EI DMR registrations at the end of Q3 2020

 

The above chart shows the number of DMR (Digital Mobile Radio) registrations by EI stations for every quarter up to the end of Q3 2020. The first DMR numbers were issued in 2015 and this peaked with a surge of interest in 2017. After that, the number of registrations per year slowed and dropped by about 30% to a lower level.

It now looks as if 2020 has seen a rebound in the registration numbers with the numbers at the end of Q3 2020 already ahead of the total for 2019.

The first quarter of 2020 had 19 new registrations but 10 of these were for club call signs which will probably never be used. The second and third quarters were for individuals and show a renewed growth in interest and numbers. Even if the club calls are removed, it looks likely that 2020 will end up as the second highest year yet in terms of new DMR registrations.

As of the end of Q3 2020, a total of 229 DMR numbers were issued for EI calls. If the club calls and duplicates are removed then 192 individual EI stations have DMR numbers.

DMR registrations in Ireland at the end of Sept 2018

The number of EI stations registering for Digital Mobile Radio numbers continues to grow with an average of 12 per quarter so far in 2018. The chart below shows that 136 DMR numbers had been allocated as of the end of September 2018.

Out of those 136 numbers, 5 were clubs and 12 EI calls had two numbers so the total number is something like 119 individuals.

Looking at the island of Ireland overall, it is perhaps a little suprising to see how many DMR numbers are allocated in Northern Ireland by comparison.

The 410 from Northern Ireland can be broken down as follows...
GI* = 138
MI* = 213
2I* = 59

Buried in those figures are full, novice and foundation licences. Some may have two numbers and some may have upgraded from a foundation to a novice call in the last three years. If we use the EI numbers as a guide then that 410 in the north could actually mean something like 350 individuals.

That gives a ball park figure of about 470 individuals with DMR numbers on the island of Ireland.

The big difference in numbers between Northern Ireland the the Republic may possibly be accounted for by the following reasons...

1) One year ahead... Digital Radio and DMR started in Northern Ireland about a year ahead of the rest of the island. The big surge in numbers in EI in the first two months of 2017 mirror a similar surge in GI a year earlier.

2) Licence for beginners... It's a lot easier to get a licence in the north of Ireland with the option of a foundation and novice licence. In the Republic, the only option is to sit a test and get the full licence.

Links...
1) http://ham-digital.org/dmr-userreg.php

EI DMR registrations at the end of June 2018

As of the end of June 2018, there were 126 DMR registrations allocated to EI callsigns. It had looked as if the growth in digital registrations had begun to taper off at the end of 2017 but it continued to grow in 2018.

Opening to Japan on 50 MHz...Fri 29th June 2018

I saw a note on G3XBM's blog today that 6m was open to Japan from the UK. I checked the online FT8 log of local station Tom EI4DQ on 50 MHz and sure enough, there was an opening from Ireland to Japan as well.

Several other EI stations on 50 MHz such as EI3KD and EI7BMB had similar FT8 spots to Japan.

What I found interesting was that I heard nothing like this on 28 MHz with a vertical half-wave and I was listening all day.

Usually 28 MHz is better than 50 MHz and it opens earlier and closes later. Nothing on 10m this time though.

Was the path only open to the higher frequency signals? Was it a case that beams and high power were needed to exploit this opening on 50 MHz?

Irish radio amateurs gain access to huge swathes of the VHF spectrum

The Irish Radio Transmitters Society announced today in their weekly news that Irish radio amateurs are to gain access to a huge part of the low band VHF spectrum.

EI stations will now have access to 30 to 49 MHz...all 19 MHz!!! The spectrum from 54 to 69.9 MHz has also been allocated... another 16 MHz! All of this is on a secondary basis and a 50 watt power limit.

Over the years, it's usual for the IRTS to lobby the licensing authority to get access to a small band here and there but not on this scale. I'm still assuming it isn't a mistake as the information on the Comreg website has been verified in the IRTS news. It may well be possible that it may in time become more defined as two distinct bands in the 40 MHz and 60 MHz region but for now, you can see the allocation as per the Comreg website shown above.

IRTS News...
Additional Frequencies
In December 2015 ComReg published a Draft Radio spectrum Management Strategy 2016-2018. The Society responded with a comprehensive submission to this draft and a summary of this was published in the March 2016 edition of Echo Ireland.

