IRTS Radio News Bulletin Sunday June 15th, 2025

   (BUTTON) Go Back

This Week's News

IRTS Radio News Bulletin Sunday June 15th, 2025
     __________________________________________________________________

News from the IRTS

   HF newsreaders are required to join our current panel of newsreaders
   for the weekly Sunday morning 40m and 80m IRTS news bulletins. There is
   very little involved in reading a bulletin and no experience is
   necessary. If any licensed IRTS member living in EI feels like that
   they would be interested in becoming part of the IRTS newsreaders panel
   or if you require more information, please get in touch with the IRTS
   News Coordinator Seany EI2HZB by phone on 083 4713001 or via email to
   irts_pro /at/ irts.ie.

   Preparations are in full swing for IRTS Hamfest 2025. This new
   initiative by the IRTS will take place over the weekend of September
   6th and 7th in conjunction with the IRTS SSB Field Day weekend. It will
   take place at the Mullingar Showgrounds, Culleen, Mullingar, Co.
   Westmeath. It brings novice and experienced people together in one
   place along with a very wide array of amateur radio equipment,
   technologies, and experience. You are invited to come along and learn
   via hands-on practical tutorials that you can take part in or bring
   your radio-related gear to show others how to set it up correctly.
   Camping and campervan parking is available and encouraged.

   If interested in getting involved or for further information, please
   contact the team via email to hamfest /at/ irts.ie
     __________________________________________________________________

Welcome to the new Irish radio amateurs

   Please welcome 18 new Irish radio amateurs! They attended the latest
   training course, class Hotel, that was offered by the National Short
   Wave Listeners Club. Out of the 50 who started this six-month journey,
   25 took the ComReg licensing exam in May. They have reported that the
   exam was fair, but, unfortunately, not everyone made it this time.
   Seven of the students were out of luck. However, they are planning to
   continue revising over the summer, and to take the autumn exam.

   The NSWLC would like to thank ComReg, and the IRTS Exam Board for their
   hard work on what is the most essential step in turning hopeful
   candidates into new Irish radio amateurs.

   The National Short Wave Listeners Club is planning an open evening
   session on the 9th of October 2025. It will explain how to get an Irish
   amateur radio station licence. This evening will be aimed at anyone
   interested in joining the next HAREC course, likely to start some time
   in November. More details will be announced soon. The NSWLC Training
   Coordinator wishes to thank the entire team which consisted of ten
   tutors and many more mentors and revision assistants who dedicated over
   500 hours of volunteering effort.
     __________________________________________________________________

Tipperary Amateur Radio Group

   The next meeting of the Tipperary Amateur Radio Group will be held at
   The Princess Bar, Irishtown Upper, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary on Wednesday
   the 18th of June 2025 at 8 p.m. The Eircode for this venue is E91 PW90.
   The meeting is open to all and Short Wave Listeners are in particular
   very welcome to attend. For more information about Tipperary Amateur
   Radio Group, visit their group website at www.ei7trg.ie
     __________________________________________________________________

Abbey Theatre stage a play inspired by amateur radio

   The Abbey Theatre in Dublin is bringing the world of ham radio to the
   stage with their new play called Static. This thrilling world premiere
   which explores an astronaut's chance connection with a Donegal radio
   operator over the airwaves is at the Abbey Theatre from the 20th of
   June until the 18th of July.

   This play is inspired by events at the end of the Soviet Union when a
   radio operator in Donegal contacted a cosmonaut on Mir. The Abbey
   Theatre is delighted to offer all of the IRTS community 10% off tickets
   with the discount code Static2025. Tickets are on sale at
   www.abbeytheatre.ie or via the box office which can be contacted by
   phone at 01 87 87 222. We hope you enjoy the show!
     __________________________________________________________________

VHF/Microwave Updates

   Throughout the coming week, watch out for periods of enhanced
   tropospheric propagation. For FM operators, you may find opportunities
   to work repeaters well beyond your normal range. CW, SSB, and digital
   mode operators may also find some exciting but somewhat fleeting
   opportunities to work short lived but strong Sporadic E openings if
   conditions reported over the past few days continue.

   The IRTS VHF-plus management team continues to review the list of
   repeaters, gateways, and beacons listed on the IRTS website.
   Information regarding both new and off-air repeaters to help update the
   records would be most welcome via email to vhf_manager /at/ irts.ie.

   The team is also seeking interest from operators regarding a series of
   potential EI-led multimode activation events for the 2m, 70cm, and 23cm
   bands. These will likely take place during evening times based on
   feedback received so far. If you are interested in getting involved,
   please get in touch via email to vhf_manager /at/ irts.ie. Ideas and
   input regarding any aspect of VHF and above in EI are welcome at any
   stage via email to the same address.
     __________________________________________________________________

Anniversary Day at Grimeton Radio Station

   The 100th anniversary of World Heritage Site Grimeton takes place on
   July 2nd, 2025. On this day in 1925, the establishment was formally
   inaugurated. To mark this occasion, two transmitter launches are
   planned along with the transmission of a telegram using the callsign
   SAQ. The frequency used will be 17.2 kHz and the mode is CW. Several
   online receivers are available for you to listen in to the activity on
   the day. The event will also be livestreamed on YouTube. Further
   information may be found at alexander.n.se
     __________________________________________________________________

IARU Monitoring System Region 1 Newsletter

   The May edition of the IARU Monitoring System Region 1 newsletter is
   now available for download. It reports that a transmission mode that
   wasn't previously encountered within amateur radio HF bands was
   received. The report states that it is a proprietary military system.
   In addition, nearly one thousand radar transmissions were reported
   during May of this year. Closer to home, reports of Irish fisherman
   without amateur radio licences on the 80m band paint a colourful
   picture regarding life on the sea.

   This free and insightful report can be downloaded from the Monitoring
   System section of the IARU website located at www.iaru-r1.org
     __________________________________________________________________

Contest and Events

   For those that took part in the IRTS CW Field Day last week, please
   note that the deadline for logs is next Sunday June 22nd. Logs should
   be sent to the IRTS contest manager via email to contestmanager /at/
   irts.ie

   The next IRTS field day focuses on the VHF and UHF bands. It will run
   over the weekend of July 5th and 6th. Five separate contests take place
   on each of the 6m, 4m, 2m, 70cm, and 23cm bands. Further details
   including the rules may be found at www.irts.ie/contests

   The 53rd Bangor and District Amateur Radio Society Annual Radio Rally
   takes place next Saturday, the 21st of June. The venue is Ballygilbert
   Presbyterian Church Hall, 376 Belfast Road, Bangor BT19 1UH. Doors open
   at 11.30 a.m. and admission is �5.
     __________________________________________________________________

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 newsteam /at/ irts.ie with the
   details. These will be automatically forwarded to the IRTS radio and
   printed news services. The deadline each week is midnight on Thursdays.

   [C]
   News Archives