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This Week's News

IRTS Radio News Bulletin Sunday July 12th, 2026
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Updates from the IRTS

IRTS relies on the support of many volunteers and provides essential
services that help the ham radio hobby running nation-wide, among these
are the worked-all-Ireland award which promotes friendship through
radio contacts, and the coordination of HAREC exams and Morse Code
endorsement for those seeking the CEPT class 1 license.

We currently have two vacancies and invite applications for the
worked-all-Ireland book sales manager to handle book sale orders,
logistics, and record keeping; and for the role of chief Morse tester
to coordinate Morse examiners and candidates seeking Morse Code
endorsement. Please send applications to irts_secretary /at/ irts.ie

IRTS Hamfest 2026 will take place in Mullingar on the 8th and 9th of
August and admission is completely free. This year's event is set to be
significantly larger than last year's, with an expanded range of
exhibitions, presentations, and participating clubs. We are also
pleased to be joined by ComReg for a presentation on Saturday afternoon
- not to be missed. We are currently accepting new presenters for radio
related talks, as well as table bookings from exhibitors. If you are
interested, please contact Andy at hamfest /at/ irts.ie

The news team will be taking a short break and will return on the 2nd
of August - the week before IRTS Hamfest 2026. We'd like to thank all
news readers, contributors, and editors, and wish all members and radio
operators an enjoyable summer and encourage everyone to enjoy ham radio
activities safely.
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Save the Date: Tog Radio & Retro Weekend

Tog Hackerspace will host a Radio and Retro Weekend on Saturday 24th
and Sunday 25th of October 2026 at Tog Hackerspace, D12 CF6V. Saturday
will feature amateur radio workshops, technical talks and
demonstrations, including soldering, TinyGS, a pump-up mast, and
portable radio trailer, and a packet radio network. This will be
followed by Tog's monthly Open Social Night, with the pizza oven fired
up. Sunday will begin with a Parks on the Air activation, followed by a
Retro Technology Day celebrating vintage computing, electronics, and
radio. The weekend is supported by Kildare Amateur Radio Club, North
Dublin Radio Club, and South Dublin Radio Club, and funded by Dublin
City Council. More details will be available at tog.ie/radio
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New "Midnight Runners" 12-Metre Activity Launched

Ian, EI3LH, has launched a brand-new operating initiative focused
entirely on revitalizing activity on the 12-metre band. Named the
"Midnight Runners," this unique challenge is dedicated strictly to CW
and SSB operations on 12 metres. This is a frequency span often
considered a forgotten band. The primary objective is to complete 12
contacts on the 12-metre band during a single operating session to earn
a free membership certificate to the club. The initiative is designed
to encourage operators to get outdoors and get active, meaning the
qualifying session must be conducted as part of an established field
activity, such as Parks, Summits, Lighthouses, or Beaches on the Air.
However, home stations are also highly encouraged to participate by
chasing and hunting these portable operators to secure their own 12
contacts. Participants should note that casual ragchews and digital
modes like FT8 are excluded from the challenge. Full details,
guidelines, and rules can be found on Ian's blog at
ei3lh.eu/midnight-runners
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South Dublin Radio Club Summer Break

South Dublin Radio Club will take its summer break the first two weeks
of August. Therefore, there will be no club nights at Ballyroan
Community Centre on Tuesday 4th and 11th of August. They wish all radio
amateurs, hobbyists, and IRTS volunteers safe and happy holidays.
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VHF/Microwave News

Amateur radio operators and SWLs using frequencies from 30 MHz and
higher can continue to enjoy an exceptional period of propagation. High
levels of activity stretching from the 8-metre band to 70 centimetres
have been noted and can be expected to continue for the time being.
Over the coming week, this is complemented with several tropospheric
ducting opportunities as indicated by the Hepburn Tropospheric Index.
High-pressure atmospheric conditions are expected to create stable
paths so you may even hear some unusual FM broadcast radio stations as
you spin the dial.
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83rd Oceania DX Contest Set for October

The 83rd annual Oceania DX Contest returns this October, offering
amateurs worldwide the chance to work sought-after DX stations across
Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, and the Pacific. The SSB section
will run from October 3rd to 4th, followed by the CW section from
October 10th to 11th. Both events span 24 hours, kicking off at 06:00
UTC on Saturday and concluding at 06:00 UTC on Sunday. The contest
covers the 160 to 10-metre bands, excluding WARC bands, with the
exchange consisting of a signal report and sequential serial number.
Scoring is based on QSO points multiplied by the number of different
prefixes worked. A wide variety of entry categories are available,
ranging from QRP to high power, as well as dedicated plaque awards for
newcomers, YLs, and youth entrants. Electronic log submission is
required. Visit oceaniadxcontest.com for rules and logging information.
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Items for Inclusion in the Next 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. The
next HF bulletin will be the 40m bulletin on Sunday, August 2nd at 11
a.m. If you have any club events, activities, meetings, or other items
of interest, you are very welcome to email the radio news editor Keith
EI5IN via email to newsteam /at/ irts.ie with the details. The next
deadline is midnight on Thursday July 30th. Items intended for
inclusion in Echo Ireland, which is the IRTS quarterly journal, should
be sent to echoireland /at/ irts.ie. We hope you all enjoy your summer
break!

[C]
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