IRTS News for 19th June 1994

RADAR INTERFERENCE
------------------
   A noise heard by only certain people is perplexing residents
near a Cornish military base. The phenomenon is adding to
the controversy over whether the growing use of electronic
technology is creating invisible pollution. Angela Bassett,
who with her husband runs a dairy farm bear the Royal Naval
Air Station at Culdrose, on the Lizard peninsula, spends much
of her time wearing headphones or with the radio or TV on.
This is to try and drown out the "two-tone hum" that she has
been hearing since 1990 when the base's microwave radar system
was upgraded.

   Doctors believe that Mrs. Bassett and Janet Gibson, a neighbour
who has also reported hearing the noise, are not suffering
from tinnitus, the medical condition of ringing in the ears.
Ministry officials who have investigated the complaints, state
that none of the radar emissions exceeds the recommended safety
limits. Mrs. Bassett says she had lived next to the base
for 32 years without problems before the radar was upgraded
and a new control tower built about a mile from her home.
Since that time the noise has been with her, and is described
as a two tone noise. The top tone is a hum, and the bottom
is like the sound of a lorry or plane engine. Professor Ted
Grant, head of physics at King's College, London, suggested
that "when a person hears this kind of noise it is because
microwaves are being absorbed in the skull and converted into
heat. The change in temperature is extremely small, but the
rate of change is sufficiently rapid to create pressure waves,
which the ear interprets as noise". Professor Grant implied
that this was not physically harmful.

RADIO RALLIES
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   The next radio rally will be the R.A.I.B.C. 5th Belfast
Rally, in the Chimney Corner Hotel, 630 Antrim Road, Glengormley,
on 19th June. The proceeds of this rally will go towards the
R.A.I.B.C. equipment fund in Northern Ireland. Enquiries should
be directed to David Caldwell GI0HOW at QTHr.

   The Galway Radio Experimenters will hold their rally on
10 July at the Convent of Mercy, Newtownsmith, Galway. Enquiries
to Ciaran McCarthy EI7DIB at 091 753592.

   Following on the success of last year's All Ireland Inter-
national Radio and Hobbies Exhibition, held in Dundalk, a
similar event will be held this year on 8th and 9th October.
The event is jointly run by Armagh and District ARC and Dundalk
ARS, and this one will be held in St. Patrick's Hall, Cathedral
Road, Armagh. 

   Enquiries to the Event Secretary, Raymond Ashe GI8RLE,
at (08) 0762 870423 or QTHr. (The 08 prefix is used if ringing
from EI). Further details nearer the date.

NORMANDY INVASION
-----------------
   France Telecom handled its own invasion on 6th June in
the form or 750,000 visitors amounting to 4 times the invading
force of 1944. Thousands of press and military personnel packed
Normandy for the 50th anniversary of D-Day. France Telecom
installed extra phone lines, ISDN links and leased lines for
the event. Its effort added up to better communications than
those experienced in 1944 when three quarters of the allied
forces' weighty radios failed.

AREN MEETING
------------
   In conjunction with the Galway Rally, to be held on 10
July, there will be an open forum discussion meeting on all
matters relating to AREN. The meeting is open to all interested,
and will be held at the rally venue at 1.30 pm. Active AREN
groups and local clubs with an interest in AREN are urged
to have a representative at the meeting. Further details from
Paul EI2CA at 01 4900637 during office hours.

CORK RADIO CLUB
---------------
   Cork ARC held an "HF On Air" night at their meeting last
Monday, and a video is planned for the meeting on 20 June.
The video will be an amateur radio video on the topic of antennas.
Discussions took place regarding the possibilities of an
alternative portable site for the VHF NFD station. A large
turnout of operators is expected, and there is a good possibility
that the station will cover all bands VHF for the week.

   Planning for the club's Rally, to be held on 11 September
in the Blarney Park Hotel, is at an advance stage. All the
major traders from EI are expected, as are some newer concerns
with some interesting and reasonably priced equipment. There
will be a surprise event staged on the day, which will be
a first for EI, so don't forget to put this date in the diary. 

ITEMS FOR INCLUSION
------------------- 
   That concludes the bulletin for this week. Items for inclusion
in the radio news should be sent to Steve Wright EI5DD, c/o
Dept. of Pathology, Regional Hospital, Galway. Fax messages
may be sent to EI5DD at 091 24216. All such items will be
forwarded to Dave Moore for inclusion in the printed news.

   Items for the printed news only should be sent to Dave
Moore EI4BZ, QTHr, or phoned to 021 632444 (daytime), or
021 883555 (evenings). Items may be sent by packet radio to
EI4BZ at EI7DKB-5. Fax messages may be sent to 021 632730.
