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EI2GYB > NEWS 04.01.90 15:00l 64 Lines 7970 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 49357_EI2GYB
Subj: IRTS Radio News Bulletin Sunday January 4th, 2026
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IRTS Radio News Bulletin Sunday January 4th, 2026
Updates from the IRTS
The deadline for the 2026 Spring edition of Echo Ireland is February 10th, 2026. Further information and guidance can be found at irts.ie/echoireland if you wish to submit articles. Items should be sent via email to newsteam /at/ irts.ie to reach the IRTS Echo Ireland team.
News from Mayo Radio Experimenters Network
The Mayo Radio Experimenters Network has announced that its next monthly meeting will take place on Wednesday, the 14th of January, at 20:00 in the For˘ige Building, The Mall, Castlebar. All radio experimenters and shortwave listeners are warmly invited to attend.
The club has unveiled a new operating event for the first quarter of 2026 called the Worked All Mayo Challenge. Modelled on the well-known Worked All Ireland (WAI) system but adapted with a local Mayo emphasis, the challenge will run from the 1st of January to March 31st. Participants are encouraged to make simplex RF contacts across County Mayo and further afield. Each contact will involve the exchange of standard signal reports and WAI grid squares. Shortwave listeners are also welcome to participate and may submit logs that include both stations' reports. Although the challenge focuses on Mayo, operators from all regions are invited to take part. The initiative aims to boost on air activity during the winter months while offering a fresh, local variation on a long established national award system. A WAI grid map is available on Tom EI8IC's website at www.mapability.com
The club's weekly news service is transmitted every Sunday at 9 p.m. on the EI2TGR repeater system, followed by an open call-in. All stations within range are welcome to join the call or submit an SWL report. For further information and contact details, please visit www.ei7mre.org
Shannon Basin Radio Club AGM
Shannon Basin Radio Club held its AGM for 2025 on December 5th in Hannons Hotel, Roscommon. It was preceded by the club's very enjoyable Christmas dinner. Following the chairman's address, the election of the committee for 2026 was held. Pat EI9HX was returned as chairman for the coming year. Among those joining Pat are Secretary Owen EI4GGB, Treasurer Anthony EI6GGB, and Public Relations Officer Keith EI5IN. The club welcomed John EI5INB onboard as the new club rep as well. Shannon Basin Radio Club looks forward to an action-packed year of amateur radio activities. Further information about the club may be found at sbrc.ie
UKEICC 80m SSB Contest on Wednesday, January 7th
After the usual pause in December, the UKEICC fun begins again on 80m with the SSB contest on Wednesday, January 7 at 20:00 UTC. More EI/GI stations are participating in the 80m contests, with an average so far this season of 14 in SSB contests and 8 in CW contests. The numbers aren't big but the impact those stations are having certainly is. The 2025/26 league table shows three EI stations in the top ten, including Mark EI6JK in first place with 1369 points. There is also a fierce battle being waged in the teams' competition. The EI DReiAM Team, which consists of David EI5KG, Roger EI8KN, Aidan EI8CE, and Mark EI6JK, is only 587 points behind first-place DDX Dream Team, which includes Tim EI2KA. That may seem a big gap, but with team scores ranging from 300 to 800 points in each contest, it is very close.
Statistics show that a year ago, in the January 2025 SSB contest, there were no fewer than 15 EI/GI stations that participated, including two that didn't submit a log. Five of them, namely Aidan EI8CE, John GI4SJQ, Jason MI3UIW, Declan EI9FVB, and Patriot Radio Comms EI7PRC, finished in the top ten in that contest. In all 80m contests held during 2025, EI/GI stations finished in every top ten position at least twice, with two first-place finishes and three each in second and third place.
Well done EI/GI stations, but more are needed in 2026. Please come join the fun on Wednesday, January 7th at 20:00 UTC.
VHF/Microwave News
SSTV enthusiasts have been enjoying receiving images from at least two active satellites over the Christmas period. Both are still active on the 70cm band at the time of writing. Articsat-1 is in polar-orbit monitoring the Arctic environment. It also carries a SSTV transmitter operating on 435.890MHz plus or minus Doppler. Umka-1 RS40S is a second satellite transmitting SSTV in the 70cm band on 437.625MHz plus or minus Doppler. It is also in a polar orbit. Both satellites are transmitting very distinctive images and are well worth the challenge of tracking and attempting to receive these images for yourself. In addition to a free phone app called Robot36, RX-SSTV and MMSSTV are the names of two free Windows applications you can use to decode the images.
Contests and Activities
If you took part in the first IRTS 80m Counties Contest of 2026 which was held on New Year's Day, please note that the deadline for logs is January 15th, 2026. These should be sent to contestmanager /at/ irts.ie
"Marconi Supporters" is an international amateur radio award organised by A.R.I. Fidenza Radio Club, affiliated to the Italian Radio Amateurs Association (with the patronage and historical supervision of the Marconi Foundation. The purpose of this award is to provide historical and biographical insights into some of the key figures who, although perhaps not well known today to the public, contributed to the life and works of Marconi. The award dedicates each month of the year 2026 to the name of a specific "supporter" of Marconi, and the special name of the commemorative station associated with each month incorporates an acronym of that person's name. Further information may be found at www.arifidenza.it
Coolmine Rally on the 15th of February
The 2026 Phoenix Amateur Radio Club Rally known as the "Coolmine Rally" will take place on Sunday, the 15th of February 2026. Doors open at 10 a.m. at the usual venue, which is Coolmine Community School, Dublin, D15 FW97.
Items for Inclusion in Next Week's Radio News
That is the news for this week. Thanks to everyone for sending items into the weekly IRTS radio news. They are very much appreciated and are a great way to update the rest of the community about activities. If you have any club events, activities, meetings, or other items of interest, you are very welcome to email newsteam /at/ irts.ie with the details. These will be automatically forwarded to the IRTS radio and printed news services. The deadline each week is midnight on Thursdays.
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