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This Week's News

IRTS Radio News Bulletin Sunday January 18th, 2026
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Update from the IRTS

We wish to inform members that our president, John Kelly EI4L, has made
the difficult decision to step down from his role due to personal
reasons. This was not a decision taken lightly, and the timing is
regrettable. We would like to sincerely thank John for the time,
dedication, and commitment he has given to the society during his
tenure. On behalf of the committee and all members, we extend our full
support and warmest good wishes to John and his family at this time.
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Limerick Clare Amateur Radio Club Update Regarding the IRTS AGM Weekend on April 18th and 19th

Limerick Clare Amateur Radio Club write in to confirm that arrangements
for this year's IRTS AGM weekend are advancing well. However, due to an
unfortunate misunderstanding, earlier material provided by the club
specified incorrect dates for the AGM weekend. Any confusion that this
may have caused is regretted. The correct dates are the 18th and 19th
of April 2026. A full programme of events, as announced previously, is
planned for both days. Various accommodation packages will be available
for the weekend at a special rate in Tracey's Oakwood Hotel and full
details will be published on the club website, www.limerickclareama
teurradioclub.ie and the IRTS website in the coming week. Arrangements
for booking tables at the rally and the relevant deadline will also be
announced at the same time. The club also wishes to remind members to
mark their diaries for February 12th when the club's own AGM will be
held.
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Donegal Amateur Radio Club AGM

Donegal Amateur Radio Club will hold its AGM on Wednesday the 21st of
January at 7.30 p.m. The venue is the Central Hotel in Donegal Town.
New members and shortwave listeners are always encouraged to attend and
anyone interested in becoming involved in the hobby will be made very
welcome. All club information is available on the club's website
at www.ei1drc.com
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Shannon Basin Radio Club Nets

Shannon Basin Radio Club send in a report regarding their recent 80m
SSB DX net on Thursday night last. Skip conditions were experienced
making it difficult for local EI/GI stations to be heard. Conditions
were especially challenging for operators running low power, QRP, or
for anyone with compromised antenna setups. On the flip side,
conditions were great for European stations, with very little QSB, QRM,
or QRN experienced throughout the one-hour net. Some of the regular
callers, like ON8EI John in Belgium and George SA7IRE in Sweden were
booming in. They made some great exchanges with EI/GI stations and as
always, they were a huge addition to the net. Stations operating just
10W from Denmark, along with others from Belgium, Norway, Austria, and
Shetland Islands were also very welcome additions to the net. The next
Shannon Basin Radio Club SSB DX net takes place on Thursday night next
from 9 p.m. Band and frequency details will be announced via the club's
social media channels closer to that time.
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Update from TOG Hackerspace Radio Club

TOG Hackerspace Radio Club is still a relatively new radio club, but
the TOG community has been going for 17 years. They are hosting a
birthday open social on Saturday the 24th of January, from 7 p.m. until
late, at TOG Hackerspace, D12 CF6V. There'll be homemade pizza,
birthday cake, and the usual mix of chat, projects, and a look around
the space for anyone who hasn't visited before. Whether you drop in for
ten minutes or stay for the night, you're very welcome. For full
details, visit tog.ie, and if you're online, feel free to send them a
birthday message on one of their social media accounts. Please listen
out for EI0TOG on the bands as well. if you catch them, give them a
shout and wish them a happy birthday.
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UKEICC 80m Contests to Trial Self-Spotting from February 2026

As a trial for the remainder of the 2025/26 season, self-spotting will
be allowed in UKEICC 80m contests beginning with the SSB contest on
February 4th and ending with the CW contest on April 29th. Entrants
who self-spot or ask to be spotted must enter in the category Single
Operator Connected, which is sometimes called assisted. The aim of the
trial is to increase participation in SSB contests and, at the same
time, bring SSB contesters more closely in line with CW contesters who
benefit from spots via the Reverse Beacon Network. CW and SSB entrants
who do not self-spot or ask to be spotted and are otherwise unconnected
and unassisted will continue to enter the category Single Operator
Unconnected. Rules for the 80m contests will be updated to reflect this
temporary change and should be consulted for full details. These can be
found at ukeicc.com
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Candelera Fair Special Event Station

On January 30th, 31st, and February 1st, the 175th edition of the
Catalan festival of Fira de La Candelera which translates to Candlemas
Fair, takes place. Organised by the ACRAM Amateur Radio Association, a
group of amateur radio operators will operate the EH175FCM activation
from a radio station located in the fairgrounds. The station will
remain permanently operational during the entire fair, making the
activity known to amateur radio operators around the world. All
contacts will be confirmed via eQSL. Further information can be found
at eh175fcm.blogspot.com
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Rally Updates

The 2026 "Coolmine Rally" run by Phoenix Amateur Radio Club is on
Sunday, the 15th of February 2026. Doors open at 10 a.m. at Coolmine
Community School, Dublin, D15 FW97. Contact Tony EI7GI at 087 2439997
for table bookings and further information. You then have three weeks
to save up again for another one. On the 7th of March 2026, Lagan
Valley Amateur Radio Society will hold their annual rally at the
Hillsborough Village Centre, 7 Ballynahinch Road, Hillsborough, BT26
6AR. Doors open at 10.30 a.m., and the rally ends at 1 p.m. Further
details can be found at www.lvars.uk
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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.

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