XPost: rec.radio.info

(BUTTON) Go Back

This Week's News

Irish Radio Transmitter Society Radio News Bulletin Sunday 17 April 2022
__________________________________________________________________

Clare Dixon, EI7CW SK

We regret to announce the death of Clare Dixon EI7CW on Thursday April
7th at Cork University Hospital. Clare was an active amateur until
recently, was a keen CW operator and was well known on the HF bands
especially amongst the yachting amateur radio community. Aged in her
early nineties, Clare was the XYL of the late Ken Dixon EI9AB who
passed away in 2010. We extend our deepest sympathy to her children
Olwen, Brendan and Ethna and her extended family.
__________________________________________________________________

South Eastern Amateur Radio Group EI2WRC

The South Eastern Amateur Radio Group EI2WRC would like to thank
everyone who made the IRTS 89th AGM weekend such a success. Firstly,
thanks to Heather, Willie, Brian and all the staff in the Woodford
Dolmen Hotel for basically letting us take over their hotel! Thanks to
Jim EI4HH, Dave EI4BZ and everyone in the IRTS for trusting us to pull
the weekend off and the club hopes it achieved what it set out to do
which was lift the bar even higher than we did back in 2015. Thanks to
Higgins Furniture Hire for the tables for the rally on Sunday. Thanks
to all the traders who turned up at 8 a.m. on the Sunday morning, some
traveling since 4 a.m. to make it to Carlow on time. Thanks to all
those who sponsored prizes for our big raffle. Thanks to all the people
who turned up on the day to support the club and the rally again some
travelling long distances. Lastly a massive thanks to all our own
EI2WRC members who put in trojan work over the entire weekend. The club
would like to take this opportunity to wish the new IRTS president
Larry McGriskin EI9CN the very best of luck as he assumes his new
position.

On Saturday afternoon, over 60 YLs and OMs attended a quick succesion
of well prepared talks and presentations. Justin, EI3IAB explained the
use and inner workings of a digital ATV repeater which he brought to
the meeting, for many it was the first time they laid eyes on the
actual circuit boards used for ATV. Explaining that there is no
commercial equipment available, he showed that homebrew equipment is
not beyond the average ham, and that even simple wireless cameras could
be pressed into service as a low budget ATV setup. Justin demonstrated
the advantages of digital ATV, having a lower bandwidth, yet providing
far superior image quality. Roger, EI8KN gave an overview of practical
VHF and UHF DXing, explaining various scatter modes, F2 propagation on
30 to 60 MHz, transequatorial propagation, a comparison of SSB, CW and
various digital modes, practical antenna considerations, and examples
of software used for successful DXing above 30MHz. John, EI7IG reported
on the development of the Southerm Ireland Repeater Network (SIRN), and
gave a historical perspective by means of an impressive slide show
supporting his talk on the many hours spent putting together and
upgrading this popular network of repeaters. The last presentation was
given by John, EI2GN on emergency prepardness and the Amateur Radio
Emergency Network (AREN), illuminating paths of how to be involved. An
engaging talk, raising the interest of many who had not previously
considered getting involved. All presentations were followed by lively
question and answer sessions, showing that SEARG found a successful
format of engagement, surely to be repeated.

For anyone that wishes to find out more about the South Eastern Amateur
Radio Group and their activities you can drop them an email to
southeasternarg /at/ gmail.com or please feel free to go along to any
of their meetings. You can check their website www.searg.ie and you can
also join them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.
__________________________________________________________________

World Amateur Radio Day

Every April 18th, radio amateurs worldwide take to the airwaves in
celebration of World Amateur Radio Day. It was on this day in 1925 that
the International Amateur Radio Union was formed in Paris. The IARU
Administrative Council has chosen "Celebrating Amateur Radio's
Contribution to Society" as the theme for this year's event. Groups
should promote their WARD activity on social media by using the hash
tag #WorldAmateurRadioDay on Twitter and Facebook. IARU will list all
WARD activities on this page. To have your WARD activity listed, send
an email to IARU Secretary Joel Harrison, W5ZN. Activity is from
Monday, April 18, 2022 at 0000 UTC until Tuesday, April 19, 2022 at
0000 UTC. World Amateur Radio Day is not a contest but rather an
opportunity to talk about the value of amateur radio to the public and
our fellow amateur colleagues.
__________________________________________________________________

Marconi Day

Members of the South Eastern Amateur Radio Group EI2WRC will be QRV as
EI2IMD on Saturday April 23rd for International Marconi Day 2022. The
station will be active from Tramore, Co. Waterford. Tramore has a
direct connection with Marconi as he often stayed there with his aunt,
a Mrs. Cookman who resided at the Cove, Tramore. Special thanks to the
organisers the Cornish Radio Amateur Club for organising this special
event. More details will be made known in the coming days on the SEARG
Facebook and EI2IMD QRZ pages. For more information on the
International Marconi Day please see www.gx4crc.com

