EI5IX

GB80PW operation moves to Saturday

2012-02-07T23:43:00.000Z

This special callsign GB80PW, issued to Practical Wireless magazine to celebrate the publication's 80th year in print, had its first airing in January this year.
However, PW editor, Rob Mannion, G3XFD received a number of requests to operate the station at weekends, rather than a weekday, as most people were at work and unable to get on the air in time.
In order to accomodate those requests, Rob has now opted for operation on the Saturday following PW's publication.

So, please look out for GB80PW on the Saturdays immediately following publication days during 2012.

The dates are Saturday February 11th, March 10th, April 14th, May 12th, June 16th, July 14th, August 11th, September 15th, October 13th, November 10th and December 15th.

Keep those dates in your diary and Phil G3XBZ and Rob G3XFD – and the other operators who'll be involved – look forward to working you!

Galway Radio Experimenters Club

2012-02-03T23:57:00.000Z

The Galway Radio Experimenters Club will be holding their next meeting in the Anno Santo hotel in Salthill on Monday 6th of February at 8pm. On the night Enda (EI2II) will be giving a demonstration on the advantages of computerising the ham shack. Beginning with getting the most from your logging software to propagation prediction and DXClusters. Should anybody wish to have help setting up software please feel free to bring along your laptop on the night. We would like to welcome any interested amateurs, SWLs or indeed anyone with an interest in amateur radio.

Ofcom: GPS Jamming Notice

2012-02-01T19:19:00.000Z

RAF Spadeadam, Cumbria

Dates: Between 9th and 20th April, 2012 inclusive (weekdays only).
Times: 0700 - 1800 GMT.
Location of MULTIPLE Jammers: Land based within 5km of N55° 04.000’ W002° 34.000’.
Frequency: A 24 MHz band centred around 1575.42MHz (GPS L1).
Total Power: Up to 10 Watts EIRP.

It is stressed that, as in previous exercises, Safety of Life operations will at all times take precedence over exercise activities.

Ofcom stakeholders should contact
InfoGPS.Notices@ofcom.org.uk

Device To Predict Solar Activity To Be Launched Soon

2012-02-01T19:17:00.000Z

It has been reported that solar activities in the past few weeks have increased by manifolds. With the increased solar activities, researchers have also begun to increase their efforts in improving the devices by which the solar activities could be gauged.

It has been reported that researchers and scientists of the NASA are planning to make a computer based device which would predict the coming solar storm. In the past few weeks, the activities of the solar have increased quite rapidly.

Last week, it was a major solar storm which was experienced by the researchers. It has been informed that the solar storms can be hazardous for the earth as it scratches the Earth’s Magnetic field. It has been informed that the device upon which the NASA researchers are working would enable the researchers to gauge the coming solar activities. Moreover, the prediction of the weather forecast would also improve with the help of the device.

Michael Hesse from Goddard’s Space Weather Laboratory was reported as saying, “Ensemble forecasting will provide a distribution of arrival times, which will improve the reliability of forecasts. This is important. Society is relying more so than ever on space. Communications, navigation, electrical-power generation, all are all susceptible to space weather”.

The device would bring revolution in the way weather is predicted. Moreover, it would become easier for the researchers and scientists to explore new horizons of the universe.
It has been informed that the device is being supported by the NASA’s Space Technology Program. Moreover, the Implementing Ensemble Forecasting would improve the weather forcast and would allow the scientists to predict peak and worse weather conditions before hand.

Antarctic Activity Week Special Event

2012-02-01T19:04:00.002Z

Look for special event station TM9AAW to be on the air between February 10-26th. Activity is to celebrate the 9th Antarctic Activity Week (AAW).

Operations will be made by François, F8DVD, from his QTH of Mâcon in the east part of France. The WAP reference number for TM9AAW is 220. Operations will be on 40-10 meters mostly SSB.
QSL via F8DVD, by the Bureau or direct (w/SAE + 1 IRC or 2 USDs to: François Bergez, 6, Rue de la Liberté, F-71000 MACON, FRANCE.

For more details, see http://tm9aaw.monsite-orange.fr
or TM9AAW on QRZ.com.

Limited future activity from Jan Mayen Island

2012-02-01T19:02:00.000Z

Recently the Norwegian government declared most of Jan Mayen a Nature Reserve and banned landings and camping on most of the island.

This means that tour operators can no longer visit since the main landing area is part of the Reserve. The only places left on the island which could be used as landing and camp sites are in Kvalross-bukta and in Båtvika, in the very extreme (weather-wise) southern part of Jan Mayen.

This will mean that most visits to the north part of the island (where previous landings occurred) will soon be impossible. Whilst radio amateur operations may still be possible from these two locations, which are difficult to get to (rough landing, very strong winds with sand storms, no access to any shelters or resources etc), it now appears JX5O was probably the last major expedition to Jan Mayen and may well be for the coming years.It also seems that only professional, licensed staff members at the Olonkin base will be able to activate the island, with that in itself a rare occurrence." However, Svein, LA9JKA, is expected to be based on the island beginning March 22nd, and is expected to stay until March 2013
.
No eQSLs, SWL reports are welcome.
QSL only direct to: Svein Rabbevag, Brendlia 12, N-6013 Alesund, Norway. Also, see details on QR.com for postage info.

Declan EI9HQ

2012-01-31T01:35:00.000Z

Declan will be out on Sunday 12th February on a run to Kilkenny starting around 0930 in WAI Square Oscar22. He will be active on 7.170mhz. (40Meters) Anyone looking for squares from this route please email before 10th February at ei9hq@O2.ie

IOTA Contest Results

2012-01-31T01:33:00.002Z

Provisional results of the 2011 Islands On The Air contest have now been published.
Despite low sun-spots levels, the contest organisers received over 2,300 logs - the highest number yet – covering 632,000 QSOs and sufficient to enable them to
adjudicate 75% of all QSOs.

The highest scoring station in the contest was the Bristol Contest Group (GJ6YB) who operated from Jersey and achieved a score of just under 15 million points from over 3,300 QSOs.
The Bristol Contest Group were also the IOTA contest winners in 2010.

Irish stations submitted 21 contest logs and one check log. The full provisional results for EI and GI stations are on the IRTS web site - see Contest Results page or the link on the home page. The highest score was achieved by the EI/GI group on Rathlin Island, with a total of 2.7 million points from 1,606 QSOs. Other groups had higher QSO numbers, but the Rathlin group had a better mix of multipliers and island stations. There are also some excellent results from stations in the Single-Operator categories.

The IOTA contest is one of the best supported contests in Ireland. The 2012 contest takes place on 28th / 29th July. The contest organisers have indicated that there will be a number of significant rule changes in 2012, notably to the scoring to emphasise island QSOs and, for the same reason, there will no longer be a World multi-op category as they are anxious to refocus the contest on working islands rather than building points through non-island stations working other non-island stations.

EI80IRTS Award

2012-01-19T08:26:00.000Z

The Irish Radio Transmitters Society was founded in 1932 and the organization are proud to celebrate their 80th anniversary in 2012. As part of the celebrations the Society will be using the special callsign EI80IRTS.

A special certificate, available to all amateurs and SWLs, is being offered to celebrate this wonderful occasion during the period of January 1st 2012 to December 31st 2012.

This award is been sponsored by Dundalk Amateur Radio Society, full details of the award can be viewed at
http://www.ei7dar.com/ei80irts.html

Special Callsigns for Amateur Radio stations in the UK during 2012

2012-01-19T07:47:00.001Z

The Radio Society of Great Britain and Ofcom have reached agreement on the optional use of special callsigns for two significant events during 2012.
For the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, all UK amateur stations will have the option of applying for a variation to their licence if they wish, to use a special prefix for a five week period. This will add or substitute the letter “Q” in the place of the Regional identifier in the callsign.
For the period of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, a similar facility will exist for a seven week period, using the letter “O”.
Both the above facilities will also be available to Amateur Club licences.
Furthermore, calls in the series GB2012aaa will be available for Special Event Stations relating to the Olympics and licences will be issued for four “flagship” stations using the prefix 2O12a where “O” is the letter O, and a is a single letter relating to the location of the station.

Further details of these arrangements are on the attached summary, and administrative details will be issued by Ofcom and the RSGB shortly.

In more detail:
The following facilities will be available to holders of the following licences:
Amateur Foundation Licence
Amateur Intermediate Licence
Amateur Full Licence
Amateur Full (Club) Licence
Amateur Full (Reciprocal) Licence
Amateur Full (Temporary Reciprocal) Licence

Special prefix to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee:
Period: 00.00 BST 5th May 2012 to 23.59 BST 10th June 2012
Authorisation: To conform to the requirements of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006, each licensee must obtain a Notice of Variation . This is an on-line process, and will be available from 1st March 2012.
Callsign: the letter Q will be added to calls, or replace the regional identifier. For example (where “aaa” represents the final alpha block of the callsign):
M3aaa becomes MQ3aaa
G3aaa becomes GQ3aaa
GM3aaa becomes GQ3aaa
2E0aaa becomes 2Q0aaa
2M0aaa becomes 2Q0aaa
GX3aaa becomes GQ3aaa

Special prefix to celebrate the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympic Games:
Period: 00.00 BST 21st July 2012 to 23.59 BST 9th September 2012
Authorisation: To conform to the requirements of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006, each licensee must obtain a Notice of Variation. This is an on-line process, and will be available from 1st March 2012.
Callsign: the letter O will be added to calls, or replace the regional identifier. For example (where “aaa” represents the final alpha block of the callsign):
M3aaa becomes MO3aaa
G3aaa becomes GO3aaa
GM3aaa becomes GO3aaa
2E0aaa becomes 2O0aaa (Two Oscar zero aaa)
2M0aaa becomes 2O0aaa (Two Oscar zero aaa)
GX3aaa becomes GO3aaa

For more Info please check this out

- Posted from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX

The new VHF-UHF band plan - 4m in Ireland

2012-01-19T07:36:00.001Z

The Irish Radio Transmitters Society website reports that the new Region 1 Band Plan for VHF and UHF frequencies came into effect on 1st January this year.

The biggest changes are in the 6 metre band - with new beacon sub-bands and a number of new "centre of activity" frequency allocations.
The revision in the 6 metre band plan is designed to give more bandwidth to CW and SSB users, while recognising increased activity levels in the new digital modes.

The revised Band Plan for the 6 metre, 4 metre, 2 metre and 70cms bands can be downloaded from the downloads page of the IRTS web site. Bear in mind that the 4 metre allocation in EI does not cover the full
extent of the 70.0 MHz to 70.5 MHz band plan contained in the IARU document; a note showing the EI allocation has been added to the document which is on their downloads page.

Those operating on frequencies above 70cms can see the relevant band plans in the VHF Managers Handbook, which is available on the IARU Region 1 web site.

Again, it is important to note the EI frequency allocations, which can differ from the limits shown on the band plan pages.
IRTS web site
http://www.irts.ie

IARU Region 1 web site
http://www.iaru-r1.org/

- Posted from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX

London 2012 Olympic Simplex DStar Nodes

2012-01-16T00:39:00.000Z

Just to inform you, that the digital node test for the pending London 2012 Olympic Simplex DStar Nodes is planned, it will be a 2-day event next weekend Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd of January.

The test will be carried out both on 2m and 70cm in Echo Test Mode Only (without DStar Gateway) between hours of 10am till 4pm. The DStar node will record your digital test transmission and then retransmit it back to you, at the same time you will then be able to see what type of coverage we will have.

DV Node Test Frequency

Saturday 21st on 433.4125 MHz

Sunday 22nd on 145.3125 MHz

Also Gary, 2E0ULA and Michael, 2E0MRE will be on hand for assistance and talk back will be on to GB7OK. Please let us know how well you can receive DStar Node, your information will help!

For more info visit http://www.gb7ok.com/.
If there are any changes look up Bromley Repeater Group on Facebook

ISS performs debris avoidance maneuver

2012-01-16T00:31:00.000Z

UniverseToday reports that
the ISS needed to perform a maneuver on Friday, January 13 to avoid debris from the 2009 collision between an inactive Russian Cosmos 2251 satellite and a commercial Iridium satellite.

U.S. Space Command recommended the space station perform a debris avoidance maneuver on Friday, January 13, 2012 to move out of harms’ way and dodge a possible collision with the piece of space junk, said to be about 10 centimeters in diameter. The thrusters on the Zvezda service module fired at 1610 UTC on Friday to raise the orbit of the ISS.
Without the maneuver, the object would have made two close approaches to the station on consecutive orbits on Friday, passing within the “pizza box” shaped region around the station, measuring 0.75 kilometers above and below the station and 25 kilometers on each side (2,460 feet above and below and 15.6 by 15.6 miles).
A higher orbit for the ISS means that AOS will occur at a slightly later time than those predicted in existing Keplerian Elements.

Users are encourage to update their tracking elements to maintain tracking accuracy.

Source: Amsat, UniverseToday.com

UK amateurs experience echo phenomenon

2012-01-16T00:24:00.000Z

Two UK radio amateurs have reported hearing strong echoes on their 80m CW signals in the evening last week. Tony, G3ZRJ in Herefordshire and Andrew, GW3OQK in Swansea were in QSO on 1 January when they could hear another signal underneath theirs. It turned out to be an echo of their own signals
Tony said the echoes were initially so strong that he had trouble monitoring his CW keying. The delay in the echoes was of the order of 0.25 to 0.5 seconds and the echo strength hit S9. Tests by Andrew on the evening of 3 January revealed the same phenomena at around 2100Z, albeit weaker.

