REMINDER - MONDAY 9.00
At 9.00 pm on Monday 14 May, BBC One, Northern Ireland broadcast the first of three episodes of Dig WW2, in which historian Dan Snow investigates the history of the Second World War in Northern Ireland.

The photograph shows Dan Snow last October with a restored WW2 Catalina flying boat at the former RAF Killadeas site on Gublusk Bay on Lower Lough Erne.

Many stories in the next two one hour programmes may include the vital parts played by Radio and two Catalina flying boats from Lough Erne in sinking the Bismarck. They are due on BBC One NI at 9.00 pm Mondays 21 and 28 May.


Meantime, the first episode is now on-line below.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01hzqzj/Dig_WW2_with_Dan_Snow_Episode_1/



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The RSGB News for Clubs, June 2012 Issue is available in Downloads - News Archive 2012.

For convenience, using Downloads, choose ascending in the top right, then Go button bottom centre so the latest download tops the list.

There is lots for Club members to read in this June edition - a preview of the news pages from next issue of RadCom.

There are lots of photographs of awards made at the AGM including the UK top three in the Club of the Year Awards.
LEARC was among these, collecting the UK runner-up award and £500 prize at the previous AGM.

This year's saw another notable Northern Ireland award - to Charlie Gi4FUE,who had supported us at the 2011 event.

The picture shows RSGB President Dave Wilson presenting Charlie Morrison the Raynet Trophy for services to this part of amateur radio.

Hearty congratulations to Charlie Gi4FUE.

Dave Wilson, RSGB President, who visited April's Lough Erne Rally has written to afiliated clubs sharing the good news that we have a new RSGB General Manager, Graham Coomber G0NBI - see picture and text below.

In November last year we informed our membership of the financial and organisational challenges that faced the RSGB and presented our vision for the future of the Society. Your Board has been working on developing that strategy and is in the process of building financial, operational and governance models in preparation for consultation with staff, volunteers and members.

One clear conclusion from our work is that we will need strong, dedicated leadership for the operational activities of the Society and I am pleased to announce that Graham Coomber, G0NBI has been appointed as General Manager of the Radio Society of Great Britain.

Graham’s role will be to work with the Board to develop and implement the strategic vision and the changes needed to create a financially sound, membership responsive, Society.



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GB2MAC is a special station for the International Geopark Communication weekend on 26 & 27 May 2012.

Work parties to set up and take down the station, the operation rota and other detail were on the agenda for May meeting of LEARC at 7.00 pm on Tuesday 1 May in SHARE.

The license is a NoV on Alan's license Gi6PYP and the station is set up by Lough Erne Amateur Radio Club.

The location is the International Geopark at Marble Arch Caves in Fermanagh,Northern Ireland and across the border into the Republic of Ireland. This is an area recognised by UNESCO to be of exceptional geological interest.

The Club set up similar stations, most with the same call sign, in the past four years. Google GB2MAC.

Hearty Congratulations: Dundalk Amateur Radio Club Ei7DAR won the Pat Conway Perpetual Memorial Trophy presented at the 2012 IRTS AGM last Sunday.

The Arun Cup 2012 went to Tom McGrath Ei7HT, South Dublin ARC, and the Michael Collins Cup to Padraic Baynes EI9JA of the Mayo Radio Experimenters Network.

These three Awards are for Service to the Society or to Amateur Radio, and Awards in this section may be made to members or non-members. The Pat Conway award went to Michael Mi5MTC in 2011 and in 2010 to Herbie Gi6JPO, both LEARC.

Enrolment for the next Bath-based Distance Learning course for the Advanced exam opens on 1 May. The course will start in June, heading for the December exam. The course is open to anyone that has passed the UK Intermediate exam.



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His Club’s Lough Erne Rally proved most exciting for Bob Mi6RAX. Eric Prince, President of the Radio Amateur Old Timers Association presented Bob with a happy eightieth birthday card signed by many club members and friends at the rally. Eric later enrolled Bob for a free year in RAOTA. Bob’s Donegal landscape donated to the raffle was won by Robert (then Mi6RGN) and roused much interest. Now he has customers looking for other paintings.

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As for some years past, there was an Echolink display at the Lough Erne Rally run by Peter Ei4IR and Ian Mi1CCU.

The photo shows Mi1CCU and lady Sandra at lunch – BTW the lunch put up by SHARE staff was much praised: good food at modest cost.

The display featured Ian’s Omagh Internet Gateway in Beragh, live since January 2009. Other detail includes call MB7ICU, Node No. 422728, Ireland Conference Server - Node No. 2605, 145.3375 MHz, Locator IO64KN, 24 Hour operation



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Mayo Radio Experimenters Network has had a stand at the Lough Erne Rally for over a dozen years past. In return, MREN invited Lough Erne Amateur Radio Club to have a stand at its first ever Mayo Rally in March 2002.

This annual arrangement continues: a Mayo stand at the thirty-first Lough Erne rally, and LEARC due at the eleventh Mayo Rally – on Sunday 18 November (provisional)

Pictured at the Erne rally were two MREN stalwarts, Chairman Jimmy Ei2GGB and Rally Director Padraic Ei9JA, elbows comfortable as if on a counter. Shauna was also there, perhaps winner of most SWL awards in EI.

Years ago at an Erne Rally, Jimmy thought face and voice of Michael Mi5MTC were familiar, and he had said his father was from Mayo. They turned out to be cousins. Later, one was LEARC Chair and the other MREN Chair.

Later in April, MREN operated a special station Ei1MGY that remembered the 11 who died from a group of 17 emigrants on the Titanic from the parish of Addergoole.

For more on MREN and Ei1MGY go to http://ei7mre.org/

West Tyrone Amateur Radio Club had a stand at the Lough Erne Rally, WTARC Secretary, Phillip Mi0MSO was promoting the Club's next HF conference on Saturday 16 June 2012, and recruiting interesting speakers and presentations.

Also on the stand was the Club's plaque marking WTARC winning the current Region 8 RSGB Club of the Year Award.

See downloads/news' 2012 for a copy of page 69 of RadCom. May 2012. It describes WTARC and some other regional award winners.

From the 13 regional winners the top three national UK winners will be revealed at RSGB AGM.

More at http://wtarc.co.uk/default.aspx