EIDX Group Summer Challenge Results

The EI DX Group Summer Challenge ran from June 1st until August 30th and participants earned points for each DXCC country, CQ Zone, Irish County and EI DX Group member worked.

The results were announced in a live Facebook broadcast from Inis Mór, one of the Aran Islands by Dave EI9FBB last weekend. 

Congratulations to the Gold Plaque EI winner, Pat O’Connor EI9HX; Silver Plaque winner, Seamus Campbell EI3KE and Bronze Plaque winner, Declan Horan EI9FVB. The overseas plaque winners were as follows: Europe - Roland DL1EAL, Asia - Alik RX9WN. North America - William AL7KC and Africa - Simon ZS1XG. 

The EI DX group would like to thank everyone who supported this very enjoyable event. The EI DX Group was formed in January 2016 to encourage and facilitate Irish radio amateurs who wished to explore the possibility of participating in a major DX-pedition. Anyone interested in DXing is invited to join the group. Log on to EIDXG.com for all the details.

Silent Key - Dominic Curtin EI9JS

                                        

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Dominic Curtin EI9JS at The North West Hospice, Sligo, on Tuesday, October 6th.

Dominic had been ill for some time, but despite his illness, he was active on every part of the spectrum from HF, VHF, UHF and SHF bands. He was also heard regularly chatting on the Mayo VHF repeater where he also took turns at reading the IRTS news on Sunday nights at 9pm on the Mayo VHF Repeater. 

Dominic was a long-time member of the Mayo Radio Experimenters Network and was very involved with the club on activations and contests. He attended all radio rallies throughout EI/GI. 

He will be greatly missed by his family, friends and all of our club members. His funeral was on Tuesday October13th at 11am in St Colman’s Church, Derrinacartha, Co. Roscommon with burial afterwards at the Church of Ireland cemetery, Green Street, Boyle. 

Dominic's funeral was live-streamed on Higgins and Sons Undertakers Facebook page. 

We extend our deepest sympathy to his family, relatives and friends. 

Till we meet our good friend again, 

May he Rest in Peace

The EI DX Group 4th Annual DX Féile is cancelled.

The 4th annual DX Féile organised by the EI DX Group for October 2nd and 3rd on the Aran Islands Hotel, Inis Mór has been cancelled due to the current Covid-19 crisis. 

The deadline for receipt of logs for the EIDX Group Summer Challenge has passed and the Group would like to thank everybody who sent in a log. 

There was a surprisingly high number of overseas entries and log checking is currently in progress and results will be announced shortly.

Silent Key - Michael Clarke EI3IG

Words from Peter EI2IU:

It was with deep regret I learned Michael Clarke EI3IG of Ballindrimley Castlerea passed away on Thursday morning 20th August in Castlebar Hospital after a short illness.

Michael was a one of a million type of life’s characters a real gentleman he had a passion for music and played the bass guitar with the Rhythm Stars who’s first hit was Chewy Chewy recorded in the Eamon Andrews recording studios in Dublin back in 1969 which Michael was also on vocals of that famous track they went on to record 7 tracks 8 in total in the same studios that Michael featured playing with Dean Lane one of his great friends. 

Michael was always interested in radio communications as an S.W.L. years before he became licensed back in 1979 he was very active in the local C.B. club in Castlerea with his life long friend Sean Browne. 

Michael pursued his passion for radio communications and studied to become a licensed Amateur Radio Experimenter and passed his exam. He was issued the callsign EI6EOB and became very active on V.H.F. as he lived in a fabulous location on top of Ballindrimely hill in Castlerea town and could be heard often on Dundalk to Cork and in between repeaters from his location. 

Michael perused his passion for radio further and became proficient to be able to send and receive Morse Code at a speed of 12 words a minute Micheal spent many hours learning the code in the front room of the house while been carer for his late Mother which he most dearly loved and cared for her right up till her death. 

One story many people do not know is Michael travelled to Limerick to the Department of Marine to sit the Morse test. 

Michael would never use a lift in a building he had a fear of lifts and always took the stairs in any building but when he arrived to do the test in Limerick the Marine Radio Officers office was on the top floor. Michael wouldn’t take the lift, and the stairs were under maintenance, so there was a big problem. 

The Officer arranged for Michael to sit the exam in the reception and Michael passed with flying colours as he did with anything he turned his hands too throughout his life he was so proud of been awarded a Class A Radio Licence it was a major achievement for him at the time and he was issued the callsign EI3IG 

Michael became very active on H.F. as well as V.H.F. and could be found almost every day on the WAI net or chasing DX someplace on the bands and with 100w and a Cushcraft R5 and a G5RV he worked the world. 

Now that Michael is a Silent Key and has passed his time with us I have no doubt in my mind that Michael has gone straight to heaven as he had qualities as a man a friend and a neighbour that were most certainly something that most of us can only wish to aspire too he was the most decent man that ever walked the hill of his beloved Ballindrimely I am honoured to have shared so many fabulous memories with him. 

When Michael had his B callsign, he would always sign off by saying “ goodbye from EI6EOB or END OF BROADCAST. “ 

I thought it was a fitting memory for the day of his funeral, 

Micheal’s Mass of the Resurrection took place on Saturday 22nd August in St. Patrick’s Church Castlerea at 11am burial afterwards was in Cuiltybo Cemetery Loughglynn in the family grave beside his late Mother.

73 Michael till we meet again,

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam

EI2FG & EA8CXN set new Region 1 1296MHz Tropo record.

Congratulations to John Hearne EI2FG who set a new IARU Region 1 tropo record on 1296MHz on July 17th with an SSB contact with Cesar EA8CXN over a distance of 2,714 kilometres. EA8CXN was using 150 watts into a small parabolic dish which was 50 cms in diameter. The feed point for the dish was a 3-element horizontally polarized PCB Yagi. EI2FG was using his EME station of 150 watts into a 3-metre parabolic dish. The feed point was Right-Hand Circular Polarization on transmit and Left-Hand CP on receive. You can get more information on this achievement on the very informative page run by John EI7GL. Log on to ei7gl.blogspot.com.