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News Update

Internet Radio Linking Project - IRLP
IRLP went fully operational on the 2m repeater (EI2TAG) on the 9 November 2009

Procedure for Calling IRLP Nodes

Listen on the 2m repeater, EI2TAG for 15 - 30 seconds before transmitting and then ask if the repeater is currently in use.

Assuming all is clear, identify yourself and give the node name or number you wish to call.

Example: "EI7XYZ for the Sydney node" - then enter the ON code (4 digits) for the node and release your PTT.

The LRC repeater will probably drop out while it awaits the distant node to respond. Do not do anything - just wait.

When the connection is confirmed, the voice ID of the destination node will be transmitted back to you as well as your node’s voice ID (EI2TAG) to the other repeater.

Once connected and after hearing the confirming voice ID, wait at least 15 seconds before transmitting as.

The distant repeater may be in use, and your entry may have occurred between transmissions.

The voice ID of your node is longer than the voice ID of their node, and the connection is not made until the ID is fully played.

Their computer may be slower, and hence take longer to process the connection than yours.


Press and hold the microphone PTT for about 2 seconds and then announce your presence and your intention - such as you are calling someone specifically or just looking for a QSO with another ham in that city.

If no response is heard, announce your call and your intention to drop the link and then touch-tone in the OFF code 73.

(Note the LRC repeater EI2TAG node number is 5159)

Theory Classes Region 4
Plans are being put in place to run radio theory classes in the Limerick area by IRTS Region 4 representative Ger McNamara EI4GXB, with the hope that the theory examination can be held in Limerick which will be dependent on numbers.
Those interested in attending the theory classes can contact Ger via email at ei4gxb/at/gmail.com or 0872532512 or QTHR

IRTS Field Day
Members of Limerick Radio Club, using callsign EI4LRC, took part in the IRTS SSB HF Field Day. LRC came second in the restricted section with 85,550 points. Well done to all who participated.

Club Meeting

Members are reminded that the next meeting of the Club takes place on Thursday 10th December at the Limerick Institute of Technology at 19:30.

Club Lectures/Activities 2009

November
•Theory Classes, DVD & IRLP/Echolink

Usual monthly meeting took place with a good turn-out, which included a number of prospective students for the Theory Classes Region 4. Ger EI4GXB outlined the plans/arrangements for the classes to the meeting. He stated that the course would run over a six month period starting in January 2010. If sufficient numbers attend the course (min12) he hoped that it would be possible for the test to be held in Limerick.
Anyone interested in attending the theory classes can contact Ger via email at ei4gxb/at/gmail.com or 0872532512 or QTHR

A very interesting DVD of the 2009 DX-pedition K5D to Desecheo Island was shown.
Simon EI7ALB, Ger EI4GXB and Dermot EI2GT gave a short presentation on the progress in commissioning the IRLP/Echolink system to the 2 Metre Repeater. Dermot was pleased to state that the system is now functioning very well, with a number of contacts having already being made worldwide.

October
 •New Tower & IRLP Project

Dermot EI2GT gave a progress report on the installation of the base section of the new tower on the 2 metre repeater sites, showing some very interesting slides taken during the construction operation. Work on the remaining sections is still on-going . It is hoped that the work on the tower will be completed before the end of the year.
A progress report on the IRLP Project was given by Simon EI7ALB and Ger EI4GXB.They outlined some problems they encountered during the preliminary set-up and testing of the equipment. They expected these to be resolved quickly and were hopeful that the system would be operational within a short period.
Tom, EI5CA provided a progress report on his tilt over mast and HF log periodic antenna project

September
•IRTS Field Day

Members of Limerick Radio Club, using the call-sign EI4LRC, took part in the IRTS SSB HF Field Day. LRC came second in the restricted section with 85,550 points. Well done to all who participated.

August
• International Lighthouse weekend,

Due to unforeseen circumstances the planned visit to Tarbert Lighthouse for the International Weekend on 15/16 August was been cancelled.
The Chairman and Committee would like to apologise to those members who had indicated their intention to participate in this event.

• Hamtronic Show – Friedrihshafen

The annual Hamtronic Show was held in Friedrihshafen on 26-28 June. This year a large number of EI amateurs visited the show including a number of local call-signs. No doubt details of the goodies purchased there will emerge in time. From all accounts a good time was had by all.

•80 Metres

The 80 Metres Counties Contest took place on 21 June. The club call-sign was aired by John Edgeworth EI6IW, Gerry Byrnes EI3JU and Albert Lahoud EI9IY. Our thanks to them for their efforts to fly the flag for Limerick County.
Around 80 stations participated in the contest from twenty-eight counties. Conditions were good with strong signals from many stations.

•AREN

The AREN demonstration station at the Civil Defence Headquarters in Roscrea was very successful and a DVD video of the exercise is being put together for interested parties by the IRTS.

May

 •Amateur Satellite Operation

Tom O’Sullivan EI3AL gave a very interesting lecture and practical demonstration of Amateur Satellite Operating.