In June 2016 ComReg published its final Radio Spectrum Management Strategy 2016-2018 and indicated its intention to grant some additional spectrum to the amateur service. This has now been done and is in line with some of the requests made in the Society’s submission.

The 70 MHz band has been extended to 69.9 MHz to 70.5 MHz. This is an increase of 275kHz over the existing band of 70.125 to 70.450 MHz and is the full band that may be allocated to the amateur service under the European Common Allocations table.

Further spectrum covering all modes including digimodes has been granted on a secondary basis at 30 to 49 MHz and 54 to 69.9 MHz. The latter band also includes digital television in addition to all other modes. These new frequency bands are listed among the bands available generally to radio amateurs in Annex 1 of a recently revised version of the Amateur Station Licence Guidelines document ComReg 09/45 R4 which is available on the ComReg website.

The new bands in the 40 MHz and 60 MHz regions will, among other things, facilitate modern type beacons in the region of these frequencies as well as moving the existing 70MHz beacon on 70.130 MHz to the section of the band designated for beacons.

IRTS will be producing a local band plans for these two bands in consultation with countries that have allocations at these frequencies and IARU.

The Society would like to express its appreciation to ComReg for the release of this extensive spectrum to the amateur service on a secondary basis.

Source : IRTS News - 29th April 2018

Subsequent news item from the Royal Society of Great Britain (RSGB)..."In a landmark step, the Irish regulator Comreg has agreed to amateur access, on a secondary basis, to an extensive amount of VHF spectrum including 30-49MHz and 54-69.9MHz. In addition, their existing 4m band has been widened to the full 69.9-70.5 MHz CEPT range. It is expected that this will facilitate a number of innovative developments, including digital amateur television and new or realigned VHF propagation beacons. The RSGB congratulates its IRTS colleagues on their success, which dates back to a 2016 consultation input."

Snapshot of DMR activity in EI - 10th March 2018

After a few contacts earlier today on digital radio (DMR), I began to wonder what the DMR activity levels in Ireland was like among EI calls. After a small bit of digging, I came up with some stats which are current as of the 10th of March 2018.

Some stats...

1) 108 DMR numbers...There are 108 registered DMR numbers issued to EI calls. Even though number 272109 was issued, number 272008 is missing...so that's 108 in total.

2) 100 Individuals (incl 3 clubs)... Eight individuals have two DMR numbers a) EI9IL/EI1UN b) EI3JE c) EI4GJB d) EI4KN e) EI5CA f) EI7IG g) EI8EJB and h) EI9ED. So that makes 108 - 8 = 100 individuals with registered DMR numbers. (Three are clubs but I'll count those as individuals).

3) 46% Heard... Out of the 100 individuals registered for DMR, only 46 have been heard. (49 - 3 duplicates from EI3JE, EI4KN and EI7IG). If that's correct then that means 46% of the those that have registered a DMR number have actually activated it.

4) 41 active in 2018...Of the 46 heard, a total of 41 of these were heard in the first 10 weeks of 2018. That probably represents the current number of EI calls actually active at present on this digital mode.

5) Distribution of activity... Of the 41 heard in the first ten weeks of 2018, this is where the majority were heard last...(as of the 10th of March 2018)...
...a) 21 heard on MMDVM individual hotspots.
...b) 7 heard on EI7WCD in Tramore near Waterford City.
...c) 7 heard on EI7CDD in West Waterford.
...d) 2 heard on EI2GCD in Galway City.

6) Registrations by County... If we count the club calls and account for those with two DMR numbers, this is the breakdown by county (3 and more)...

It breaks down as Cork 14, Galway 13, Waterford 8, Limerick 8, Dublin 6, Louth 6, Clare 5, Mayo 5, Wexford 4, Donegal 3, Tipperary 3, Kerry 3 and Kildare 3.

7) DMR Registrations by Quarter... The chart below shows the total number of registered DMR users in Ireland (EI) at the end of 2017.

It's worth pointing out that the stats above don't show the large pocket of activity in Northern Ireland as well (GI).

Taken all together, there are three pockets of activity in Ireland...in the south-east near Waterford & East Cork, near Galway City and in the north-east near Belfast.