Steve, G0KYA, chairman of the RSGB's Propagation Studies Committee, said that these were unlikely to

be round-the-world echoes, but could be due to a form of magnetospheric ducting where signals follow the earth's magnetic field lines down to the southern hemisphere before being bounced back along the same duct. Steve said that this was quite rare and not really understood.
UK amateurs are being urged to look out for any echoes on their 80m signals and report any findings to G0KYA@QSL.NET

Check This Out!

2012-01-15T18:25:00.001Z

NASA and others has reports on Solar Storms useful for us to know about!

http://solarstormwarning.com/

- Posted from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX

My UK Call-Sign M0XII

2012-01-12T12:00:00.000Z

I have received my New UK Call-Sign * M 0 X I I * from Ofcom, the regularity authority here in Great Britain.
Currently I have up-dated my Log's under M/EI5IX on LoTW as my CEPT part of my Irish License M/EI5IX was running out so I had to apply to Ofcom for a Reciprocal License here in the UK.

Propagation has being "Kind" as of late and the DX has been very good for QRP stations such as myself here in outskirts of London City, I'm now looking forward to working some of you on the air while I live over in Great Britain under my new call-sign M0XII!!

73's for now!

IRTS AGM & Rally 2012

2012-01-12T06:34:00.001Z

The IRTS AGM, Annual Dinner and Rally this year is
hosted by Dundalk Amateur Radio Society at the
Fairways Hotel on the weekend of April 21st & 22nd
2012. Please keep your diaries free for this special
event in our 80th Anniversary year celebrations. More
details to follow.

Updated Happings in our Hobby

2012-01-10T12:01:00.000Z

IRTS AGM & Rally 2012

The IRTS AGM, Annual Dinner and Rally this year is
hosted by Dundalk Amateur Radio Society at the
Fairways Hotel on the weekend of April 21st & 22nd
2012. Please keep your diaries free for this special
event in our 80th year Anniversary celebrations. More
details to follow.

Counties Contest

The IRTS 80 metres counties contest, held on Monday 2nd
January was well supported, with plenty of activity
right up to the last minute of the contest. Most
counties appeared to be represented, although some made
only a brief appearance. Our reporters tell us that
Carlow, Cavan and Kerry were top of the "most wanted"
list, with other sizeable counties like Tipperary and
Waterford not far behind.

This year there was a reasonable level of activity on
the CW portion of the band. As darkness fell, CW ops
benefited in particular from the improved propagation
between Ireland and mainland Europe, allowing some
Scandinavian and Eastern European stations to answer
their contest calls.

Logs should be submitted as soon as possible to
contestmanager@irts.ie

IRTS 80th Anniversary

IRTS will be celebrating its 80th anniversary this year
2012. Details of a worldwide contest – CQIR – to take
place on Saint Patrick’s Day, Saturday 17th March 2012
have just been announced. Full rules and information
are available at www.irts.ie/cqir or by email to cqir@irts.ie

ISS on 145.800 MHz Monday morning

2012-01-09T06:15:00.000Z

ISS on 145.800 MHz Monday morning

There's a chance to hear ISS astronuat Dan Burbank, KC5ZSX, on 145.800 MHz FM on Monday morning.

On Monday Jan. 9, at approximately 1014 UT, an International Space Station (ISS) amateur radio contact is planned with students at Descartes High School, located in Montigny-Le-Bretonneux, France.
The contact will be in English and downlink signals should be audible in the British Isles and Europe on 145.800 MHz FM.

A simple 2m hand-held transceiver or a VHF Scanner is all you need to hear the International Space Station.
Read Listening to the International Space Station
http://www.uk.amsat.org/3491

The IZ8BLY Vox Recoder, enables you to record the ISS on 145.800 MHz
FM while you're away from home
http://antoninoporcino.xoom.it/VoxRecorder/

ARISS ham radio contact planned with Descartes High School, France
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/january2012/ariss_event_0901.htm

43 years of 73 Magazine on web

2012-01-05T12:43:00.000Z

PDF's of all issues of the popular Amateur Radio publication 73 Magazine produced by Wayne Green W2NSD from 1960-2003 are available for download.

Wayne was always into the latest ground breaking Amateur Radio technology and his magazine reflected that with articles on RTTY, ATV,SSTV, FM Repeaters and Amateur radio satellites.
A popular part of the magazine was Wayne Green W2NSD's 'Never Say Die' column. In it he gave his views on just about everything. Among Wayne's favorite topics over the years were:

The failure of the ARRL to prepare for the 1971 World Adminstrative Radio Conference which resulted the loss of hundred of MHz of amateur satellite frequencies
- The disaster of incentive licensing

- The FCC restrictions on repeaters

- The Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

All the 73 Magazine PDF's can be downloaded from http://tinyurl.com/73Magazine

Wayne is now 89 (D.O.B. believed to be September 3, 1922) and still going strong, you can read his blog at http://www.waynegreen.com/wayne/news.html

The new IARU 50Mhz R1 Band-plan

2012-01-03T16:26:00.000Z

Take a look at the new Band Plan from the IARU Region 1 of the

Magic Band that is 50MHz (6Meters)

The bandplan has came into effect on 1st January 2012

ARISSat-1 altitude is rapidly decreasing

2012-01-03T16:04:00.000Z

Came across this interesting bit of news on Southgate Amateur Radio News website

The altitude of amateur radio satellite ARISSat-1 (145.950 MHz FM) continues to decline rapidly.

On Tuesday, Dec 27, 2011, ARISSat-1 was losing about 4.1 km (~2.5 miles) a day in altitude, by Friday Dec 30 2011 the decay was 5.9 km (3.6 miles) per day. This rate will continue to increase over the next days and ultimately result in the satellite burning up in the atmosphere.

Telemetry reports haven't shown a large increase in temperatures yet, please collect and report these values during each illumination period. There have been a number of people that continue to update their calculations on when the satellite will re-enter, now expected to be sometime this week.

The fall rate dh/dt is increasing dramatically. Be sure to do daily updates of the ARISSat-1/RadioSkaf-B Keps from Celestrak.com. The ARISSat-1 orbit changes daily while the satellite continues to lose altitude.

Roland, PY4ZBZ from Brazil has updated graphs of height and fall rate on his Web site: http://www.qsl.net/py4zbz/arissat.htm#r

ARISSat-1 Getting Hotter
http://www.uk.amsat.org/2011/12/30/arissat-1-getting-hotter/

AMSAT News Service (ANS)
http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/news/

HAPPY NEW YEAR *2012

2012-01-01T00:01:00.001Z

I would like to wish my family and friends world wide a very happy and prosperous 2012 an may you have the hindsight to know where you've been, the foresight to know where you're going and the insight to know when you're going too far.....

All the very best....... Happy New Year

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T04:25:00.004Z

Right, we’re all off to eat our own body weight – and possibly someone else’s – in cheese, turkey and purple Quality Streets.

Thank you all for your support, comments, clicks and heated debates here on EI5IX.net in 2011. It’s been another fine year, and you’ve all played your part.

Christmas is the time of year to spread the message of love, harmony and peace. Of course it is a time to get showered with gifts and wishes, but in the midst of all the commercialism, we should not forget the real spirit of the Christmas. Here's a message from known man that reminds us that Christmas is not only about fun and gifts, but of love and generosity.

"What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace."
Agnes M. Pharo

So one last thing before I go: A festive message to everyone from EI5IX, EI9JA and the rest of my family.

The year-end brings no greater pleasure than the opportunity to express to you season's greetings and good wishes so with that I would like to take this opportunity to wish you health, comfort, and prosperity this holiday season an may all your wishes come true!

Merry Christmas to one and all. Best 73's

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX

Ofcom - 3400 MHz licence exemption

2011-12-22T23:41:00.001Z

The UK regulator Ofcom has published regulations that permit the use of a range of new devices on a licence-exempt basis.

These include the use of personal locator beacons on land; wireless road safety systems; wireless access terminals in the 3400 to 3800 MHz band; mobile satellite services operating in the 2 GHz band; and mobile terminals connecting to the 2012 London Games Tetra Network.

Read the statement at
http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/
licence-exemption-candidates-11/statement

PDF at
http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/consultations/
licence-exemption/statement/statement.pdf

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX

"A Desperate Situation" All you need is Propagation!

2011-12-18T11:39:00.004Z

Wow... What a morning for DX!! 40M and 20M alive with DX... I can't believe how good propagation was. I have just set up over here in North West London under my Call M/EI5IX and here in my apartment I use a simple setup with a very simple antenna thrown off the Balcony using 50 watts from an Icom IC-706MK2G and I had the pleasure working into USA, (N5CYK) Canada (VE1LD) and Australia (VK3VCE) just to name a few from the log last night and this morning.

The first antenna I set up here to test if I could receive anything in my new QTH was a very simple antenna to construct, just mobile magnet base which was sitting on top of the Dust Bin with Pl plug connected to a 47ft long wire thrown off the balcony onto the ground. I had the pleasure of working many European and Middle Eastern stations on Friday evening going into Saturday morning. But this was not enough... ;) I knew that the propagation was getting better SO a desperate situation leads to desperate ideas...

As soon as I recognised that signals were getting a lot stronger on the bands on a simple receiving loop I decided to construct a Delta loop for 40M and 20M with an Ugly Balun which was 21ft of coax wrapped around a water bottle. The reason for a Loop as comparsion to a Inverted V or a Dipole was the Low Level of noise received on a Delta Loop. Living in a City has its horrible limitations so with that I got to say to every fellow amateur out there...

"EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE OR OWN SOME SORT OF A DELTA LOOP"

I have some photos of the structure of this simple antenna home-made of course with just items you would normally find in any amateur radio enthusiast box/home "wire, open feeder, sweeping brush handles, a scarf and coax / 2 PL plugs" simple setup and were on air.

I have had so much fun working DX on this antenna with fantastic reports ( 58 into Australia at 09:10UTC) Even for such limited space and resources I am now looking of ways to get this antenna a permanent structure here at my London QTH.

Here are some of the photos of the Crazy Delta loop I constructed.

The ugly Balun and the coax feeder.

One leg of the antenna.

The Right Leg of antenna held by a brush.

View of the coax feeder.

The Famous Ugly Balun.

And of course the famous Dust Bin now with a 2M / 70CM antenna on Top.

You get the Idea... I will say it's not a permanent fixture at the moment but this "Mess" as my flat mate likes to call it has got me back on air.

I hope to work you soon on the bands under M/EI5IX... Best 73's

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX

Radio Propagation : Space Weather : Sunspot Cycle Information

2011-12-12T18:38:00.000Z

http://sunspotwatch.com/

Check this website out, It's a live reference resource site for solar and geomagnetic data and images. :-)

Geo-engineering the Climate

2011-12-08T16:11:00.001Z

I came across this article online and thought I should share it with our fellow Ham Radio enthusiasts! The Weather can play a massive part on our fantastic hobby, what happens when the world around us starts messing with the weather where do we stand?

This article is by Nick Prebble; On the back of news that revealed November 2011 was the second warmest November since records began, questions are being thrown up again about global warming; its impacts and what, if anything, can be done to mitigate its effects. An obvious answer is to cut emissions of greenhouse gases around the world, but this is easier said than done in today’s highly developed and industrial planet. As a result, there has been significant research into “Geo-engineering” to reduce, mitigate and adapt to climate change.

The two methods of this “Geo-engineering” are Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) and Solar Radiation Management (SRM). Whilst both methods have considerable strengths; their effectiveness, timescale of use, ease of implementation and level of control must be called into question before large sums of money are spent developing them.

CDR methods involve the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and directly combat the problem of global warming by reducing the “greenhouse” effect. Land-based methods include the use of artificial trees that remove more carbon dioxide than natural trees, the replanting of crops and vegetation and using a special “biochar” that creates a carbon sink on land. There are also ocean-based methods, such as fertilizing surface waters with chemicals to increase their intake of carbon dioxide.

SRM methods on the other hand involve directly reducing the incoming solar radiation from the sun. One such way is to make the earth more reflective (increasing the albedo) by painting roofs white, growing highly reflective crops and placing giant mirrors on the earth’s surface. Since more radiation is reflected back into space, less is trapped in the atmosphere thus reducing the warming effect. Another method is to divert incoming solar radiation by placing sunshades in space – directly cooling the planet.

From a general perspective, CDR methods of geo-engineering have the advantage over SRM methods in directly addressing the root cause of global warming: by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Therefore since SRM methods still allow the build-up of carbon in the atmosphere, there will be a real problem if they suddenly cease to work. On the other hand, SRM methods are far more effective due to being able to cool the atmosphere much more quickly after deployment, which is a major advantage when faced with an ever-warming planet.

Both SRM and CDR methods therefore could be undertaken adjacently to maximise the effectiveness of reducing the effects of global warming. Current research into geo-engineering is continually suggesting new and innovative ways to tackle the problem of climate change and in the near future we could see many of the methods being implemented.

