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 Limerick
Radio Club History
Limerick Radio Club was founded in 1946 by a number of local
radio enthusiasts, coming together as a group, to provide a
bond for their common interest. The founding members were Bryan
Fogarty EI6X and Tom O Connor EI9U – sadly both no longer with
us.
Once established, the club began to grow as more people became
interested in radio. Some members obtained their experimenter’s
license quickly as they held professional radio qualifications
and thus were automatically eligible to apply for a license.
Others had to undertake their own private study – both Theory
and Morse Code and sit the special examination of the Department
of Post and Telegraphs to obtain their license.
In the early days, club meetings were held at The Radio Section,
Sarsfield Army Barracks in Limerick. This was an ideal venue,
as the members were allowed access to the various training facilities
at the Barracks. However in later years the venue for meetings
was transferred to the Regional Technical College at Moylish
(now the Limerick Institute of Technology).
Over the years Limerick Radio Club became synonymous with the
holding of Dx-peditions. Almost every year club members were
to be seen heading to one of the many islands off the coast
of Ireland for a DX-pedition. These became the hall-mark of
the club and were enthusiastically supported by the members.
On some trips to the islands one could have up to thirty amateurs,
both from Limerick and other parts of the country. These trips
to the islands were the pinnacle of the club’s annual activities
and forged life-long friendships between those members who participated
in them.
The club has been to the forefront in the development of amateur
radio in Ireland over the years. In 1979 a repeater group was
formed to investigate the setting-up of a 2 metre voice repeater
for the region. It was not long before a suitable location had
been identified and the appropriate facilities installed on
our own hill-top site. The first 2 meter voice repeater in Ireland
had commenced operation. EI4LRC had become a reality. It is
worth mentioning that this repeater has been in continuous operation
since then, with only minor down-time for routine maintenance.
On the introduction of Packet Radio to Ireland a digi-peater
was commissioned by the club and installed on our hill-top site.
This system facilitates the transmission of packet traffic throughout
much of Ireland and has become a very important link in the
packet radio network.
A few years ago the club decided to hold its first public Radio
& Electronics Rally in Limerick. This was held in a local hotel
and club members, their families and the general public was
invited to attend. It was a great success and has become a very
important event in the club’s calendar.
These rallies were an ideal opportunity to publicize the activities
of the club. Trade suppliers of radio, electronics and computer
equipment, from Ireland and the UK attended and displayed the
very latest models available on the market. A member’s "Bring
and Buy Sale" is a must at these rallies so that members have
an opportunity to buy/sell second-hand equipment. The rally
is a wonderful way of bringing many radio enthusiasts to the
one venue, where they can view the latest technological developments
in radio and electronics equipment.
Limerick Radio Club has been in operation since 1946 and its
members look forward to the future, with the same keen interest
and enthusiasm, as its founding members did in the distant past.
Limerick Radio Club welcomes you to participate in the wonderful
world of amateur radio. If you are in the Limerick areas please
join us at any of our monthly meetings at the Limerick Institute
of Technology. These are held on the second Thursday of each
month during the normal academic year - commencing at 19:30.
If you are a licensed amateur feel free to enjoy the facilities
of our repeaters.
We look forward to seeing or hearing you in the future.
73’s from the Committee and Members.
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