It's amazing there is no real activity yet from near Dublin? Why?

Links...
1) EI registered DMR numbers

EI DMR Registrations...

A few weeks back, I got a registration number for using DMR (Digital Mobile Radio). Considering DMR has its roots in the commercial world, I think that this will become the de facto standard for digital radio on the VHF amateur bands in the future...as opposed to D-Star or Fusion.

I was curious to see how many EI stations have registered to do and I put together the chart above. The 2017 peak coincided with articles in the IRTS newsletter.

The chart below shows the total number of DMR registrations for EI calls at the end of each quarter up until the end of 2017...

As of the 9th of February 2018, there are 106 EI calls registered on DMR. Needless to say, not all of them are active or may even have equipment but it does show a growing interest in this digital mode.

Update 9th March 2018 : Using the 'Heard Users' function, 47 of the 108 registered users have been heard using DMR. That's roughly 44%.

Irish radio amateurs gain secondary allocation at 5.3MHz

The Irish Radio Transmitters Society have just announced that Irish radio amateurs can use the WRC-15 band of 5.3515 MHz to 5.3665 MHz with immediate effect. No application is necessary and the power limit is 15 watts. This is very good news for anyone with an interest in the 60 metre band.

The following was announced by Séan, EI7CD...

ComReg has just today published an amended version of the Amateur Station Guidelines in Document ComReg 09/45R2. The main revision is that the WRC-15 band of 5351.5 to 5366.5 kHz has been released with immediate effect on a secondary basis. No application or fee is necessary for this segment. The power is 15 watts PEP (12dBW) measured at the output of the transmitter or amplifier. All modes including digimodes may be used. The WRC-15 decision was for 15 watts EIRP and this will be taken up with ComReg. The Society recommends that USB be used for voice as has been the convention on this band and as used by the primary user and that the provisional IARU band plan be used:

5351.5 - 5354.0 kHz CW, Narrow band Modes
5354.0 - 5366.0 kHz All modes USB for voice
5366.0 - 5366.5 kHz weak signal narrow band modes.

This allocation does not affect the availability of the existing channels centred on 5280, 5300, 5332, 5348, 5400 and 5405 kHz. Special authorisation is still required for these channels at an annual licence fee of €30. Lets hope for some more activity on 5 MHz to help our case for an increased allocation.

Seán EI7CD IRTS/ ComReg Liaison

Up to now, Irish amateurs had to apply to use the spot frequencies of 5.280 MHz; 5.300 MHz; 5.332 MHz; 5.348MHz; 5.400 MHz and 5.405 MHz

The relevant document can be downloaded from the Comreg website HERE

For the moment, the Irish allocation is different from our neighbours in the UK. See HERE

Proposed changes to the 70 MHz Band in Ireland

This is the current IARU Region 1 band plan for 70 MHz band...

The Irish allocation is from 70.125 to 70.450 MHz while the British one is from 70.0 to 70.5 MHz.

What it has meant is that the UK calling frequency of 70.450 MHz is actually on the limit of the Irish band. If any EI station were to transmit there on FM then their side bands would be outside the Irish allocation.

The most recent newsletter from the Irish Radio Transmitters Society carried details on submissions that had been made to Comreg, the Irish licensing authority. While many of the submissions were declined, it was obvious that Comreg was using European Common Allocations as their guide. i.e. if the European agreements said something about the amateur radio service then that's what they were likely to implement.

As regards to the 70 MHz / 4 metre band, they are guided by footnote ECA9 in the CEPT European Table of Frequency Allocations.

This is what the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) said about ECA9 / EU9...

The 70MHz band is increasingly recognised as being appropriate for amateur allocations. In the CEPT area this progress is now recognised in the European Table of Frequency Allocations by Footnote EU9 which states:
EU9: CEPT administrations may authorise all or parts of the band 69.9-70.5 MHz to the amateur
service on a secondary basis. In addition it is worth noting that there is some experimental access on a national basis in the range 69.90 - 70.0MHz in cases where 70MHz is not available.

In response to the IRTS proposal, Comreg said the following about 70 MHz...

"Comreg's work plan for radio amateur services is to make available the following bands:
. the 30-49 MHz and the 54 - 69.9 MHz and 69.9 - 70.125 bands to facilitate propagation beacons, digital amateur television repeaters and to align current allocations with those in the European Common Allocation Table: and 
. the 70.45 - 7-.50 MHz band to align it with the European Common Allocation Table.