What's the future of our Propagation one would ask?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX

IRTS 80th Anniversary

2011-12-05T10:38:00.001Z

IRTS will be celebrating its 80th anniversary next year. Details of a worldwide contest "CQIR" to take place on Saint Patrick's Day, Saturday 17th March 2012
have just been announced.

Full rules and information
are available at www.irts.ie/cqir or by email to cqir@irts.ie

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX

Marconi Auction

2011-12-05T10:36:00.001Z

A two day auction of Marconi memorabilia will take
place at the D4 Berkeley Hotel in Dublin Ireland on December 13th
and 14th 2011. Among the interesting items will be two
lengths of the original Marconi-code ticker tape, measuring 24inches and 19inches framed.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX

Satellite AO-51

2011-12-05T10:34:00.001Z

Satellite AO-51 has ceased transmission and is not
responding to commands. The last telemetry data indicated that the third of six batteries was
approaching failure to short, and observations indicate the voltage from three cells is insufficient to power the UHF transmitters. Initial tests with the S band
transmitter were also not positive, although more
attempts are in order. We have tried leaving the satellite in an expected state where if voltages climb high enough, the 435.150 transmitter may possibly be
heard, stated Drew KO4MA AMSAT-NA VP Operations.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX

Mayo Radio Rally

2011-11-29T13:01:00.001Z

The annual Mayo Rally took place in Castlebar on Sunday
The 20th of November. There was a great attendance of traders and punters on the day, with plenty of buying, selling and eyeball QSOs taking place throughout the day.

On Saturday night, ahead of the rally itself, Mayo Radio Experimenters Network, the rally organisers, had arranged presentations on Amateur Television and on
Logbook of the World.

Pat EI2HX gave an excellent
introduction to Amateur Television, showing some of
his collection of antennas, transmitters, receivers and
connectors. For those in the audience more used to
working with equipment designed for Kilohertz or
Megahertz frequencies, the "Gigahertz" hardware Pat
works with seems almost exotic, but really an interesting part of the hobby.

Dave EI9FBB, who is not long back from DXpeditioning
with the T32C group on Kiritimati, explained the in's
and out's of the ARRL's Logbook of the World - an online
alternative to paper QSL cards for those working towards a DXCC award.

Dave outlined the steps involved
in setting up and maintaining a Logbook of the World
account and also covered the security measures in place
to ensure the integrity of the system.

We also noted that Dave EI9FBB, our local DXCC card checker, was kept very busy throughout the Rally.

There was a fantastic attendance to the Radio Rally in the West of Ireland, I even got to meet some old friends who I have not spoke too or even seen in a long time and I even got to meet a few new Amateur's who I'd like to take this opportunity in congratulating all new comers to our fantastic hobby.

For anyone interested in joining a very active Amateur Radio Club, check out this club here in the west of Ireland "The Mayo Radio Experimenters Network" based here in the County of Mayo, check them out here on EI7MRE for up to date information.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX

New TV Repeater in Ireland

2011-11-29T12:45:00.001Z

South Dublin Radio Club is in the process of installing
a new television repeater with coverage over the greater Dublin area.

The repeater, which is located on the three rock mountain, will transmit on 2390Mhz and receive signal in on 1249Mhz. While not on the air yet, initial tests have proved sucessful with perfect pictures received 60 miles away at the EI2ATR Cavan repeater site.

The repeater will be linked by radio to the existing TV repeater system currently operating in
Co Cavan, This repeater currently transmits on 1276.5Mhz, 2370 Mhz and 10.040Mhz and gives good coverage of Cavan/Louth/Meath Area.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX

RTE

2011-11-29T12:42:00.001Z

RTE may charge licence-fee payers for access to certain
parts of its online operations, it has been revealed.
The broadcaster is looking at ways to increase its
revenue from its online and digital business. No firm
decisions have yet been made.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX

Ham Radio on the Increase

2011-11-29T12:36:00.001Z

There are over 700,314 ham radio licence holders in
the United States, according to the FCC. There has
been an increase of over 40,000 ham radio licences in
the last five years alone. The ARRL refers to this era
as the "golden years"

According to Allen Pitts of the
ARRL, he reckons that the USA has had over 20-25,000
new hams per year.

Great to hear more people are getting involved in this fantastic hobbie.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX

Mayo Radio Rally

2011-11-20T15:00:00.000Z

The annual Mayo Radio Rally took place in Castlebar on Sunday the 20th of November. There was a fantastic attendance of traders and punters on the day, with plenty of buying, selling
Including eyeball QSOs taking place. We also noted that Dave
EI9FBB, our local DXCC card checker, was kept busy.

On the Saturday night, ahead of the rally itself, Mayo
Radio Experimenters Network, the rally organisers, had
arranged presentations on Amateur Television and on
Logbook of the World. Pat EI2HX gave us an excellent introduction to Amateur Television, showing us some of his collection of antennas, transmitters, receivers and connectors. For those in the audience more used to working with equipment designed for Kilohertz or Megahertz frequencies, the "Gigahertz" hardware Pat works with seems almost exotic.

Dave EI9FBB, who is not long back from DXpeditioning
with the T32C group on Kiritimati, explained the ins
and outs of the ARRL's Logbook of the World - an online
alternative to paper QSL cards for those working towards a DXCC award. Dave outlined the steps involved in setting up and maintaining a Logbook of the World account and also covered the security measures in place
to ensure the integrity of the system.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX

Space Station Active on 70 cm Packet

2011-11-18T13:26:00.001Z

The Amateur Radio station located in the Columbus module aboard the International Space Station is now active on AX.25 packet radio at 437.550 MHz.

To utilize the the packet system, operators need to set their TNC UNPROTO paths to ARISS for digipeating, or they can connect to the packet BBS using the call sign RS0ISS-1. The packet beacon is set to transmit at 2 minute intervals.

Click here to see the current position of the space station in real time. You can also obtain pass predictions online from AMSAT-NA.

Story courtesy of Trevor Hawkins, M5AKA

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX

ARISSAT-1 May De-Orbit in April 2012:

2011-11-18T13:21:00.001Z

eHam.net News -- According to predictions satellite is due to re-enter Earth's atmosphere in early April 2012. Launched from the International Space Station on August 8, the satellite is traveling in a low orbit and is steadily losing altitude. The rate of orbital decay may be accelerated by increasing atmospheric density caused by increased solar
activity. With that factor in mind, some ARISSat-1 decay predictions
suggest re-entry as early as February 1.

This is from The ARRL Letter on November 17, 2011
Website: http://www.arrl.org/

ARISSAT-1 May De-Orbit in April 2012:
According to predictions http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/arissat5.htm from Mineo Wakita, JE9PEL, the ARISSat-1 http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/index.php satellite is due to re-enter Earth's atmosphere in early April 2012. Launched from the International Space Station on August 8, the satellite is traveling in a low orbit and is steadily losing altitude. The rate of orbital decay may be accelerated by increasing atmospheric density caused by increased solar activity. With that factor in mind, some ARISSat-1 decay predictions suggest re-entry as early as February 1. ARISSat-1 remains quite active, sending voice messages, digital telemetry and Slow Scan TV images. Amateurs have also been able to enjoy contacts through ARISSat-1's linear transponder despite the fact that the UHF antenna was apparently damaged prior to (or during) deployment. Last month, AMSAT-NA announced a competition http://www.arrl.org/news/arissat-1-team-announces-morse-code-contest to see who can record the last bits of telemetry as ARISSat-1 makes its final plunge. To decode the CW or BPSK telemetry you must use the ARISSATTLM software http://www.arissat1.org/v3/ for Windows or Mac OS. The CW signal is transmitted at 145.919 MHz and the BPSK signal appears at 145.920 MHz, plus or minus Doppler.

Source:

The ARRL Letter

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Longer Lasting Lithium-ion Batteries

2011-11-18T02:34:00.001Z

Scientists boost battery strength with small holes.
Batteries for phones and laptops could soon recharge ten times faster and hold a charge ten times larger than current technology allows.

Scientists at Northwestern University in the US have changed the materials in lithium-ion batteries to boost their abilities. One change involves poking millions of minuscule holes in the battery.

Batteries built using the novel technique could be in the shops within five years, estimate the scientists.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX

RMS Titanic

2011-11-18T02:31:00.001Z

RMS Titanic, the world’s largest passenger ship at the time, sank on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York, following a collision with an iceberg, at approximately 0245 on the morning of April 15th 1912.

1,517 people lost their lives in the tragedy.

The 100th anniversary of the sinking will be marked by several special event stations at ports associated with the ships maiden voyage.

These include Belfast, Southampton, Cherbourg, Cobh, Cape Race, VO1MCE and a maritime mobile station, VE0MGY, at the site of the sinking.

The call sign in Ireland EI100T has been issued for the year 2012 and will operate in co-operation with the Cobh Titanic 100 Committee.

The main events will happen over the weekend of April 13/14th 2012 and EI100T will also be operated regularly throughout the year.

A special award will be announced before the end of December in conjunction with the other special event locations.

Enquiries and QSLs to EI4HQ QTHR.

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Mystery of the Lunar Ionosphere

2011-11-18T02:14:00.001Z

How can a world without air have an ionosphere?
Somehow the Moon has done it. Lunar researchers have been struggling with the mystery for years, and they may have finally found a solution.

Read the full NASA story here:

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/14nov_lunarionosphere/

A video version of this story is available, watch ScienceCasts:
Mystery of the Lunar Ionosphere

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zSrP4MacFE&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Thanks to Ken Eaton GW1FKY for spotting this item.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX

Mayo Radio Experimenters Network Radio Rally

2011-11-16T12:19:00.001Z

The MREN Rally will be held on November 20th this year at its now established venue of The Welcome Inn Hotel in Castlebar, County Mayo. All the usual traders attending and as always it promises to be a very enjoyable rally. An opportunity to meet old and new friends. Come and join us the Doors open at 11am.

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Sun comes alive, blasting massive solar flares

2011-11-06T16:30:00.001Z

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/story/2011-11-04/sun-storms-solar-flares-space-weather/51075488/1

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Mayo Radio Experimenters Radio Rally

2011-11-04T22:51:00.001Z

The Mayo Radio Experimenters are holding their annual Radio Rally on Sunday 20th November at their usual location in the Welcome Inn Hotel, Castlebar, Co Mayo where the doors will open at 11.00am.

This is one of the premier events on the Irish radio scene each year and as well as the usual extensive range of traders, club stands, demonstrations and extensive catering facilities, the club is proud to announce even more reasons to attend this year Rally.

On Saturday evening, 19th of November we are lucky to have two of Ireland’s most experienced amateurs enthusiasts, who will talk on their respective topics:
Commencing at 7.00pm Pat Fitzpatrick EI2HX will give a talk and demonstration on amateur television (ATV).
Pat has extensive experience and many of you will be aware of his articles in Echo Ireland and qrz.com. This is a unique opportunity to explore this aspect of the hobby and Pat will allow time to answer any queries or comments you may have.

At 9.00pm Dave Deane EI9FBB will give a talk on the ARRL DXCC Program and also on the Logbook of the World system. Dave is an accomplished DX,er and is the only Irish based QSL card checker for the ARRL DXCC programme. Dave took part in the recent T32C dxpedition and will hopefully share some of his experiences on this and other expeditions. Dave will also be present on the IRTS stand on Sunday to check DXCC cards. This is an efficient and practical way to ensure your cards are authenticated so, doesn’t forget to bring any DXCC cards you have for verification.

It is expected the lecture programme will be well attended and the club has arranged some very attractive packages with the Welcome Inn Hotel, Castlebar to enable overnight stays at affordable prices.
There are full details of the hotel packages, the lecture programme and the latest information on the Radio Rally on the club website ‐ www.ei7mre.org or you can contact Padraic Baynes, EI9JA rally director and organiser on his mobile +353 87 695 7154 or e-mail – pbaynes1@eircom.net for any information about the rally.

For overnight booking/information and details contact the Welcome Inn Hotel direct on: +353 949 022288.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX

Mayo Radio Experimenters Network

2011-11-01T06:09:00.001Z

The Mayo Chairperson calls for radio enthusiasts to join
their local club.

Jimmy Kelly, EI2GCB, was re-elected Chairperson of the
Mayo Radio Experimenters, at their recent AGM. This is
Jimmys third consecutive year, and, under the club
rues, he will have to step aside at next year's AGM,
because of the three year rule. Adrian Healy, EI2HAB,
was returned as Treasurer and selected for the first
time as IRTS Club Rep. The other officers elected
were: Newsletter Editor; John Corless, EI7IQ, PRO
David Hatfield, EI3ECB, Rally Director; Padraic
Baynes, EI9JA, and QSL Manager; Brendan Minish,
EI6IZ. Addressing the meeting, the Chairperson Jimmy
Kelly, EI2GCB, said the club continues to have a
strong and vibrant membership with well attended
monthly meetings and is financially solid. He
congratulated Adrian Healy on his success in the July
theory examination. He said that everyone interested
in the hobby should join their local club; the
availability of theory classes being one of the many
benefits of membership. The club performs well in
contests, he said, including winning the portable
section of the IRTS 80mts. Counties Contest. He noted
that MREN took part in the Lighthouses on the Air
event for the first time this year, which proved a
very enjoyable event. He added that the club was
delighted to support the scouting event, JOTA, again
this year. He thanked members who called in to the
club callsign, EIMRE/P, which is used in these events.
The club organised a number of publicity and promotion
events over the summer on an experimental basis. These
were public events and he reported limited success,
adding that while they were very worthwhile
endeavours, the events themselves would need tweaking
for next year. The chairperson reminded the meeting
that the Rally would be held on November 20th this
year at it now established venue of The Welcome Inn
Hotel in Castlebar. He thanked the management and
staff of the hotel for their continued support of the
club. Jimmy also congratulated John Browne, EI7FAB,
winner of the MREN annual activity, with half a point
margin over Dominic Curtin, EI9JS, in the closest-run
club event ever. The annual activity is decided by a
cumulative tally of scores recorded in the twelve
monthly competitions held by the club for its members.