 •Dayton Hamvention

Alan Cronin EI8EM and his XYL Breda EI896 visited the
Hamvention in Dayton USA in May. Alan had the opportunity to make a special presentation on behalf of the club to Greg Nitkowski N2BSA in acknowledgement of his kind donation of a Kenwood TS 940S Transceiver to the club.
During their visit Alan and his XYL travelled through quite a number of states meeting many of their amateur friends.

April

• IRTS President’s Cup

The Chairman and Committee of the Club were delighted to learn that Ger McNamara EI4GXB was presented with the IRTS President’s Cup at the 2009 AGM in Athlone. This award is made for exceptional service to amateur radio and to the IRTS. Ger is a very deserving recipient of this prestigious Cup and the Club members would like to take this opportunity to congratulate him on his award.

• APRS Presentation 2009

APRS presentation to Limerick Radio Club April 23rd, 2009. Automated Packet Reporting System by Ger McNamara, EI4GXB. Download the PDF document here (11.5 megabytes).

•International Marconi Day

The Club call-sign EI4LRC was activated for the International Marconi Day on 25th April by Ger McNamara EI4GXB and Alan Cronin EI8EM. A total of 250 contacts were made during the day. Many thanks to Ger and Alan for operating the station on behalf of the Club.

March

RADIO , ELECTRONICS & HOBBIES EXHIBITION

The annual Radio, Electronics & Hobbies Exhibition took place on 8th March at the Radisson SAS Hotel in Limerick. UK traders, Icom, Yaesu and BHI and the usual local Irish traders were in attendance. The Bring & Buy Sale generated the usual keen interest from those attending. There was a large attendance at the event, despite the adverse weather conditions on the day.
The committee would like to place on record its appreciation to the UK traders, Icom, Yaesu and BHI for their donations of very attractive prizes for the annual raffle.

The winners of the raffle were:
1st Prize Revere Richardson EI9EYB
2nd Prize John Edgeworth EI6IW
3rd Prize John Edgeworth EI6IW

February

 Club AGM 2009

At the Club AGM held on 26 February 2009 the following were elected to the incoming committee:

Officers:
Chairman Dermot Gleeson EI2GT
Hon Secretary Michael Kingston EI2IX
Hon Treasurer Tony Condon EI2AW

Committee members:
John Edgeworth EI6IW
Simon Kenny EI7ALB
Ger McNamara EI4GXB
Tom O'Brien EI5CA

Engineers Ireland - Week Of Wonder:

The Club's participation in Engineers Ireland's in the recent Week of Wonder was a great success. Students from the local school attended at the Limerick Institute of Technology and took part in the IRTS workshop. The Students were introduced to the science of radio and communications by means of a multi media presentation. They went on to construct an audio oscillator which was used by the students to send Morse.

Lets hope that this exposure to radio technology will stimulate the interest of some of them to consider becoming professional engineers in the future. The workshop was organized locally by Ger McNamara EI4GXB, in conjunction with the Radio Engineering Department of the Institute. Club members who participated in the workshop were Tony Condon EI2AW, Michael Kingston EI2IX, Dermot Gleeson EI2GT and Simon Kenny EI7ALB.

Repeater News

• Maintenance

The Limerick Radio Club wishes to announce that  the 2 Metre Repeater will be undergoing maintenance in the next few weeks and may be out of commission sporadically to facilitate the work being undertaken. It is planned that outages will be kept to a minimum while these improvements are being implemented. As part of this work, the call-sign is changed as required under the revision of repeater call-signs by ComReg. The new ID for the repeater - EI2TAG is in operation since 11:30 on the 09 September 2009.

• Broadband Internet Connection at Tountinna:

The committee has been very active to date in sourcing internet access at the 2 metre repeater site.
- Various site meetings took place to explore possible solutions
- Contact with ESB personnel through Alan EI8EM
- Contact with Eircom staff in Limerick Data Control Centre and locally in Killaloe through Simon   EI7ALB
- E-mail queries to the various broadband providers including wireless providers.

However further discussions are planned before any further decisions can be made. It should be noted that the wireless broadband available to date probably does not meet the requirement for D-STAR, particularly in relation to contention ratios.

• D Star Repeater:

The committee has decided to proceed with the D Star Repeater project, subject to internet access becoming available on the repeater site. The required licence fee has been forwarded to Com Reg. Pending the confirmation of internet access the committee has delayed discussions with ICOM UK on the purchase of a suitable repeater system. It is hoped that progress can be made on broadband access and that the D Star Repeater Project can be brought to completion during 2009.

• IRLP

It was agreed in 2007 that the committee should proceed with the linkage of the 2 meter Repeater to the IRLP network. Special hardware/software was purchased in Canada for the interface. Simon EI7ALB and Alan EI8EM tested the system and we are pleased to say that it is now ready to go pending availability of broadband access on site.

Please note that the Limerick Radio Club has a number of projects running at present including D-STAR. These projects are at an advanced stage and their current status is updated regularly on the LRC Web page.

• Repeater Funding:

Once again we would like to remind all those who use the club repeaters that they consider making a contribution to the running costs of these. It is not fair that the burden of costs should fall only on the members of the club. So those local users, who are not members of the club, might reflect on the great facilities that are being made available to them by the club and consider donating to the repeaters fund. Donations can be sent to the Hon Treasurer EI2AW QTHR.

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