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This Week's News

IRTS Radio News Bulletin Sunday March 8th, 2026
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IRTS Updates

We welcome P?draig ? L?naigh EI8JAB who will take on the role as IRTS
QSL Outwards Manager. We wish to thank Andreas Kull EI9IOB for his
dedicated volunteer service running the outgoing QSL office for almost
four years who now passes the baton to P?draig.

Our IRTS ComReg Liaison Officer is Jeffrey Roe EI7IRB. Jeffrey is the
primary point of contact between IRTS and ComReg. He regularly engages
with them to raise members' concerns and to help clarify any regulatory
or licensing queries. If any member would like him to raise a matter
with ComReg on their behalf, you are asked to please contact Jeffrey
via email to comreg_liaison /at/ irts.ie
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Historic Callsign Activation by Kildare Amateur Radio Club

Kildare Amateur Radio Club, EI0K, will activate the historic callsign
EI9DD over the St. Patrick's Day weekend, with activity planned for
Saturday March 14th and Tuesday March 17th. EI9DD was originally the
callsign of the amateur radio club at the Irish Army Apprentice School
in Devoy Barracks, Naas, Co. Kildare. The school opened in 1956 and
trained apprentices for the Irish Army and Naval Service, including in
radio/radar technician work, where the club was formed. A full
operating rota has been arranged across both days, with additional
activity also planned on 2 metres and 70 centimetres in the
Dublin/Kildare region. Visit the club's website at kildarearc.com for
further details.
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DMR Demonstration Evening with South Dublin Radio Club and TOG Hackerspace

South Dublin Radio Club and TOG Hackerspace are hosting a Digital
Mobile Radio (DMR) Demonstration on Tuesday, March 24th from 7:30 p.m.
at the Ballyroan Community Centre, Dublin 14. Led by Jeffrey, EI7IRB,
the session offers a practical guide to hotspot setup, codeplug
programming along with tips and lessons. Whether you're a beginner or
looking to improve your existing digital setup, all are welcome.
Members interested in giving a short presentation on other DMR aspects
are also encouraged to participate.
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Bouvet Island DXpedition Finally Goes Live

After facing significant delays, the 3Y0K DXpedition is officially on
the air from one of the most remote places on Earth. Aerial footage
from the team's support helicopter reveals the "alien" landscape of
Bouvet Island characterised by a fortress of steep cliffs and ice with
virtually no safe natural landing sites. At the time of writing, the
team is currently active on most HF bands, primarily using CW and
limited FT8. They are sending logs to the QSL manager daily, as time
and satellite service allows. Visit 3y0k.com for live updates and
operating frequencies.
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International YL-Activity Day

Listen out for YLs on the HF bands on Sunday afternoon and evening,
March 8th celebrating International Women's Day. Several national radio
societies are organizing activities ranging from HF call-ins to special
SOTA activations.
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Towers on the Air

BOTA, POTA, and SOTA are now joined by another way to activate public
spaces and amenities: TOTA, short for Towers on the Air, aims to make
good use of publicly accessible viewing platforms, towers and tall
structures. Originating from the Czech and Slovak amateur radio
communities, the program has quickly expanded, now receiving official
support from major European organizations including the DARC in
Germany, PZK in Poland, and SPR in Slovakia. Find out more by
visiting wwtota.com and potentially become the first operator in EI to
activate Towers on the Air!
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Silent Keys - Tom Lande EI7EL and Pierce O'Brien EI4CI

We regret to report that Tom Lande EI7EL passed away peacefully on
February 18th. While inactive in recent years, Tom was a prominent
member of Cork Radio Club. He will be sadly missed. We extend our
sympathy to his wife Ann, his children Brian, Mark, Orla, Yvonne, and
Derek, his extended family, and friends.

It is with deep sadness that the amateur radio community also marks the
passing of Pierce O'Brien, EI4CI, from Co. Meath. Pierce leaves behind
a legacy of technical expertise and a lifelong passion for the
airwaves. As the community bids farewell to another dedicated operator
and friend, we offer our deepest condolences to his children Dermot,
Mary, Darragh, and Eoin, and the extended O'Brien family.

Ar dheis D? go raibh a n-anamacha. May they both rest in peace.
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VHF/Microwave News

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's new transfer vehicle, HTV-X1,
successfully departed the International Space Station and is
manoeuvring to an altitude of 500 km to deploy the amateur radio
satellite Ten-Koh 2. In approximately one week, a new linear
transponder with a downlink on the 70cm band and uplink on the 2m band
is expected to become operational.

Recent updates to the IRTS VHF/Microwave webpage include a link to the
latest IARU VHF+ handbook and worked squares information for 2025.
Information from other stations is most welcome. You can reach the
VHF/Microwave management team by email to vhf_manager /at/ irts.ie.
__________________________________________________________________

Contest Updates

The annual Commonwealth Contest takes place next weekend from 10:00 UTC
on Saturday, to 09:59 UTC on Sunday. This 24-hour CW-only contest takes
place on the five HF contest segments from 80 to 10m. This allows for
an exclusive shot at some very interesting DX.
Visit berucontest.wordpress.com for an overview of next weekend's
activities.

The results of the 2025 CQ World-Wide RTTY Contest held over September
27th and the 28th have been released, showcasing a strong performance
from Ireland. Congratulations to the East Cork Group EI7M on achieving
another world first place in the multi-operator single transmitter high
power section and setting a new EI record. The operators were EI3DP,
EI3JE, EI3KD, EI3JZ, EI5LA, EI7IG, EI8FDB, and EI8IR. Three other new
EI records were also set as follows: Oleg EI7KD in the single assisted
low power section on 20 metres, Mick EI6IKB in the single assisted
lower all band section, and Justin EI3CTB in the 10 metres single
operator high power section. Congratulations to all.

The March UKEICC 80 metre contest was held last Wednesday. Thirteen EI
stations are listed in the results. Mark EI6JK finished in second place
overall. Mick EI6IKB operated the bonus station EI5G. The next UKEICC
contest will be the 80 metres CW on Wednesday March 25th. Visit
ukeicc.com for details.

The IRTS 80m Counties Contest will be held on Wednesday March 18th on
SSB and CW starting at 20:00 UTC and running for one hour. Rules may be
found at irts.ie/contests and logs should be submitted to the IRTS
contest manager, Mark EI6JK via email to contestmanager /at/ irts.ie
__________________________________________________________________

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. These will
be automatically forwarded to the IRTS radio and printed news services.
The deadline each week is midnight on Thursdays.

[C]
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