He concluded his report by thanking his fellow
officers and all the members for their attendance at
club meetings and events and their support over the
year past.

The Connor Shield (for outstanding service to hobby,)
was won jointly by Jimmy Kelly, EI2GCB and Dominic
Curtin, EI9JS and the Wishing Well Shield (for
outstanding service to the club) was won by Padraic
Baynes, EI9JA

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX

New TV Repeater in Ireland

2011-11-01T00:00:00.000Z

South Dublin Radio Club is in the process of installing a new television repeater with coverage over the greater Dublin area.

The repeater, which is located on
the three rock mountain, will transmit on 2390Mhz and
receive signal in on 1249Mhz. While not on the air yet, initial tests have proved sucessful with perfect pictures received 60 miles away at the EI2ATR Cavan
repeater site. The repeater will be linked by radio to the existing TV repeater system currently operating in Co Cavan, This repeater currently transmits on
1276.5Mhz, 2370 Mhz and 10.040Mhz and gives good
coverage of Cavan/Louth/Meath Area.

Looking forward to trying some experiments through this repeater when it's up on air.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX

Some Satellite News

2011-10-25T16:35:00.001+01:00

AMSAT to celebrate 50 years in space at symposium

The AMSAT-NA 2011 Space Symposium will be held on
Friday, November 4-6 in San Jose, California. This
year's Symposium coincides with the celebration of the
50th anniversary of OSCAR 1, the first Amateur Radio
satellite.

30th anniversary of UoSAT-1 (OSCAR-9)

On October 6, 1981 the United Kingdom's first Amateur
Radio Satellite UoSAT-OSCAR-9 was launched. Surrey
Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) celebrated the 30th
anniversary of the launch of Surrey's first satellite,
UoSAT-1. Launched into orbit on 6th October 1981,
UoSAT-1 was designed and built by a team from the
University of Surrey led by SSTL founder Sir Martin
Sweeting, G3YJO.

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CEPT proposes frequency allocation for amateur radio

2011-10-25T16:30:00.001+01:00

A small allocation of about 15 kHz in parts of the 500
kHz band to the amateur radio service on a secondary
basis - this proposal has been made by a project team
of about 50 representatives of European governments
and other stakeholders in preparation for the next
World Radiocommunication Conference WRC12. They
followed an invitation of the Federal Network Agency
in Germany and met by the end of September in Mainz.
The discussion led to a compromise in the size of the
amateur radio band, namely 480 kHz - 472 kHz, with a
maximum power of 5 W EIRP.

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Tiree Expedition (MS0WRC)

2011-09-26T02:24:00.001+01:00

For the 8th year running members of the Workington
Radio Club from West Cumbria are planning to visit the
Hebridean Islands off the West Coast of Scotland. This
year they will be joined once more by members of the
Sands contest group from Morecambe in Lancashire and
Brendan (EI6IZ).

The team of 11 operators will travel to the Island of
Tiree (EU-008) on the 1st October and operate
throughout the following week from their base in Caoles
on the North East coast of the Island.

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RSGB Convention

2011-09-26T02:23:00.001+01:00

The RSGB convention takes place this year on October
7th, 8th and 9th. Full details from
www.rsgb.org/rsgbconvention

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NASA's UARS re-enters Earth's atmosphere

2011-09-26T02:04:00.001+01:00

From Southgate Amateur Radio News;
NASA's decommissioned Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) fell back to Earth between 11:23 p.m. EDT Friday, Sept. 23 and 1:09 a.m. Sept. 24, 20 years and nine days after its launch on a 14-year mission that produced some of the first long-term records of chemicals in the atmosphere.

The precise re-entry time and location of debris impacts have not been determined. During the re-entry period, the satellite passed from the east coast of Africa over the Indian Ocean, then the Pacific Ocean, then across northern Canada, then across the northern Atlantic Ocean, to a point over West Africa. The vast majority of the orbital transit was over water, with some flight over northern Canada and West Africa.

Six years after the end of its productive scientific life, UARS broke into pieces during re-entry, and most of it up burned in the atmosphere. Data indicates the satellite likely broke apart and landed in the Pacific Ocean far off the U.S. coast.

Twenty-six satellite components, weighing a total of about 1,200 pounds, could have survived the fiery re-entry and reach the surface of Earth.

However, NASA is not aware of any reports of injury or property damage.

The Operations Center for JFCC-Space, the Joint Functional Component Command at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., which works around the clock detecting, identifying and tracking all man-made objects in Earth orbit, tracked the movements of UARS through the satellite's final orbits and provided confirmation of re-entry.

"We extend our appreciation to the Joint Space Operations Center for monitoring UARS not only this past week but also throughout its entire 20 years on orbit," said Nick Johnson, NASA's chief scientist for orbital debris, at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "This was not an easy re-entry to predict because of the natural forces acting on the satellite as its orbit decayed. Space-faring nations around the world also were monitoring the satellite's descent in the last two hours and all the predictions were well within the range estimated by JSpOC."

UARS was launched Sept. 12, 1991, aboard space shuttle mission STS-48 and deployed on Sept. 15, 1991. It was the first multi-instrumented satellite to observe numerous chemical components of the atmosphere for better understanding of photochemistry. UARS data marked the beginning of many long-term records for key chemicals in the atmosphere. The satellite also provided key data on the amount of light that comes from the sun at ultraviolet and visible wavelengths.

UARS ceased its scientific life in 2005.

Because of the satellite's orbit, any surviving components of UARS should have landed within a zone between 57 degrees north latitude and 57 degrees south latitude. It is impossible to pinpoint just where in that zone the debris landed, but NASA estimates the debris footprint to be about 500 miles long.

For more information about UARS, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/uars

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX

5 MHz Newsletter now online

2011-09-26T01:57:00.001+01:00

A new Newsletter has been launched to support the
growing number of 5 MHz operating permissions globally
- it's the 5MHz Newsletter. Edited by Paul Gaskell,
G4MWO, one of the original RSGB 5 MHz team, it aims to
be both an accurate information source of news about 5
Mhz and a platform for exchange of ideas, be they
theoretical, operational, constructional or just
general comments about the band. You can freely access
the 5 MHz Newsletter from Google Documents at
http://tinyurl.com/6fkhcmf

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX

Jelly Batteries

2011-09-26T01:56:00.001+01:00

A new polymer jelly could be the next big step forward
for lithium batteries. The jelly replaces the volatile
and hazardous liquid electrolyte currently used in most
lithium batteries. Researchers from the University of
Leeds hope their development leads to smaller, cheaper
and safer gadgets. Once on the market, the lithium
jelly batteries could allow lighter laptop computers,
and more efficient electric cars.
_________________________

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Mayo Radio Experimenters Network

2011-09-26T01:49:00.001+01:00

The Mayo Radio Experimenters, using the call sign
EI7MRE/P, activated the Blacksod lighthouse, IE0008,
which is sited on the north west coast of Mayo, on
Sunday August 21st for the International
Lighthouse/Lightships On The Air event. This was the
first time that this lighthouse was activated for the
occasion and the first lighthouse the club has
activated. Approximately 250 contacts were made into 22
countries and 6 UK and Dutch lighthouses were worked.
Best DX was Japan, Indonesia and Phillipeens. North
America was prominent too with limited openings to
South America. The bulk of the contacts were with
stations in Germany and Italy.

Plans are well underway for the 2011 Mayo Rally will be
held on Sunday Nov 20th in The Welcome Inn Hotel,
Castlebar. The Rally Director is Padraic Baynes, EI9JA.
More details about the club and its events can be found
on the web at www.ei7mre.org

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX

NASA Moon Mission in Final Preparations for September Launch

2011-09-01T21:15:00.001+01:00

NASA's Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (GRAIL)
mission to study the moon is in final launch
preparations for a scheduled Sept. 8 launch from Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

GRAIL's twin spacecraft are tasked for a nine-month
mission to explore Earth's nearest neighbor in
unprecedented detail. They will determine the structure
of the lunar interior from crust to core and advance
our understanding of the thermal evolution of the moon.

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Increased Power for Contests

2011-08-25T08:08:00.001+01:00

Following representations from IRTS, ComReg has agreed
to allow increased power to all licensed amateurs for a
specific list of the major HF and VHF/UHF contests. On
HF, 1500 watts can be used and on VHF 1000 watts for
the duration of the contests concerned. Through an
error the 28 MHz band was omitted from the multiband
contests. This will be taken up with ComReg The list of
contests and other details can be found on the ComReg
website under Radio Spectrum Licensing Licence Types
Radio Amateurs. The society is grateful to ComReg for
granting this additional facility to radio amateurs
generally.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX

Two Metres Counties Contest

2011-08-25T08:06:00.001+01:00

This contest, which takes place on Sunday next, 28th
August, from 2.00 pm to 4.00 pm local time, provides a
great opportunity to liven up the two metre band. The
32 counties in EI and GI are multipliers, so the rarer
counties will be in great demand.

Both SSB and FM can be used and a station may be worked
on both modes. The contest rules specify that after any
QSO in which you are called by another station, you
must QSY to another channel (FM), or by at least 3 kHz
(SSB), before soliciting another QSO; when you respond
to a CQ or QRZ from another station, you then have the
right to that frequency for a single additional QSO
before QSYing. See www.irts.ie/contests for more
details about this and other IRTS contests.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX

ARISSat-1

2011-08-15T01:00:00.000+01:00

ARISSat-1 low duty cycle mode

The new Amateur Radio satellite ARISSat-1 has been switching into low duty cycle mode, even while in full sun, which has suprised some observers.

When the satellite is in darkness, in order to conserve battery power, it switches into a low duty cycle mode (also known as low power mode) where it transmits for 40 seconds and then shut down for 2 minutes. On Thursday, August 11, a number of Radio Amateurs reported that ARISSat-1 was in low duty cycle mode when the satellite appeared to be fully illuminated by the sun.

On the AMSAT bulletin board Tony AA2TX, ARISSat SDX software and hardware developer. provided an explanation, he wrote:

My analysis indicates that at certain "bad" sun angles, the solar panels may not provide enough power to run the satellite even in full sun.

The power from the panels can actually drop to as low as 2.5 watts at really bad angles but the satellite needs around 8 watts average to run in high power mode. This means that the satellite would have to draw current from the battery to run in high power mode even though it is in the sun.

This discharge would reduce the life of the battery so to minimize the damage and prolong the life of the satellite, it will switch itself to low power mode under these conditions.

I don't know for sure if this is what is happening but this condition is within the predicted nominal operation of the satellite.

ARISSat-1 Reception Certificates (for voice and Slow Scan TV reports)
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/august2011/
arissat_1_reception_certificates.htm

Free Slow Scan TV Software MMSSTV uses your PCs Soundcard
http://mmhamsoft.amateur-radio.ca/

The IZ8BLY Vox Recoder software enables you to record ARISSat-1 on 145.950 MHz FM while you're at work or asleep
http://antoninoporcino.xoom.it/VoxRecorder/

Online Satellite Pass Predictions, select ARISSat-1
http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/tools/predict/

ARISSat-1 Website
http://www.arissat.org/

AMSAT Bulletin Board (AMSAT-BB)
http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/tools/maillist/

AMSAT-UK publishes a colour A4 newsletter, OSCAR News, which is full of Amateur Satellite information.

On another note I heard about this on Southgate Amateur Radio News, the ARISSat-1 telemetry being received in Sudan.

Nader ST2NH in Khartoum, Sudan, has posted a video showing reception of the ARISSat-1 BPSK telemetry beacon on 145.920 MHz USB.

The YouTube description reads:
A 6mins movie clip shows a received ARISSat-1 CW and BPSK1000 Telemetry data

Rig is IC-910.
Doppler correction software is HRD.
Antenna is 6 Elements Yagi.

ARISSatTLM is software to be used in conjunction with your computer soundcard to demodulate, decode and display the CW and BPSK-1000 signals.

Watch A 6mins movie clip shows a received ARISSat-1 Telemetry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgovjj210Q8&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Download the Windows and Mac versions of the ARISSatTLM free ground station soundcard demodulator and display software:
http://www.arissattlm.org/

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX

Amateur Radio satellite ARISSat-1 deployed

2011-08-12T01:17:00.001+01:00

The Amateur Radio satellite ARISSat-1 has been deployed
from the ISS during EVA-29 on Wednesday, August 3.
First signals have been received by JR8LWY reporting
copy of the telemetry beacon as the satellite passed
over Japan. Full operational capability of
ARISSat-1/KEDR is still under evaluation pending
performance evaluation of the UHF antenna. This amateur
satellite is one of the most dynamic amateur satellites
ever deployed in space and provides us with unique
opportunities to conduct amateur radio experiments.
Please submit your reception signal reports on amsat-bb
and via the mission's e-mail boxes on
http://www.amsat.org.