Sean, G7NJX informs us about an IMD activity. He writes: "With the kind
permission of the National Trust, Weston Super Mare Radio society will
be operating GB0IMD from the Old Fort, Brean Down as part of the
International Marconi Day celebrations on Saturday, the 23rd of April.
We look forward to working lots of EI and GI stations!"
__________________________________________________________________

Contests

The IRTS 2m and 70cm counties contests are taking place this bank
holiday Easter Moday: The 2m Contest runs from 14.30 to 16.00 local
time, and the 70cm contest runs from 14.00 to 14.30 local time. The
rules for these contests can be viewed on the IRTS webpage.

Paul, EI5DI invites all to take part in this year's UK-EI DX CW contest
which will take place on the April 30th and May 1st weekend, for 24
hours from 12:00z on the Saturday. The leading EI entry will be awarded
the Paddy Smyth Memorial Cup. The 2021 winner was Gerard, EI5KF. The
rules are simple. Work everyone on the 5 contest bands from 80 to 10m.
Exchange Serials, and UK and EI stations add their 2-character county
or district code, with no need to send 5NN. Multipliers are DXCC
countries and UK district and EI county per band. Now that the UKEICC
80m contests are becoming so popular, we hope more EIs will try the DX
contest as it includes a 12-hour section. Rules for the contest on the
website at www.ukeicc.com A splendid time is guaranteed for all.
__________________________________________________________________

County Meath Scouts and Kilternan Scouts

Marty, EI2IAB sends news that over the weekend of 22nd to 24th of April
the Co. Meath Scouts "Shield Challenge" will take place. Scout groups
from all over the county will camp out over the weekend and compete to
win this coveted shield. The winners will go on to representing County
Meath in the all-Ireland event, known as the "Phoenix Challenge" As
part of the entertainment and fun for the scouts, we will have an
amateur radio station on the air. Kilternan 10th will be active on the
HF bands and 2m m as EI0YOTA on Saturday 23rd from Powerscourt. Martina
EI6IUB, Declan EI6INB, Dave EI1766 and Marty EI2IAB will be operators.
Please listen out for us, help us promote this wonderful hobby to our
youths.
__________________________________________________________________

Balbriggan Mini Maker Day

There will be a free Balbriggan Mini Maker Day on Saturday 23rd of
April from 10 am till 5 pm in Balbriggan Library, Saint George's
Square, Balbriggan, Co. Dublin. K32 TW27. The day is part of the "Loves
Learning" festival and is open to visitors both young and old for a day
of family-friendly workshops and maker showcases. On the day there will
be a mix of workshops suitable for all ages, from coding and game
crafting to lego making and LED art. A giant maker showcase with all
sorts from CNCs, crafting to VR experiences. Members from East Leinster
Amateur Radio Club EI0EL will be joining in the fun. They will be
demonstrating amateur radio to all the visitors, embedding the spark of
our hobby in the new generation. On the day Frank EI8HIB, Tom EI5IEB
and Dom EI5IAB from ELARC, will be setting up a number of radio
stations operating on VHF and HF Bands on emergency power. Jeffrey,
EI7IRB will also be there showcasing his homemade tinyGS satellite
ground station. To find out more about the event visit
www.balbriggan.ie/mini-m aker-day
__________________________________________________________________

The Propagation Horoscope

Sunspot Activity is exceeding official predictions. Weather predictions
here on Earth are more accurate than ever, but forecasting the behavior
of the Sun is more tricky. According to NOAA predictions, the current
cycle of solar activity should be mild. But there is a significant gap
between the prediction and what is actually happening. Sunspot counts,
used as a measure for solar activity, are much higher than the
predicted values calculated by the NOAA, NASA, and the International
Space Environmental Service. The Solar Cycle Prediction Panel expects
the next maximum will be around July 2025 with a level of activity
similar to cycle 24. A strong CME on Monday triggered a G2 geomagnetic
storm early Thursday, this will influence the HF propagation for the
next few days. On the eastern limb of the Sun a new active region is
coming into view, likely triggering renewed geomagnetic upsets.
Currently the solar flux is at around 600 km/s, predicted to slowly
fall from Thursday onwards, to around 300 km/s next weekend,
accompanied by a low flux density. There will be good and steady
conditions on 20, 17 and 15m, 12, 10 and 6m are still poor, except
occasional mid-day openings, helped by sporadic-E. VHF meteor scatter
operators can take advantage of the Lyrids until next Sunday.

That is the news for this week. Items for inclusion in next week's
radio news can be submitted by email to newsteam /at/ irts.ie for
automatic forwarding to both the radio and printed news services. The
deadline is midnight on Friday.

[C]
News Archives

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)