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This Week's News

IRTS Radio News Bulletin Sunday 13 November 2022
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Local News

Conor, Ei4JN sent in two reports about activities in the south-west.

On Saturday, the 15th October, an event was held in Munster
Technological University for the Emergency Services. This consisted of
an exhibition of capabilities and presentations from guest speakers,
tofacilitate relationship building and knowledge sharing. The event was
organised by AREN on behalf of the Interagency Emergency Management
Office and the Voluntary Emergency Services working group region South.
The IRTS and AREN were represented by IRTS President Larry McGriskin
Ei9CN, the AREN National Coordinator John Ketch EI2GN, Conor O'Neill
Ei4JN, who is the Liaison Officer, andMatthew Ei8IMB. The AREN outdoor
exhibit included member vehicles, portable masts and an emergency power
source in the form of a dual-fuel generator. The indoor exhibit
featured the new "Dispatch" software which AREN procured for the
coordination of VES resources in response to large events, a digital
repeater recently purchased for shared use by the VES in Cork City, and
information on Starlink satellite internet system. We would like to
acknowledgethe contributions of John Ronan Ei7IG and Eohan Kinane
Ei5HBB who contributed to preparations for the exhibit.

This year has seen many well planned and well coordinated JOTA-JOTI
events, supported individual hams and clubs. The 31st Cork Lissarda
took part in the recent JOTA-JOTI from Kilkully Campsite in Cork.
Scouts operated on HF, repeaters and DMR over Saturday and Sunday.
Conor Ei4JN and Matthew Ei8IMB who led the radio operation would like
to thank Ei amateurs who took the time to chat with the scouts on the
air, in particular Albert Ei7II and Mark Ei4FNB. The operation
attracted much interest at the Campsite and plans are afoot to scale up
the operation next year to involve additionalscout troops.

Leonard, Ei2JHB recently wrote on groups.irts.io: "The Worked All
Ireland Award was a big thing back in the late nineties and early
2000s. David Barnes Ei5IMB has begun to put a bit of a push on it again
here in the North West.With so many new call signs issued lately I
think it could grow legs again as there is a whole new wave of people
looking to enjoy and learn from the hobby. It's a nice handy award as
it can be done at your leisure." Leonard goes on to suggest:"Why not
drop Dave Moore, Ei4BZ a message and get a Book off him. God knows
we've spent a EUR10 worse.If you don't want to take part in collecting
them, please have a look at what your WAI Square is and keep it handy
in case you are chatting to any of us who are." With Leonard's
irts.groups.io posting comes attached an example of a printable WAI
map, just to get started. One can find one's WAI Square on the
www.irishhamradio.com .
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Galway Radio Experimenters Club AGM

The AGM of the Galway Radio Experimenters Club (EI4GRC) will take place
on the 20th of November, at 3.00 p.m. sharp, at The Menlo Park Hotel,
Terryland, Headford Road, Galway, Eircode H91 E98N. Please note that
the start time has moved forward, from 3.30 p.m. to 3 p.m. There will
also be virtual access to the AGM, please contact the Club Secretary
via an email to secretary /at/ galwayradio.com for access details. This
is a very important AGM as it is the fortieth AGM of the club, and we
want to celebrate those 40 years. We are having a party after the
meeting and we are inviting both past and current members to join us
for the party, and to bring any photos, letters or anything else to
share and celebrate the 40 years. The party will start at 4 p.m., but
anyone is welcome to come at 3 p.m. if they wish. We will be showing
our very first club minutes book which is 40 years old, as well as
showing other documentation we find. Please come and join us for this
special occasion. The club website is www.galwayradio.com .
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HF Activities

After a five month hiatus, John, Ei7GL has posted several new articles
on his website at ei7gl.blogspot.com . His up-to-date reports and a
large collection of articles has become a reference source of
information for serious VHF and UHF operators. His latest post details
the astounding results of last weekend's successful Digital Amateur TV
tests, conducted by Rob, M0DTS. Using 100 Watt into a 3 Element Yagi,
Rob transmitted moving images contained in a 80 kHz wide signal across
the North Atlantic on the 29 MHz band.

With the much improved hf propagation it also becomes much easier to
hear the "Irish Net". Active not only on Sundays, but most weekdays
starting at around 16:00 UTC, the informal gathering meets on 14.156.
It seems the net now also uses the 17m band, operating on around 18.114
MHz, avoiding the occasional stateside QRM on 20m.