____

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX

News Update

2011-08-07T18:42:00.001+01:00

IRTS 2 Metres Counties Contest

The IRTS 2m Counties Contest will take place Sunday
28th August 2011. The closing date for the submission of the log to the contest manager is 27th
September 2011.

Introduction to Amateur Radio

The Mayo Radio Experimenters Network are holding a
series of practical hands on open days throughout the
summer months. The events will start at 13.00 approx
(weather permitting) and will take place on the
following dates:

Sunday August 14th

Sunday September 11th

Anyone with an interest in radio related matters,
who would like to have the opportunity to
participate or observe the operation of an amateur
radio station, or meet club members, will receive a
warm welcome. Whatever you’re level of interest, the
club will be pleased to help in taking your interest
further, be it a complete novice, shortwave listener
or formal assistance in progressing to a full
amateur radio licence.

The location for all events will be the car park at the
Halfway House on the Castlebar to Westport Road. If you
would like further details please contact: Padraic
Baynes EI9JA on +353 87 695 7154 (email
pbaynes1/at/eircom/dot/net) , email David Hatfield
EI3ECB on ei3ecb/at/gmail/dot/com or text or phone the
club mobile phone number +353 86 208 9777

Limerick 2M Repeater QRV again.

The Limerick 2M repeater on 145.725 is now QRV again
after being off the air due to vandalism at the
repeater site. Limerick Radio Club are grateful for the
many generous donations received from around the
country, which have gone towards installation of a new
security door. A new run of Hardline has also been
installed from the hut to the mast.

Astronomers Find Largest, Most Distant Reservoir of
Water

Two teams of astronomers have discovered the largest
and farthest reservoir of water ever detected in the
universe. The water, equivalent to 140 trillion times
all the water in the world's ocean, surrounds a huge,
feeding black hole, called a quasar, more than 12
billion light-years away. (Source:www.nasa.gov)

NASA's WISE Mission Finds First Trojan Asteroid Sharing
Earth's Orbit

Astronomers studying observations taken by NASA's
Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission have
discovered the first known "Trojan" asteroid orbiting
the sun along with Earth. Scientists had predicted
Earth should have Trojans, but they have been difficult
to find because they are relatively small and appear
near the sun from Earth's point of view. (Source:
www.nasa.gov)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX

News From The IRTS

2011-07-25T01:40:00.000+01:00

IRTS 2 Metres Counties Contest
The IRTS 2m Counties Contest will take place Sunday
28th August 2011. The closing date for the
submission of the log to the contest manager is 27th
September 2011.
______________________________________________
IRTS SSB Field Day
The IRTS SSB Field Day takes place Saturday 3rd
September and Sunday 4th September 2011. The closing
date for the submission of the log is October 4th 2011.
______________________________________________
GI HF Conference
The West Tyrone Amateur Radio Club (WTARC) Omagh are
holding a HF Conference on Saturday 20th August 2011.
This Conference comes following the very successful
DigiCon 09 Conference back in September 2009.
A range of speakers from around GI, EI and G will be in
attendance to share their various perspectives on
aspects of HF operation. There will also be in
attendance Traders such as, Tyrone Amateur Electronics
(TAE) and JBT (Jim Bob) along with exhibits from the
RSGB and the IRTS.
The Event is supported by Practical Wireless, TAE, JBT,
IRTS and RSGB. So come along for what will be a Fun Day
Out for all the family. The town of Omagh has a range
of top class shopping along with a wide range of other
tourist attractions
http://www.omagh.gov.uk/culture_leisure_and_tourism/
We look forward to seeing you there. For details of the
Venue etc go to http://wtarc.co.uk/GIHFConference.aspx
______________________________________________
London 2012’s critical communications ready for service
Airwave, the leading provider of critical voice and
data communications to public service organisations in
the UK, has announced that the private mobile radio
(PMR) service infrastructure for the London 2012
Olympic and Paralympic Games is ready for service. The
PMR network, named Apollo, will provide voice
communications for over 18,000 staff and volunteers
from the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and
Paralympic Games (LOCOG) during the 2012 Games. Apollo
has been purpose-built to provide mobile radio to all
London 2012 competition venues from the Olympic Park
itself to sites across the country from Glasgow and
Manchester to Coventry and Weymouth. The stand-alone
network is now ready for operation and will be used by
Games staff and volunteers, from stewards and security
personnel to anti-doping officials, from now until
December 2012. ( Source:southgatearc.org)
______________________________________________
RSGB Amateur Radio survey released
The results of the RSGB Amateur Radio survey are now
available. It shows the Amateur population is
continuing to age with a typical RSGB member now being
about 65. The survey also shows that just 1.97% are
women and only 0.88% classify themselves as being from
an ethnic group other than White or White British a
figure closer to 13% might have been expected.
(Source:Southgatearc.org)
______________________________________________

Space shuttle Atlantis: Highlights of the final mission

2011-07-25T01:25:00.000+01:00

Space shuttle Atlantis: Highlights of the final mission

The space shuttle Atlantis has landed back on Earth, ending the shuttle programme's last-ever mission.

The spacecraft touched down at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on Thursday, bringing an end to America's 30-year shuttle programme.

The crew of commander Chris Ferguson, pilot Doug Hurley and mission specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim spent almost 13 days in space.

BBC News draws together some of the highlights of the shuttle's historic final journey.

An Astronaut and a Robot seen from Earth

2011-04-17T01:15:00.000+01:00

Ralf Vandebergh has made available a remarkable picture he took showing Astronaut Steve Bowen and the Robot Dextre on the ISS.

The picture and description can be seen at

http://www.startje.be//vieuw.php?qid=375025

BBC World Service is 'all-important'

2011-04-17T01:11:00.000+01:00

Richard Ottaway, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, explains the value of the World Service to the UK

The interview was broadcast on the Radio 4 Today show on Wednesday, April 13 and you can hear it at

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9456000/9456338.stm

BBC World Service 'should not be cut'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-13049816

Ofcom to Issue Special Temporary Call Signs for Royal Wedding

2011-04-17T01:08:00.000+01:00

If you are a prefix hunter -- or you just get caught up in the pageantry that a Royal Wedding can bring -- then take note: Ofcom, at the request of the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB), will issue special temporary call signs that British amateurs may use from April 29 through May 9, 2011, commemorating the marriage of HRH Prince William of Wales and Miss Catherine Middleton. Amateurs in the United Kingdom who choose to apply for these special call signs will be using GR, MR and 2R prefixes during this time to commemorate the wedding.

The Aftermath of the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

2011-04-14T02:56:00.001+01:00

As misery continues since the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident hit north-eastern Japan on 11 March, the headquarters station of the Japan Amateur Radio League (JARL) in Tokyo, JA1RL, became a disaster communication centre in the days immediately after the disaster.

International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Region 3 Secretary, Ken Yamamoto JA1CJP reports that they transmitted rescue requests including the needs of refugee centre facilities down to the basics of electricity, water and gas supplies.

Ken JA1CJP said that hand-held VHF and UHF transceivers are now being delivered to the local disaster relief centres. “The equipment is being used to establish VHF/UHF networks for refugee centres and local disaster relief,” he said. “JARL expresses its appreciation to all radio amateurs for their cooperation to keep 7.030MHz clear for disaster relief communications.” Ken JA1CJP, said.

International Marconi Day

2011-04-14T02:38:00.000+01:00

International Marconi Day takes place this year on Saturday 30th April. In Irelands capital city Dublin The Howth Martello Radio Group will be participating once again as an award station using the call-sign EI0MAR.

This is not a contest but there are several nice awards available for working the officially listed stations, each of which has an historic connection with Marconi. The event is organised by the Cornish Amateur Radio Club. For more information please visit the club's website http://crac.g4usb.net/cracblog/

EI0MAR operates from the Martello Tower overlooking the East Pier in Howth. The tower now houses a vintage radio museum. In 1905 the British Post Office carried out wireless telegraphy experiments at the tower in Howth using Marconi equipment.

Visitors are always welcome at the museum and the group hopes to see many visitors during the IMG event in April. The HMRG's website is http://www.ei0mar.org/ where a free information booklet in PDF format can be downloaded.

Up-Coming IRTS Contests

2011-04-14T02:20:00.001+01:00

1. 2m Counties Contest Monday April 25th 2011.
From 2pm till 4pm. Log to be submitted by May 25th.

2. CW Field Day Sat 4th/ Sun 5th June 2011.
Log to be submitted by June 5th.

Calling all active VHF and Higher operators, we are

trying to get the 2010 Squares table finalized on

http://www.irts.ie/. So can anyone that was

active on the VHF bands last year please send your

Square totals or your log to EI2GLB@hotmail.com and he can work it out for you.

To see the squares table please go to http://www.irts.ie/cgi/vhf.cgi

UK Coast Guard Frequency Changes

2011-04-14T01:30:00.003+01:00

Two UK Coastguard stations have moved frequency to below 2MHz from April 4th. These changes will be to HMCG MF transmitting frequencies: MRCC Humber - TX on 2226 KHz changed to 1925 KHz MRCC Falmouth - TX on 2226 KHz changed to 1880 KHz

World Radio Communication Conference Amateur Radio

2011-03-15T02:07:00.000Z

World Radio communication Conference Amateur Radio has moved a step closer to a medium frequency (MF)allocation below the AM broadcast band. During the first week of the Conference Preparatory Meeting (CPM)for the 2012 World Radio Communication Conference(WRC-12) of the International Telecommunication Union(ITU), held in Geneva February 14-25, delegates completed the drafting of nine pages of analysis of the technical and regulatory issues related to WRC-12 Agenda Item 1.23: consideration of a possible secondary allocation to the Amateur Service of about 15 kHz somewhere between 415 and 526.5 kHz. What is now called Method A envisions an allocation of up to 15 kHz between 472 and 487 kHz. Method B calls for allocations of 461-469 kHz and 471-478 kHz.

Look forward to more developments on this!! Stay Tuned

Mayo Radio Experimenters Club

2011-03-15T02:02:00.004Z

John Browne, EI7FAB, won the 2010 Mayo RadioExperimenters annual club activity competition. The annual event consists of twelve monthly competitions with accumulator points going to the annual award. John won four of the monthly competitions, and had half a point to spare over Dominic Curtin, EI9JS in the annual table. All the monthly competitions are for on air activity and range from working Locator squares, DXCC countries, a novelty alpha-numeric gridand a month devoted to listening. John McAndrew,EI3JM, (third,) Padraic Baynes, EI9JA, (fourth,) and Jimmy Kelly EI2GCB, make up the top five in the competition. The club uniquely transmits the IRTS and local news on Sunday evenings simultaneously on four VHF bands - 6mts, 4mts, 2 mts and 70cms and the club is very active on these bands locally. The news simulcast originally presented technical challenges,but these have been overcome thanks to the guidance of Dominic Curtin, EI9JS.

Mayo Radio Experimenters publishes a monthly newsletter for members and this is currently edited by John Corless, EI7IQ. He took over form David Hatfield,EI3ECB last summer.
At the recent AGM, Jimmy Kelly, EI2GCB was re-elected Chairperson, and the club’s two prestigious awards for contribution to the club and to the hobby went to Padraic Baynes, EI9JA and Dominic Curtin, EI9JS.

The club plans a monthly activity day where SWLs and the public will be invited to explore the hobby with portable set-ups at different locations on one Sunday per month from April to September.
The club is active in all IRTS competitions using the club call, EI7MRE and individual members take part inmany international contests.The club won the January 80mts counties contest again this year. John Walsh, EI5GHB was well placed in this contest also. Another member, Brendan Minish, EI6IZ, is one of the best CW contesters in Europe.
Theory classes are ongoing within the club under the guidance of John Corless, EI7IQ. The club meets on thefirst Wednesday of each month in The Welcome Inn Hotel, Castlebar Co.Mayo at 9.30pm local time. Visiting amateurs or curious radio enthusiasts are most welcome to come along.

New antenna company launches

2011-01-14T04:33:00.000Z

New company, Antenna Engineering has recently started trading through their online shop, which is an exciting undertaking for recent graduate Henry and his father, Chris (G4AMN), who has over 40 years experience in the industry and as a amateur radio enthusiast.

Sheffield Hallam Engineering Graduate (2009), Henry Wainwright, has started his own company manufacturing amateur radio equipment with the support of the University’s Graduate Entrepreneurship Scheme (GRADE).

The company, Antenna Engineering (based in Leicestershire & South Yorkshire), has a comprehensive range of amateur radio antenna equipment ranging from mono-band single element verticals to multi-element phased arrays.

Antenna Engineering produces a high performance range of vertical antennas for the serious DX enthusiast.

More information on all of Antenna Engineering’s products can be found at www.antennaengineering.co.uk.

DX News

2011-01-12T01:19:00.001Z

The first major expedition of 2011 was due to start on 5th January. This was the multinational team signing DX0DX from the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.
Due to various problems the start date has had to be moved several days but hopefully the expedition is now on the air. A total of over 30 amateurs will take partin the operation which is scheduled to last until early next month.

