Significant Digital Voice Growth

The Irish Radio Transmitters Society report that the installation of three additional gateways for digital voice modes has finally been completed.

EI2BED based in Roscommon provides coverage across the west-midlands and eastern side of county Galway.

EI7SND located in Mullingar expands this coverage across the eastern part of the midlands region.

The third gateway EI2KTD which is located in Kildare extends coverage even further in the southeastern direction.

Additional information about these systems is available from their QRZ.com profile pages

Folkestone Repeater Group Supports Locals During Covid-19

The Folkestone Repeater Group repeaters have been very busy during the coronavirus lockdown.

GB3FK has been very active with locals looking out for each other daily.

A local Amateur Stan G6ZNW has been active and on hand for anyone wanting shopping or medicine delivered.

The repeater has always been very much a local community repeater with good activity levels. We have also welcomed many call in's from Echolink stations.

The other group repeaters have also been busy during this period on DMR, and DSTAR.

Folkestone Repeater Group - https://www.folkestonerepeatergroup.org.uk/

UK 5 MHz Beacon to Close

It has been announced that the 5 MHz (60m) beacon GB3WES at Westmorland IO84qn on 5.290 MHz will close down on 11th March 2020, when its Notice of Variation (NoV) expires

The beacon entered service on 30th October 2004. At the time it was one of a chain of three UK 5 MHz propagation research beacons, the others being GB3RAL in Oxfordshire and GB3ORK in Orkney

After GB3WES closes, the only GB3ORK will remain.

GB3WES Site - http://gb3wes.g3wgv.com/