So it looks as if they will be extending the Irish allocation so that it will cover 69.900 to 70.500 MHz. This is likely to be implemented soon...perhaps early 2017???

This is how the new Irish allocation will look now compared to other countries...

As can be seen, Irish stations will now be able to work other countries simplex without having to resort to split frequency operation.

Overall, a very positive result!

Additional info : 
1) Region 1 Band Plan... http://www.irts.ie/dnloads/IARU-R1-Bandplan-VHF-UHF.pdf
2) 70 MHz website... http://www.70mhz.org
3) Comreg document 16/19 (See Page 69)... https://www.comreg.ie//csv/downloads/ComReg_1649.pdf
4) CEPT European Allocation Table... http://www.erodocdb.dk/Docs/doc98/official/pdf/ercrep025.pdf

Recent events...

31st Dec 2008.......Back on HF....

Spent the day repairing my old Doublet antenna. 3 years of neglect (.......and running over the feedline with the lawnmower ;o) had taken it's toll. Ran a new lenght of 300 Ohm twin lead cable from the shack to the feed point of the antenna. Replaced 2 other lenghts of cable. Left the antenna that evening at a mere 1.5 metres above ground level and even at that height, I managed to work DL7VPE/P near Berlin on 80m cw. Raised the antenna the next day so that now, it is roughly 5 metres above ground level. Still a bit low but enough for the moment so that I can use 3.5 MHz to 18 MHz. Even at this height, it seemed to work fine on 80m for the IRTS counties contest. Also worked OH0 and ZD8 on 30 metres over the last few days. Getting a bit more height on it should make a big difference.

3rd Jan 2009.....Quadrantids Meteor Shower...

I was on for this one. Plenty of pings and bursts. I must put up a seperate post about it soon.

5th Jan 2009...ARRL Logbook Of The World...

I had posted the documentation back on the 22nd of December to the ARRL. Received my password by e-mail from the ARRL on the 5th of Jan. A wait of only 2 weeks. I hope to be up and running on LOTW by the end of January :o)

6th Jan 2009...EI 6 Metre activity evening...

I had a listen around 21:00 and heard nothing. From what I hear from e-mail correspondance, it would seem that this activity evening is no longer supported. Seem's a pity.

The EI 50 MHz Inactivity night....

A few weeks back while looking through the VHF section of the IRTS website, I saw a notice about the EI 50 MHz Activity Evening on the 1st Monday evening of every month. I kind of guessed that there might be nobody on but decided anyway to try and get on for it...Mon Dec 1st.

I set up a loaded quarter wave magmount on the roof of a shed during the day. It was hardly ideal in that the roof has a slope and the magmount was over at about a 30 degree angle. However, the VSWR was good and listening to the EI0SIX beacon (180 kms), putting the antenna vertical only increased the signal a bit (319 to 419).

I made a sked with Alan, EI3EBB and by 21:10, we were both on 50.135 MHz. The idea for this activity night started in Kerry so if there was going to be any activity, it might be there. I thought Alan might hear something at his place (~180m ASL) but we heard nothing for the 30 minutes or so we were on for.

I'm not sure if these activity evenings would be of much interest during the Summer months when there is plenty of activity anyway but they seem like a good idea for the long winter evenings when the band is dead.

I wonder though.......is there anyone on for these 50 MHz activity evenings? Anywhere in Ireland..??

Number of EI stations...

While I was looking around the Comreg website today, I found some information about the numbers of EI stations. The graph covers the period from 2003 to 2008. It might be worth pointing out to any non-EI visitors to this blog that here in Ireland, we have Radio Experimenters licences rather than Radio Amateur ones.As you can see, a fair drop from 2003 until 2006 and now it has remained steady. Why the drop? I seem to remember something about Comreg removing anyone who had not renewed their licence from their database?

Whatever the reason, there are currently about 1,500 EI stations with a licence. When you consider that the majority will probably not be active at all and another section who will rarely use the radio, there are probably only a few hundred active EI stations out there on the bands.

When you spread out that few hundred accross all of the bands, different days and different times of day, perhaps there are not so many of us after all.