As well as being a rare one for your DXCC thisexpedition also counts as AS-051 for your IOTA Award.QSL manager will be N2OO

Andrew G7COD is back in the Maldive Islands and QRV as8Q7AK. He will be there till 16th January and QSLs govia his home call.

Seth SM0XBI will be in Dominica in the Caribbean untilmid-March. Look for him operating his J79XBI callsign.

VE6LB will be in the United Arab Emirates until 8thFebruary and will be QRV as A6/VE6LB from Dubai. He will be running 100 watts to a G5RV.

The ‘DX Magazine’ carried out a survey of the‘most wanted’ DXCC entities last autumn and the results have just been published. The top 10 most wanted DXCC are as follows:

1. North Korea
2. Navassa
3. Bouvet
4. Yemen
5. Heard Island
6. Amsterdam Island
7. Marion Island
8. South Sandwich Islands
9. Crozet
10. Scarborough Reef

IRTS Counties Contest

2011-01-12T01:16:00.001Z

The 80 metres EI/GI counties contest on Monday last was well supported, with almost all counties on the air at some stage during the 3 hour event. Our correspondents report that some counties - in particular Wexford andTyrone - represented "rare DX" on the day, so stations from these and other rare counties would have been ingreat demand.
Although the majority of stations heard were from EIand GI, there was also a good level of support from mainland Britain. As daylight receded, some continental European stations began to take an interest in the contest.
As can be expected, operators had to contend with high noise levels most of the time. This encouraged some ofthe participants to switch to CW for extended periods:there seemed to be more CW activity this year than inprevious years, especially during the final hour. In particular quite a few mainland British stations were heard looking for CW contacts.
The deadline for logs is 2nd February, logs should besent to contestmanager /at/ irts.ie as soon as possible.

Ham Radio Nation

2011-01-02T02:03:00.001Z

CHECK THIS OUT......

A place where you can find other users that all share a common interest Amateur Radio. Invite your friends, find new friends or find some of your past contacts. You can upload pictures of your radios and shack if you like or just check out others shacks, share your logs and contacts with others and compair your DX contacts and allot more.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011

2011-01-02T01:15:00.002Z

Hi Everyone, Apologies for not been too active on my blog throughout 2010 but one of my New Years resolutions is to become more active on Amateur Radio and also give as much information as I can here on my blog!!!

So here we are 2011, here we go for another one of these things us humans call a new year, just another chance for us to get it right :-)

So an update whats going on in my planet, I'm still living in London in the UK working within the broadcast industry and don't get much time to be on Radio at all these days, but good news I'm getting a new radio soon, something for VHF / UHF so I should be more active on 6m, 4m, 2m, 70cm and ill even give 23cm a shot.
This will be a change for me as I only used VHF and UHF before for local repeaters and local simplex contacts and maybe the odd DX contest or opening on 6 meters but times have changed due to the environment I now live in. You wont get away with a 4 square for 80 meters in Central London and even if you did you probably would have to decipher a G3 station up the road out of S9 +30 db of noise.... No not nice :-) So with that VHF & UHF are my new bands.

I must say I am also really enjoying my time on EchoLink these days and the IPhone application is absolutely fantastic as I can now link to a local end in Castlebar, Co.Mayo in the West of Ireland EI7CRG-L - From there I can now talk to my Dad EI9JA and some of my friends at home in the west of Ireland, EI9JS, EI2GCB, EI6IZ, EI7IX, EI3IX, EI7FAB, EI4GHB EI5CYB, EI3GYB, EI7IQ just name a few. This is fantastic technology and I think its great for the future of Amateur Radio, the more accessible amateur radio is or even the more user friendly it is to people, will make the hobby more interesting and will generate more people who want to get involved in our fantastic hobby during this Internet / social networking era.

Anyway here's to a New Year and I hope the best of 2010 is the Worst of 2011 for one and all!!!

73's for the moment...

Change of 40M WAI Frequency

2010-08-30T05:30:00.001+01:00

It was deceided at the recent IRTS Committee Meeting to
Change the Worked All Ireland Frequencey from 7.068 to 7.170

The W.A.I. awards are open to all amateurs and short wave listeners
throughout, the world, who wish to participate. Membership
of any specific organisation is not pre-requisite.

The aim of the awards scheme is:
To expand the geographical knowledge of Ireland and its offshore
islands.

1) To encourage activity in general and promote mobile and
portable expedition activity on both LF and VHF bands.

2) To encourage amateurs and Shortwave Listeners to improve
their operating skills by participating in or running W.A.I. Nets.

Listen To Ham Radio Online With WebSDR

2010-08-16T02:51:00.002+01:00

Have you tried to find links to listen to ham radio online lately? How many promising links have you found to be "dead links"? Too many, huh!

The links below will actually take you to sites where you can listen to amateur radio communicating with each other around the world.

The "live" links will let you hear ham radio operators using every imaginable mode of communication... SSB, FM and AM voice, RTTY, SSTV. The list of modes is nearly endless because new ones are experimented with regularly.

WebSDR (Web Software Defined Radio Systems) let many users simultaneously tune the SDR to different frequencies to listen to.

EME (Earth-Moon-Earth) 3cm signals using a 25 m dish in Dwingeloo, Drenthe, Netherlands.
PA3WEG in Delft, NL - VLF and 70 cm bands.
K7UEB (KL7NA op.) -20m band signals from a WebSDR located in Walla Walla University, in College Place, Washington, USA
PI4THT - 80m, 40m, 20m band signals from Amateur Radio Club of University Of Twente, Enschede, NL.
W4MQ Internet Remote Base - lets you tune and listen to ham radio signals anywhere from the 160m band right up to the 70 cm band! It is located in Reston, Virginia on the East Coast of the USA.

Sun's 'quiet period' explained from BBC News

2010-08-15T18:15:00.000+01:00

The Sun's conveyor transports plasma across its surface to the pole, where it sinks before rising at the equator
Solar physicists may have discovered why the Sun recently experienced a prolonged period of weak activity.

The most recent so-called "solar minimum" occurred in December 2008.

Its drawn-out nature extended the total length of the last solar cycle - the repeating cycle of the Sun's activity - to 12.6 years, making it the longest in almost 200 years.

During a solar minimum the Sun is less active, producing fewer sunspots and flares.

The new research suggests that the longer-than-expected period of weak activity may have been linked to changes in the way a hot soup of charged particles called plasma circulated in the Sun.

The study, conducted by Dr Mausumi Dikpati of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado and her US colleagues, is published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

The Sun's activity strengthens and weakens on a cycle that typically lasts 10.7 years. Since accurate records began in 1755, there have been 24 such solar cycles.

The 23rd cycle, which ended in December 2008, was both longer than average and had the smallest number of sunspots for a century. Sunspots are areas of intense magnetic activity that are visible as dark spots on the star's surface.

Currents of fire

The new research suggests that one reason for the prolonged period of weak activity could be changes in the Sun's "conveyor belt".

Similar to the Earth's ocean currents, the Sun's conveyor transports plasma across its surface to the pole. Here, the plasma sinks into the heart of the Sun before rising again at the equator.

During the 23rd cycle, these currents of fire extended all the way to the poles, while in earlier cycles they only extended about two thirds of the way.

Dr Roger Ulrich of the University of California, Los Angeles, a co-author of the study, said the findings highlighted the importance of our monitoring of the Sun.

The research team used sophisticated computer simulations to show how changes in the conveyor might have affected cycle duration. They found that the increased length of the conveyor and its slower rate of return flow explained the prolonged 23rd cycle.

However, Dr David Hathaway, a solar physicist from Nasa's Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, who was not involved in the latest study, argued that it was the speed and not the extent of the conveyor that was of real importance.

The conveyor has been running at record high-speeds for over five years. Dr Hathaway said: "I believe this could explain the unusually deep solar minimum."

BBC © 2010

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX

Active Sun Could Cause Havoc on Earth

2010-08-03T15:58:00.001+01:00

Right now, a giant solar shock wave is heading to Earth bringing with it an electromagnetic force set to light up the night sky, according to The Telegraph.

2010-05-10T16:41:00.004+01:00

4m Beacon

As of 12:00 UTC May 3rd, a Radio Science E-Skip propagation beacon has been activated from the eastern coast of North America. QRG is 70.005MHz.
ERP is currently 3kW aimed at the EU.

The beacon is scheduled to run 24 hours a day until September 1st unless there are technical issues precluding that. The beacon is non-Amateur and sadly no 2-way QSOs could take place.
Any and all reception reports via e-mail to: wa1zms@att.net

Anyone fancy a trip to Mozambique in October?

David, GI4FUM is running an amateur radio DXpedition to Bilene which is a costal resort on the Indian Ocean150km north of Maputu. The Group will fly out from Heathrow on 13th October to Johannesburg and drive upto Mozambique.

The Group plans to run a station forJamboree on the Air with local scouts on the weekend of16th/17th October and will also enter a station forCQWW SSB over the weekend of 30th/31st October.

There will be plenty of opportunity for individuals to operate under their own C91 callsigns and if youfancy sun bathing on an Indian Ocean beach in late African spring there will be plenty of opportunity for that too.

There are a few places on the team still available. If you want further details check out the CQ-DX African Safaris web site at http://www.3da0ss.net/index.htm

Satellite views of Iceland volcano

2010-04-20T17:43:00.000+01:00

2010-04-14T04:36:00.002+01:00

This Week in Amateur Radio - Sending Amateur Radio signals to the Moon and back has never been easy. After roundtrip journeys of nearly half a million miles, even the most powerful signals generated by hams are exquisitely weak on arrival. Because of the equipment and expertise necessary for successful "moonbounce" operating, this facet of Amateur Radio has been traditionally confined to a small audience. But for three days in April even hams with very modest stations will have the opportunity to experience the thrill of moonbounce, thanks to the giant radio telescope at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico.

Joe Taylor, K1JT -- along with the Arecibo Observatory Radio Club, KP4AO -- will be on the air running 400 W to the telescope's 1000 foot antenna. Their scheduled times of operation are 1645-1930 on April 16, 1740-2020 on April 17 and 1840-2125 on April 18 (all times UTC). They will be using the call sign KP4AO and operating SSB, CW and the JT65B digital mode developed by Taylor. They will be transmitting at 432.045 MHz and listening for stations between 432.050 and 432.060 MHz.

If you make contact, send your QSL -- along with a self-addressed, stamped envelope -- to the KP4AO QSL manager: Joseph Arcure, W3HNK, 115 Buck Run Rd, Lincoln University, PA 19352.

73's

EI5IX

EchoLink on the Iphone

2010-03-01T18:40:00.000Z

EchoLink software allows licensed Amateur Radio stations to communicate with one another over the Internet, using streaming-audio technology. The program allows worldwide connections to be made between stations, or from computer to station, greatly enhancing Amateur Radio's communications capabilities. There are more than 200,000 validated users worldwide — in 162 of the world's 193 nations — with about 5,000 online at any given time.

The system allows reliable worldwide connections to be made between radio amateurs, greatly enhancing Amateur Radio's communications capabilities. In essence it is the same as other VoIP applications (such as Skype), but with the unique addition of the ability to link to an amateur radio station's transceiver.

A new application is now available that allows radio amateurs to use the EchoLink system from their iPhone or iPod.
I recently downloaded an EchoLink app onto my Iphone an am having alot of fun with it, connecting to repeaters an stations at home in Ireland an also stations around the world. The application is free to download and all you have to do is download the software for your PC. Before using the system it is necessary for a prospective user's callsign to be validated. The EchoLink system requires that each new user provide positive proof of license and identity before his or her callsign is added to the list of validated users.

You can use this app to connect to the EchoLink system from almost anywhere, using either an iPhone or an iPod touch. (For an iPod touch, you will need to plug in earphones with a microphone, even if you only plan to listen; this limitation will be addressed in a future release.)

iPhone users can use either a WiFi or 3G (cellular) Internet connection.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/echolink/
id350688562?mt=8#

Other Highly recomended are the following websites;

http://www.echolink.org/

http://www.echoireland.com/

http://www.echoaddons.com/

http://www.echoproducer.com/

Hope to come across you online I am signed in most of the time!

73's

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone - 73's DE EI5IX

Happy New Year

2010-01-08T14:25:00.004Z

Hey I would like to wish every one who views my site a happy and prosperious 2010, it's been too long since I updated this site. I made a new years resoultion to update more often from now on, actually I have no excuse really because now I have it at my finger tips with this wonderful little app from BlogPress on the iPhone.

Okay what have I been up to over the last while, well I have moved to London in the UK and started my new role over here with a company called Arqiva (http://www.arqiva.com/) who operates at the heart of the broadcast and mobile communications industry and at the forefront of network solutions. The company provides much of the infrastructure behind television, radio and wireless communications throughout the UK, Ireland, mainland Europe and the USA. I work in the satellite and media department for our clients ESPN.

Here are some photos of our uplink and downlink dishes;

Some Uplink Dishes

Some Up & Downlink dishes

As I'm sure everyone is aware by now through various news reports it is freezing here in the UK actually lastnight was supposed to be the lowest recorded temperature in years close to -21 in parts of Scotland and down in London it was -9 where I live so the words birrrrrrr come to mind!

