Kerry Amateur Radio Group

International Lighthouses/Lightships Weekend KARG have registered for the ILLW from Cromwell Point Lighthouse, Valentia on Aug 19th & 20th 2023. The plan is to have one station on HF and 6M. Note that this location from maidenhead Square IO41 is much sought after.

Club member Eoin EI8HC, who is an avid hill-walker was QRV on 2m on 3rd July from Kilkeaveragh mountain near Portmagee, Co Kerry. Club Chairman Declan EI9FVB was newsreader for the 80m HF News on Sunday 2nd July from Slieve Mish Mountain outside Tralee and was also QRV on VHF/UHF for the VHF/UHF Field Day from the same location.

This year celebrates the 165th Anniversary of the landing of the TransAtlantic cable at Heart Content, NF. Members of KARG will commemorate this event by making HF contact with the VO1TAC station at Hearts Content on Saturday August 5th using the callsign EI0TAC. EI0TAC will also be QRV on Thursday 27th July and again for a period on Saturday 29th July, to celebrate the anniversary of the 1866 successful TransAtlantic Cable between Valentia, Co Kerry and Hearts Content, NF Please also keep a listen out for our colleagues at VO1TAC and give them a call if you can. They will be listening for all EI stations

As part of the anniversary celebrations of the Transatlantic Cable on Tuesday 27th July, between Valentia Cable station and the Hearts Content Cable station in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, the Kerry Amateur Radio Group EI1K will continue the tradition of making HF QSO's with their friends at VO1TAC (TransAtlanticCable). In July 1866, the first permanent telegraph cable connecting Europe and North America was hauled ashore at Heart's Content and connect to Valentia. Please keep a listen for VO1TAC and give them a call from EI...

KARG participate as official award station in IMD 2021 Members of Kerry Amateur Radio Group will be QRV for International Marconi Day on Saturday April 24th as an IMD Award station, using the call EI6YXQ from Ballybunion, County Kerry. International Marconi Day is a 24 hour amateur radio event that is held annually to celebrate the birth of Marconi on April 25th 1874. Marconi made the first east to west trans-Atlantic voice transmission from Ballybunion in March 1919 using the callsign YXQ. For further details on the history of the former Marconi radio station in Ballybunion, including a video of the EI100YXQ events in 2019, which Princess Elettra attended, please see the EI6YXQ QRZ page.

Members of Kerry Amateur Radio Group will be QRV on Friday next March 19th as EI6YXQ to commemorate the 102nd Anniversary of the first East to West Trans-Atlantic telephony transmission, from Ballybunion in North Kerry to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Due to Covid restrictions, club members will be QRV from their home QTH this year and will be active on CW, SSB and digital modes. QSL is via EI9FVB, direct or buro. Further details are available on QRZ.com

KARG Event Updates Like most other clubs around EI, the regular KARG Club meetings have been postponed until further notice amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Also a number of regular club events have been cancelled and KARG???s participation in upcoming events will be made known closer to those event dates.  These events are as follow  
International Marconi Day (IMD), planned to be held on 25^th April. KARG had planned to operate from the usual location in Ballybunion, from where the very successful EI100YXQ event was held last year. This event, being the first outing in the calendar, is typically a great social occasion, as well as an opportunity to re-connect with our friends at Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Unfortunately, this event had to be cancelled, but hopefully we can do it in 2021 !  
Transatlantic Cable commemoration, planned to be held on 27^th July, on the 154^th anniversary of the successful transatlantic cable from Valentia to Hearts Content, Newfoundland. This event provides an opportunity for KARG to connect with our good friends at VO1TAC from the Hearts Content Cable station. However it is unlikely that this event will go ahead from the cable station, due to restrictions.  
ILLW 2020, planned for 22^nd & 23^rd Aug from the Cromwell Point Lighthouse on Valentia. While the ILLW event is not cancelled, the decision to participate remains with clubs and individuals. At this point, KARG are keeping an open mind on participation, but will decide later based on Government and safety guidelines closer to those dates.  
KARG 80M Net Weekly KARG 80M nets have resumed on Tuesday nights at 7.30pm local time  on 3.650MHz. This net will provide an opportunity for EIDXG Summer Challenge chasers to gain a point or two, while also generating some on air activity. All are welcome to call in