The results of the CQ WPX CW have been published. Twelve Irish stations
sent in their logs for this major competition. Congratulations to
Andrij Ei/UW8SM on winning with a very impressive score!
Congratulations are also due to our outstanding Junior Ops Megan, Ei5LA
and Ryan, Ei8KW. Last week, Ryan, Ei8KW received his U.S. amateur extra
call-signAE0SO . Ryan will now have access to the full range of Remote
Ham Radio Youth stations many of which are located in the USA.
Unfortunately, the U.S. youth network does not accept CEPT licenses and
the only way to operate these remote stations is to get a FCC issued
call-sign. Please keep a listen out for Ryan who will be active on all
bands and modes in the coming weeks.

For those of us who not only have a few more solar cycles in the log,
but also managed to hold on to their old transceiver will soon have
their day: Hams in Finland organise the PRT35 event, taking place on
Tuesday, the 6th of December. It is not a competition, but a mark of
respect for the over 40 year old, meaning the veteran radios and the
radio veterans who use them. The event is free form, there are no
points or multipliers. CW, AM and SSB is used, activity is on the 40
and 80m bands, starting early in the morning. The recommendation is
that the vintage QRP stations operate at the upper end of the frequency
range and the more powerful ones at the lower end. A station using old
equipment can use the suffix /S after the station ID. If the device
type has been already in service use during the Second World War, the
additional code can be /SA. As opposite stations all radio amateur
stations, regardless of equipment, are welcome to participate. Also, OI
stations are expected to participate in large numbers. Shack stories
and pictures can be sent to Karille, OH5YW's e-mail address is
kari.syrjanen /at/ gmail.com. Summaries will be published after the
event on the website of the Tube Radio Museum.

Competitive contest activity will again fill the HF bands next weekend.
Both CW and SSB will be used during the LZ DX Contest, leaving precious
little space for rag chewing, especially on 40m. The LZ DX Contest
starts at noon UTC next Saturday, and runs until one minute before noon
UTC on Sunday. The contest rules on lzdx.bfra.bg translates into Ei/Gi
stations sending RST and the number 14, which is our ITU Zone. The
Bulgarian Station sends RST and a two letters district abbreviation.
One gets 10 points for each QSO with a LZ station, three points for a
QSO with another continent, and one point for each QSO within the rest
of Europe. Multiplier is the sum of worked ITU zones and worked LZ
districts.

While the LZ DX contest covers 80 to 10m, topband will be catered for
by the annual French HF championship, also known as "Coupe du REF". CW
Ops compete on 160m for 8 hours, starting next Saturday at 17:00 UTC.
The set of rules shown on the contest organiser's website on
concours.r-e-f.org are refreshingly brief and simple: Three points for
each QSO, multiplied by number of worked DXCC entities and French
departments.
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The Propagation Horoscope

Aurora prediction here on Earth may in the future be helped by
observing Mars. In August, a coronal mass ejection from our Sun sent a
shower of charged particles to both Earth and Mars, simultaneously
illuminating the polar regions of both planets. While orbiting Mars,
NASA's MAVEN spacecraft has detected those auroras. Here on Earth,
magnetic field-lines steer the solar wind toward the polar regions to
create the familiar Northern and Southern Lights. The Red Planet lacks
a magnetic field and has a very weak, thin atmosphere, yet it still
produces displays of lights. The observed auroras are thought to be
produced at the end of dust storms, when water vapour is lifted to high
altitudes, exposing it of solar radiation splitting the molecules, thus
creating a visible glow. Astronomers expect the MAVEN space craft to
spot more Martian auroras as the Sun approaches its solar maximum in
2024 to 2025. Propagation affected by Aurora can both be a bother and a
bonus. While higher frequencies from low VHF to high UHF can be
reflected at oblique angles from the curtain structures of charged
particles, imparting a rasping tone to the signal. CW is the preferred
mode, SSB signals are often quite strong, but too distorted to copy.
Robbie, Ei2IP reported such signals on irts.groups.io recently. On the
lower end of HF one needs to take into account strong absorption
effects on paths traversing aurora regions. The propagation predictions
for HF are getting more "hit and miss" as we are entering the hot phase
of the current cycle. Friday's fireworks of C-class flares raised the
kP index to 3 until around Saturday noon, currently ebbing away to more
DX-friendly numbers. Topband and 80m come into their own again, most
evenings now see a strong presence of North- and South-American
stations all across 80 and 40m. All bands above 40m are well open
towards the east before noon. 20m is reliable for North America until
about three hours after sunset, longer for more southerly paths, but 10
and 12m are worth checking until late into the night, all parts of
Central- and South-America arrive until midnight, frequently with deep
QSB. Informal nets are again springing up on 10m, many of them on the
quieter upper SSB segment. For example the Sunday morning net by the
French ARAM in the 95th Departement, just north of Charles de Gaulle
Airport, they are busy on 28950 KHz. Just above 29 MHz a number of
Canadian and US-American AM stations can be heard, serving as a good
indicator of DX conditions.

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 Friday noon.

[C]
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