Back to things more to do with Radio, unfortunatly I don't have a setup as of yet over here but I'm working on that as I'm thinking HF is out of the equation especially with noise levels over here so i'm looking down the road of remote, or VHF / UHF. I actually came across a very interesting article by Ulf Larsson SM0LCB / SM7LBC in a free online Amateur radio magazine which is in the links below under HAM MAG.

I found this article very interesting because of the simplicity of the system, which i didn't realise how easy it actually is to be able to set up a remote system, I could avail of the antennas and radio at the Home QTH and never miss that rare DX.
I will research into this more and update my findings here.

I really miss being active on the airwaves so piority is get set up over here on VHF/UHF and go from there. Hope to hear you on the air soon.

Till next time and hopefully it won't be as long all the best and mind yourself!
73's

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Ireland world cup chances

2009-11-18T16:44:00.001Z

I know this is slightly off topic but as an Irish man that loves Irish soccer, tonight is the biggest of all! We have lost our first leg of qualifying at home in Dublin (Croke Park) 1 - 0 to France and tonight we play France at home in Paris!

I would love to see Ireland get through tonight with a win but we are the under dogs as the Irish manager has said today in an interview "Never say never" so with that I'm off to the pub over here in London to watch Ireland vs France in Paris kick off 20.00 GMT.

Come on Ireland bring back the glory days!!!
you all remember them? Here is a reminder......

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5PT65I2ny8&feature=youtube_gdata

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

AND WERE BACK!!!!

2009-10-11T19:51:00.005+01:00

Hey to one and all,

I eventually came back from my travels to "EA" land (AKA Spain). What a fantastic country!

So just an update, I have now moved to the UK, London to be precise.

I will be living here for the moment so if you hear me On-Air I will be M/EI5IX.

Looking forward to hearing you down the wire!

73's

2009-09-09T14:21:00.001+01:00

Im currently on vacation in España EA, so all will be back to normal at the end of September!

73´s to all....

UPDATE 25/08/09

2009-08-25T01:23:00.003+01:00

IRTS 2m Counties Contest

Next Sunday the 30th of August is the date for the
Autumn 2m counties contest. It takes place between
14.00 and 16.00 local. The full rules are available on
the IRTS website under the contest tab.

70cms Activity Hour

To try to promote activity and see if it is worthwhile
to run a 70cms Counties contest. We will be having a
70cms activity hour following the 2m contest on Sunday
the 30th August. Both FM and SSB stations will be
welcome and both Calling channels will be
monitored.432.2 for SSB and 433.5 for FM users.

We look forward to hearing many portable and fixed
stations on the day.

3DA0SS Swaziland

David, GI4FUM, has returned from Swaziland and reports
that the 3DA0SS expedition was a big success. Around
20,000 QSOs were made, many of them on the data modes.
The International Scout Camp was also a great success
with the scouts learning many new development skills.

The IRTS committee, with the agreement of the CQIR
Contest sponsor, Dargle Builders Limited, agreed that
the excess in the contest fund which amounted to more
than 1,000 Euro, should be donated to the Swazi
scouts towards the cost of providing clean water at
their campsite.

While David was there, the new pump was installed and
commissioned and clean water is now available for all
the camp needs. Following the AFRI75 expedition to
Swaziland and the resultant publicity for the Scout
Project there, many individual Society members donated
monies for projects at the campsite. We are happy to
act as a conduit for any such funding and if you are
interested in helping you should contact Paul EI2CA or
David GI4FUM.

ARRL Celebration

This year, the ARRL is honouring the 140th anniversary
of the birth of the League's first president and
cofounder. Hiram Percy Maxim, W1AW, was born on 2nd
September 1869.

The operating event is open to all amateurs, and the
goal is straightforward: Find the stations adding /140
to their call signs, and contact as many as possible
during the event period from 2-9th September. The /140
will be signed by any ARRL member who holds and ARRL
appointment.

There will be a Certificate available for anyone who
works at least 25 of the /140 Celebration stations

Time Period: 0000 UTC September 2 until 2400 UTC
September 9.

Exchange: All stations signing /140 send RS(T), their
appointment and their name; others send RS(T) and their
name. More details and deadline application on
www.arrl.org

Dave Court EI3IO

Dave will be moving to Bahrain (A9) on 28 August,
initially for a period of 2 years. No call-sign
information is available as yet. However you may find
Dave on 20m in A9 from September onwards, depending on
the time it takes to obtain residency etc.

A QTH has been chosen which appears to be good for all
bands 160m to VHF. Subject to licensing restrictions,
Dave plans to be QRV on most MF, HF and low VHF bands.
Equipment being taken includes an Elecraft K3
transceiver, Acom 1000 amplifier, yagis for 14 MHz to
70 MHz and an 18 metre Spider Beam fibre glass support
for MF and low HF verticals.

It should be noted that 600m, 60m, 6m and 4m are
currently not available in A9. EI3IO will still be QRV
from Ireland during the next few years, during vacation
trips to the family home in Shankill, where family
members will still be resident. The Dublin DX Cluster
EI7SDX will also remain QRV with internet access only -
click http://shandx.ath.cx/cgi-bin/ei7sdx.cgi or
telnet://EI7SDX.ath.cx:7300 for access."

30 Meter Multi-Mode Weekend

This weekend, the Amateur radio 10 MHz (30 metre) band
will be alive with digital signals during the
multi-mode weekend.

The objective is to promote experimenting and using
different digital modes on unique 30 Meter Band. A
number of digital mode groups will be participating
this weekend so if you wanted to try out a mode you
have thought about trying here is your chance to get
on the 30 Meter Band to try those digital modes and/or
try a digital mode software that includes multiple
digital modes.

This is NOT a contest.. no set times.. no rules.. no
exchanges.. no winners other than those that
participate with casual use of the 30 Meter Band to
experiment, rag chew, DX and have some fun!

This week in History

1919 George Fisk of AWA does first radio
'broadcast' in OZ.

1932 The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) began
its first experimental TV broadcast in England.

Next Theory Examination

The 21st of September is the closing date for
applications to sit the next Theory Examination for an
Amateur Station Licence which will be held on Tuesday
the 6th of October at 2p.m in the ComReg Offices in
Dublin. To reserve a place at the exam intending
candidates should forward the appropriate fee to Sean
Nolan EI7CD, 12 Little Meadow, Pottery Road,
Dunlaoghaire, Co. Dublin.

The fee is 50 Euro or 25 Euro for full-time
registered students, repeat candidates and those who
are retired, unemployed or have a disability.
Cheques and Money Orders should be made payable to
the IRTS. When forwarding the exam fee intending
candidates should enclose their postal address as
well as phone and e-mail contact details. Sean's
e-mail address for any further enquiries is “ei7cd
at gofree dot indigo dot ie”

Intending candidates should note in particular, that in
Section B of the paper – National and International
Rules and Operating Procedures’- questions on the
National Rules will be based on the new Wireless
Telegraphy (Amateur Station Licence) Regulations 2009
which came into force on I June 2009. These Regulations
and other matters in relation to the operation of
amateur stations can be found in the ‘Amateur Station
Licence Guidelines’ published by ComReg in Document
09/45 which is available on the ‘Publications’ section
of the ComReg website at www.comreg.ie

There is also some very useful information available
under ‘Radio Theory’ in the ‘Links’ section of the IRTS
website at www.irts.ie

Thanks to the IRTS for the information.

New 3cm 10368 MHz SSB record verified and listed

2009-08-25T01:04:00.000+01:00

Recently Stephen ZL1TPH and Ted ZL2IP re-submitted their record claim that was declined earlier this year.

The claim errors have been corrected. The claim now complies with the published New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters (NZART) claim rules.

I am pleased to announce the following SHF record:
3cm 10368MHz Int. ZL1TPH/p-ZL2IP/p 04/01/2009 SSB 551 TD

Confirmed as a new New Zealand record and a milestone record. It is to-date, the longest terrestrial distance contact, at 551kms, made on the 3cm microwave band.

ZL1TPH operating from Cape Reinga at 175 M ASL.
ZL2IP operating from North Egmont at 960 M ASL.

The actual frequency used was 10368.1 MHz and the signal path used a Troposphere Duct.

Congratulates to Stephen ZL1TPH and Ted ZL2IP.

73 and good DX,
John ZL2TWS

Note:
The New Zealand VHF/UHF/SHF records now cover 2009
http://www.nzart.org.nz/vhf/index.html

New Icom radio covers HF to 1300 MHz

2009-08-25T00:53:00.004+01:00

Icom's new rig the IC-9100 covers VHF and UHF bands as well as HF and is sure to appeal to amateur satellite users.

According to reports the SSB/CW/FM rig delivers 100 watts at 50 MHz and 50 watts at 144 and 430 MHz. With an optional module it gives 10 watts at 1240 MHz.

There is a D-STAR option available but at the time of writing it was not clear if this would operate on all bands above 29 MHz. It is to be hoped that D-STAR will work on 10 metres and 6 metres as currently there are no D-STAR radios for those bands.

IC-9100

IC-9100 (Rear View)

The IC-9100 at Tokyo Ham Fair on August 22

The IC-9100 pre-release brochure is available at
http://www.ab4oj.com/icom/ic9100/IC-9100_prerelease.pdf

SuitSat: Hacking for Outer Space

2009-08-19T03:23:00.000+01:00

Make Magazine features an article on the Amateur Radio SuitSat project

The article says:

SuitSat is one of the best examples of fashion hacking and recycling old apparel that I have ever seen. Russia often disposes of space suits by throwing them into outer space to burn up in the atmosphere.

The suits take 6-7 months to burn up. Since the suit is already being launched into space, some ham radio operators thought why not house a satellite inside, where it will be protected for 6-7 months before the suit burns up in the atmosphere. Hence SuitSat was born.

The first SuitSat was launched into space on September 7, 2006 when astronauts aboard the ISS pushed SuitSat I into space.

Read the full article at
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/08/
suitsat_hacking_for_outer_space.html

MAKE Magazine describes itself as the first magazine devoted entirely to DIY technology projects, it unites, inspires and informs a growing community of resourceful people who undertake amazing projects in their backyards, basements, and garages, see http://makezine.com/

Make Magazine on Twitter
http://twitter.com/make/

SuitSat-2 transforms into a satellite
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/july2009/
suitsat2_transforms_into_satellite.htm

BBC - DIY Gadgetry (Hackspace)
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/june2009/
diy_gadgetry.htm

AMSAT-UK publish a colour A4 newsletter, OSCAR News, full of satellite information.

You can join online at https://secure.amsat.org.uk/subs_form/

AMSAT-UK website http://www.uk.amsat.org/

UPDATE 18/08/09

2009-08-18T02:04:00.003+01:00

IRTS 2m Counties Contest

Sunday the 30th of August is the date for the Autumn 2m
counties contest. It takes place between 14.00 and
16.00 local. The full rules are available on the IRTS
website under the contest tab.

This contest does have a good number of Portable
entries and the would be glad of any contacts on the
day. As most people have some type of 2m rig please try
to be active and give away some points on the day.

This week in History

1877 Thomas A. Edison finished figuring out his first
phonograph.

1893 France is first country to introduce car
registration plates.

1907 The first taxicab took to the streets of New
York City.

1919 E.Fisk demos radiotelephony for the first time in
Sydney, Australia.

Thanks to the IRTS for the above Information.

MFJ buys Cushcraft Antennas

2009-08-16T04:33:00.002+01:00

MFJ Enterprises have announced they have purchased the Cushcraft Amateur Radio antennas product line.

According to MFJ, Cushcraft - makers of HF/VHF/UHF vertical, beam and Yagi antennas for the Amateur Radio community, will continue to be manufactured in New Hampshire.

"We are excited to have the Cushcraft Amateur Radio Antennas product line alongside our other five companies,"
said Martin F. Jue, President and founder of MFJ Enterprises, Inc.

This announcement comes right during MFJ catalog time. The new MFJ 2010 Catalog will be a whopping 120 pages and will include the entire Cushcraft Amateur Radio Antennas product line. A special customer support line is set up in Starkville, Mississippi by dialing 662-323-5803. This line will handle any Cushcraft Amateur Radio Antenna product technical support, part requests, and customer services.

MFJ Enterprises, Inc. also owns Ameritron, Hy-gain, Mirage and Vectronics.

Source: WIA, Adam VK4IM

Check this out! Ham Mag is now available FOR FREE

2009-08-15T02:59:00.000+01:00

The August issue of the free Amateur Radio publication Ham Mag has just been emailed to subscribers.

This is the 7th edition of the popular international English language monthly publication and the articles in this latest issue include:

The HamMag Hall of fame
A neat MIC Switch with Sound Card Interface By WB8YWA
Want to creat pileups? Try SI9AM ! By SM3CVM
Getting started in casual contesting By WØRAA
Discovering : The W3FF Portable Dipole Antenna
The DXnews from the Web
The DX Calendar By SM3CVM
FUNcube By M5AKA
Ionospheric Perturbations By ON4SKY
40 Years Ago... The Moon !

Back issues can be downloaded from the magazines website at http://www.ham-mag.com/ and if you subscribe (it's free) the magazine will be emailed to you each month.

