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This Week's News

IRTS Radio News Bulletin Sunday September 6th, 2026
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Electromagnetic Compatibility Sub-Committee Opportunity

The IRTS is seeking an enthusiastic volunteer to assist with our
Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Sub-Committee. This is an exciting
and rewarding position within the society, offering the opportunity to
work with state-of-the-art technology to identify areas of EMC
non-compliance and help local amateurs and experimenters solve complex
noise and interference issues. Ideally, the candidate would be based in
or around the Dublin region. If you would like to contribute to this
important work and support the amateur radio community, please contact
our society secretary directly by emailing irts_secretary /at/ irts.ie
for more information.
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Volunteers Needed for the 2027 IRTS Hamfest Sub-Committee

The IRTS committee is also seeking enthusiastic volunteers to join the
sub-committee for IRTS Hamfest 2027. As the current sub-committee's
term comes to an end, we are looking to bring new team members on board
to help plan and organize what stands as the largest and most
anticipated event on the amateur radio calendar in Ireland. If you
would like to get involved at an organizational level and lend your
skills to making the 2027 event a success, please reach out to our
society secretary by emailing irts_secretary /at/ irts.ie
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IRTS Promoting Amateur Radio

The IRTS manages a Promoting Amateur Radio fund to support affiliated
clubs, the fund intends to support a wide range of club projects with a
particular focus on educational and promotional activities. In the
past, grants were generously assigned to projects such as banner
printing, leaflet design, and station equipment upgrades. TOG
Hackerspace recently applied to the fund for support toward an upcoming
callsign patch making activity. It will invite visitors to use TOG's
industrial grade embroidery machines to create patches featuring their
own call sign, visitors will be encouraged to make a voluntary
contribution toward the material cost, while the remainder will be
supported by the fund. As the activity is designed to promote amateur
radio and IRTS, the application has received full support from IRTS.
Affiliated clubs are encouraged to apply by contacting the treasurer
David EI3IXB via email to irts_treasurer /at/ irts.ie

The IRTS is calling on all affiliated radio clubs to assist in
promoting local activity across the country. Clubs with existing
promotional literature, leaflets, or informational brochures are asked
to scan a copy and forward it to the society secretary. The committee
intends to make these resources accessible directly on the IRTS
website, providing a centralized platform to promote individual clubs
to prospective members and newcomers inquiring about the hobby. Please
email any available promotional material to the secretary at
irts_secretary /at/ irts.ie.

IRTS president Jeffrey EI7IRB who also organised the Dublin Maker would
like to highlight the enthusiastic presence of amateur radio clubs and
ham operators at the festival who showcased the hobby to more than 20
thousand visitors over the weekend. A video clip created with the
courtesy of TOG hackerspace radio club is now available on IRTS social
media accounts offering a glimpse of the event and the well represented
ham radio community. The IRTS would also like to continue inviting
clubs and operators nationwide to contribute content, including photos
and videos, for sharing and tagging across IRTS social media platforms.
Full credits will be given to the original creator.
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Kildare Amateur Radio Club Announces Buy and Sell Extravaganza

Kildare Amateur Radio Club is proud to announce its upcoming Buy and
Sell Extravaganza, scheduled for Saturday, October 18th, 2026. The
event will take place at the Kill GAA Football Club in Kill Village,
County Kildare, sharing Eircode W91 XP95, offering ample parking and
easy access from the M7 motorway. Doors will open to the public at
11:00 a.m. Admission is five euro per person, with children under 12
years of age admitted free of charge. Organizers note that the success
of the buy and sell depends on operators bringing their surplus gear,
making it a prime opportunity to sell, trade, or swap items. The event
is open to all amateur radio clubs, individual operators, CB operators,
and shortwave listeners across the island of Ireland. For refreshments,
the local clubhouse bar will open at 12:00 p.m., and catering services
will serve hot lunches from 12:30 p.m. onwards, providing a relaxed
atmosphere to meet up with fellow enthusiasts. Further details and
updates can be found online at kildarearc.com
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VHF/Microwave News

The IRTS 70-centimetre and 2-metre Counties Contests take place next
Sunday, September 13th. The 70cm leg begins at 2:00 p.m. local time for
30 minutes, followed immediately by the 2-metre contest at 2:30 p.m.
running for 90 minutes until 4:00 p.m. Both events include FM and SSB
operating modes. Rules can be found on the IRTS website. The next 145
Alive UK event takes place on the same day starting at 12 p.m. Visit
145alive.com for more information and to register. Both events on the
same day should hopefully result in lively activity across the VHF and
UHF bands. Operators are encouraged to get on VHF and above and enjoy
some fun on the bands. High-pressure weather systems look set to bring
some enhanced tropospheric ducting conditions next week. Forecast
models indicate marginal to fair tropo conditions developing near the
start of the week, with potential opening opportunities across the
Irish Sea.
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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, news, 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. The deadline is
midnight on Thursdays. Items intended for inclusion in Echo Ireland
should be sent to echoireland /at/ irts.ie.

[C]
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