270 CW Great Again' campaign, involving several operators
from Ireland and members of the FISTS club. The use of EI0WAAAW is more
than just a QSO opportunity; it aims to raise awareness of the complex
needs of children and adults living with autism. Further information
and updates will be posted to the IRTS Groups.io reflector and on Ian's
personal blog at www.ei3lh.eu
__________________________________________________________________

VHF/Microwave News

On the irts.ie/repeaters webpage, you can now download importable files
for programming your radios. These CSV files, for Chirp-compatible
radios as well as the Icom 9700 so far, contain the latest EI repeaters
information as published on the website. A version for Anytone radios
will follow in due course. The team would like to hear about other
formats that would be of benefit to the community. You are asked to
please contact the VHF/microwave managers Keith EI5IN and Denis EI4KH
via email to vhf_manager /at/ irts.ie with your suggestions.

The team encourages operators to join in the fun on the 2m and 70cm
Counties Contest on Easter Monday from 2 p.m.

Periods of tropospheric propagation are expected from approximately
Tuesday onwards. These may provide good but fleeting opportunities for
contacts in the UK and beyond.

Another SSTV event from the International Space Station is scheduled to
run from April 10th until the 14th on 437.55 MHz using the Robot36
mode.
__________________________________________________________________

TOG POTA Activation on Easter Monday

The TOG Hackerspace group will be active for a Parks on the Air
activation from Ticknock Forest, park reference IE-0116, on Easter
Monday, April 6th. The operation is scheduled to begin at approximately
10:30 a.m. using the club callsign EI0TOG, with Jeffrey Roe, EI7IRB,
leading the activation. Listeners and visitors are welcome to join the
group in person at the forest or to call the station on the bands
throughout the day. Interested parties should follow TOG Hackerspace on
social media for real-time updates, including specific bands in use, or
visit tog.ie for more information.
__________________________________________________________________

Contest Calendar

Results from the recent 80m counties contest have been published on the
IRTS website. Well done to the winners and all that took part. The IRTS
2m and 70cm Counties Contest takes place on Easter Monday, April 6th.
It starts at 2 p.m. with the 70cm contest running for 30 minutes. It is
immediately followed by the 2m contest taking place for 90 minutes
until 4 p.m. The 2026 UK/EI DX CW contest will take place over the 25th
and 26th of April 2026. The final UKIECC 80m contest in this 2025 to
2026 series takes place on Wednesday 29th April 2026 at 20:00 UTC using
CW.
__________________________________________________________________

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, activities, meetings, or other items of
interest, you are very welcome to email the radio news editor Keith
EI5IN via email to newsteam /at/ irts.ie with the details. The deadline
each week is midnight on Thursdays. Items intended for inclusion in
Echo Ireland, which is the IRTS quarterly journal, should be sent to
echoireland /at/ irts.ie

[C]
News Archives

--- Synchronet 3.21f-FreeBSD NewsLink 1.2