To subscribe to this superb free Amateur Radio magazine just send a blank email to
ham-mag_en-subscribe@yahoogroups.co.uk

The editor Vincent F5SLD says more articles are needed for future issues. His email address is on the Ham-Mag website at http://www.ham-mag.com/

Ham-Mag Yahoo Group
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/ham-mag_en/

YouTube SO-50 Amateur Radio Satellite Contact

2009-08-13T17:11:00.000+01:00

A video on YouTube shows an Amateur Radio Satellite
SO-50 contact between VK6MJ in Perth West Australia and VK2ZAZ in New South Wales at the Wyong Field Day 2009.

Geoff VK2ZAZ is using handheld FM equipment.

Watch the video:

The RadCom article 'Getting Started on Amateur Radio Satellites' by John Heath G7HIA is an excellent introduction to the exciting world of Amateur Satellite Communications and it can be downloaded from the AMSAT-UK website at http://www.uk.amsat.org/content/view/408/168/

AMSAT-UK publish a colour A4 newsletter, OSCAR News, full of satellite information.

You can join online at https://secure.amsat.org.uk/subs_form/

AMSAT-UK
http://www.uk.amsat.org/

Natural fireworks, courtesy of the Perseid meteor shower

2009-08-12T17:07:00.004+01:00

The annual Perseid meteor shower is expected to put on a good show this week for those willing to get up in the wee hours of the morning and wait patiently for the shooting stars.

As the Perseid meteor shower becomes visible in all its glory on 13 August, natural fireworks will fill the sky.

Showers of meteors, or ‘shooting stars’, appear as bright streaks of light in the sky. The display runs through the night.

Dust trails are left behind by every comet as it nears the Sun. As Earth’s orbit crosses the dust ejected by the comet Swift-Tuttle, a regular occurrence every August, it provides a fabulous spectacle for viewers on Earth. As the particles enter the atmosphere, they burn up, producing the fireworks. This phenomenon, called the ‘Perseid’ meteor shower, gets its name from the constellation Perseus, from where the shooting stars seem to come.
This year the Perseids are visible from 17 July to 24 August.

One or two per hour can be seen at the start, increasing to about five to ten per hour in early August. The display will be at its maximum before sunrise on 13 August, when 80 to 100 meteors should be visible every hour, weather permitting.

The best time to go observing is during the pre-dawn hours of 13 August. The occurrence of a new Moon on 12 August will make for perfect observing conditions


	Constellation map

Even if the sky may not be totally clear, you can expect to see tens of meteors in the sky from all over Europe. The display will be on all night, starting from about 23:00 CEST on 12 August, peaking before sunrise on the 13th. This year, as a bonus, Mars is visible as a bright red dot in the East, after midnight.

Telescopes or binoculars will not be necessary as the shower is visible with the naked eye. It is important to be in a dark area, without much smog, pollution or illumination.

Do make yourself comfortable – use a reclining chair or spread a blanket on the ground. The shooting stars will appear all over the sky, you need not look in a particular direction. Just make sure your eyes can adapt to dark.

The best time to observe the Perseids will be 2am to 4am. Stargazers are advised to face away from the moon or block it from view behind a wall.

Those unable to see the shower can turn to Twitter for an online meteor watch organised by the Newbury Astronomical Society in the UK and the International Year of Astronomy 2009.

The Twitter Perseids meteorwatch follows on from a similar Twitter Moonwatch organised by the Newbury Astronomical Society in May.

Tonight could be your chance to gatch a glimse of this wonderful sight unfortuatly light pollution from our towns and cities has increased so much in recent years, but head out to the countryside for the perfect place to explore the beauty of the night sky, away from the intrusive glow.

I know I certainly will be... :)

UPDATE 12/08/09

2009-08-12T16:54:00.003+01:00

AMSAT-UK Space Colloquium Videos

The videos of the presentations at this years
successful AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium in
Guildford are now available to watch on the British
Amateur Television Club (BATC) website

All 18 videos can be seen at http://www.batc.tv/

Space Station SSTV Active

The VC-H1 SSTV camera unit will run in auto mode
(Robot-36 transmitting once every 3 minutes) and should
be operational on 145.800 MHz from approximately
0800-1600 UTC each day.

TAPR now on Twitter

TAPR has been ham radio's pre-eminent digital voice and
data technology group for over 25 years and it is now
on Twitter under the username taprdigital

TAPR was a pioneer in developing packet radio
technology and most recently has been a leader in the
development of SDR (Software Defined Radios).

Shack Cleanup

Radio Shack is getting a marketing makeover. Starting
August 6, the electronics retailer will change its name
to 'The Shack,' a rebranding move designed to shed the
last-century association with radio technology and
embrace today's digital wireless world.

To celebrate the name change, Radio Shack will conduct
a "Shack Summer Netogether," a live event featuring two
17-foot laptop computers in New York and San Francisco.
Equipped with Web cams, the laptops will allow live
video and audio exchanges between the two cities.

International Lighthouse/Lightship Weekend 2009

More than 300 lighthouses in more than 51 countries --
from Argentina to Wales -- will be on the air for the
2009 International Lighthouse/Lightship Weekend.

The event, held for the 11th year in a row, takes place
Saturday, August 15 0001 UTC-Sunday, August 16 2359
UTC. While not a contest, the ILLW is more of a QSO
Party and Amateur Radio demonstration.

The ILLW aims to raise public awareness of lighthouses
and lightships and the need for their preservation and
restoration, promote Amateur Radio and foster
international goodwill. Stations at more than 40 US
lights are expected to be on the air for the event,
and several stations will identify with special event
call signs.

First activation of Punta del Este Lighthouse

Members of the Radio Club Uruguayo will be using the special callsign CW1R from the Punta del Este Lighthouse (ILLW UY0005, ARLHS URU-008, WW Loc. GF25MA) during the upcoming International Lighthouse/Lightship Weekend between August 14-16th.

Activity will be on 80-15 meters using CW, SSB and the Digital modes. They will have at least two stations on the air.

This will be the first activation of Punta del Este Lighthouse.

QSLs for this activity are only DIRECT to:
Radio Club Uruguayo, P.O.Box 37, 11000, Montevideo, URUGUAY, SOUTH AMERICA (w/SAE and 1 new IRC or 2 green stamps).

Source
Dave Raycroft's ICPO Bulletin
ICPO - Islands, Castles & Portable Operations

Radio Rallies

C.R.C. Rally 2009

The Cork Radio Club is holding their Rally in the
Montenotte Hotel in Cork on the 13th of September.
Special rates for those who wish to stay overnight just
mention Cork radio Club.

Food all day, plenty of parking & doors open at 11am.
All the usual traders will be there.

Mayo Rally

The 2009 Mayo Rally will be held on Sunday November
22nd in Castlebar. The venue is The Welcome Inn Hotel,
Where the 2008 rally was held at short notice, and
doors open at 11.00am.

Rally Director, Padraic Baynes, EI9JA, is now taking
bookings for stands at the Rally. He can be contacted
on 087 6957154. The hotel will be offering a Rally
special deal for accommodation. Full details will be
available soon.

Thanks to the IRTS for the above Information.

2009-08-07T10:24:00.001+01:00

Today at exactly 12.34pm and 56secs on the 07/08/09 it will be 123456789!!!!

IOTA News

2009-08-06T10:08:00.002+01:00

Island activities:

AS-040, JA6, Goto Islands:
JA6YDB/6 and JE6AQP/6 will activate the islands Nozaki, Ojika and Goto (Nagasaki prefecture) from Aug 8-12. QSLs via homecalls (direct/bureau).

EU-014, TK, Corsica (Corse) Island, main:
Laurent,F8BBL, is signing TK8B from Corsica (DIFM TK-001) from Aug 1-8. He also plans activities from Lavezzi (EU-164, DIFM TK-011) on Aug 6 starting at 0900 UTC and from
Sanguinaires (EU-104, DIFM TK-002) on Aug 11 around 0900 UTC. QSL via homecall.

EU-055, LA, Sogn og Fjordane County Group:
Henk,LA/PA3FMC, Ruud,LA/PE1BTV, and Hans,LA/PH0V, will be QRV from Utvaer from Aug 10-18.
QSLs via homecalls (direct/bureau).

EU-170, 9A, Dalmatia North Group:
Daniel,9A/DK3CH, is working from the island Dugi Otoc (CI-018) from Aug 1-12. QSL via homecall.

Joe,9A2QP, plans to activate following islands from
Aug 5-14:
CI-439 Dugo
CI-167 Drvenik
CI-429 Dvainka LH 0669
CI-408 Gusteranski
CI-034 Kakan
CI-035 Kaprije
CI-770 Krbela Mala
CI-184 Krbela Vela
CI-328 Kraljak
CI-326 Kamesnjak V.
CI-325 Kamesnjak M.
CI-411 Mazirina
CI-151 Zirje
CI-148 Zlarin LH 4296
CI-076 Obonjan
CI-197 Oblik (nr. Zlarin)
CI-771 Mumonja
CI-430 Rakitnjak
CI-222 Tmara

OC-130, DU8/9, Mindanao Island (main):
Hans,DU9/DL5SDF, is back on Mindanao will try to show up on the bands in August. QSL via homecall.

SA-017, HK5, Cauca/Valle Division Group:
Cody,KC2LSD, and Pedro,HK3JJH, are signing 5K5T from Gorgona until Aug 5.

Lighthouse activities (WLOTA/ARLHS/ILLW)
---------------------------------------
DU9/DL5SDF   LH 2803             starting in August
F4UKP/p      LH 1407             Aug 15-22
IA5/IK2MLS   LH 0609   ITA-083   Aug 3-8
IS0/IZ3DBA   LH 1608             Aug 1-10
LA/PA3FMC    LH 2373   NOR-264   Aug 10-18
LA/PE1BTV    LH 2373   NOR-264   Aug 10-18
LA/PH0V      LH 2373   NOR-264   Aug 10-18
TK8B         LH 1390   COR-037   Aug 1-15
TK8B/p       LH 0755   COR-049   Aug 6
TK8B/p       LH 0098   COR-003   Aug 11
5K5T         LH 2900             until Aug 5
9A/DK3CH     LH 2375   CRO-183   Aug 1-12

Compiled by Fredy, DE0MST
Deutscher Amateur Radio Club
e-mail: iota@dxhf.darc.de

EI5IX

GB80PW operation moves to Saturday

Galway Radio Experimenters Club

Ofcom: GPS Jamming Notice

Device To Predict Solar Activity To Be Launched Soon

Antarctic Activity Week Special Event

Limited future activity from Jan Mayen Island

Declan EI9HQ

IOTA Contest Results

EI80IRTS Award

The Irish Radio Transmitters Society was founded in 1932 and the organization are proud to celebrate their 80th anniversary in 2012. As part of the celebrations the Society will be using the special callsign EI80IRTS.

Special Callsigns for Amateur Radio stations in the UK during 2012

The new VHF-UHF band plan - 4m in Ireland

London 2012 Olympic Simplex DStar Nodes

ISS performs debris avoidance maneuver

UK amateurs experience echo phenomenon

Check This Out!

My UK Call-Sign M0XII

IRTS AGM & Rally 2012

Updated Happings in our Hobby

ISS on 145.800 MHz Monday morning

ISS on 145.800 MHz Monday morning

43 years of 73 Magazine on web

The new IARU 50Mhz R1 Band-plan

ARISSat-1 altitude is rapidly decreasing

HAPPY NEW YEAR ***2012**

Merry Christmas!

Ofcom - 3400 MHz licence exemption

"A Desperate Situation" All you need is Propagation!

Radio Propagation : Space Weather : Sunspot Cycle Information

http://sunspotwatch.com/

Check this website out, It's a live reference resource site for solar and geomagnetic data and images. :-)

Geo-engineering the Climate

IRTS 80th Anniversary

Marconi Auction

Satellite AO-51

Mayo Radio Rally

New TV Repeater in Ireland

RTE

Ham Radio on the Increase

Mayo Radio Rally

Space Station Active on 70 cm Packet

ARISSAT-1 May De-Orbit in April 2012:

Longer Lasting Lithium-ion Batteries

RMS Titanic

Mystery of the Lunar Ionosphere

Mayo Radio Experimenters Network Radio Rally

Sun comes alive, blasting massive solar flares

Mayo Radio Experimenters Radio Rally

Mayo Radio Experimenters Network

New TV Repeater in Ireland

Some Satellite News

CEPT proposes frequency allocation for amateur radio

Tiree Expedition (MS0WRC)

RSGB Convention

NASA's UARS re-enters Earth's atmosphere

5 MHz Newsletter now online

Jelly Batteries

Mayo Radio Experimenters Network

NASA Moon Mission in Final Preparations for September Launch

Increased Power for Contests

Two Metres Counties Contest

ARISSat-1

Amateur Radio satellite ARISSat-1 deployed

News Update

News From The IRTS

Space shuttle Atlantis: Highlights of the final mission

An Astronaut and a Robot seen from Earth

BBC World Service is 'all-important'

Ofcom to Issue Special Temporary Call Signs for Royal Wedding

The Aftermath of the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

International Marconi Day

Up-Coming IRTS Contests

UK Coast Guard Frequency Changes

World Radio Communication Conference Amateur Radio

Mayo Radio Experimenters Club

New antenna company launches

DX News

IRTS Counties Contest

Ham Radio Nation

HAPPY NEW YEAR *2012