AREN exercise in Co. Wicklow

Amateur Radio experimenters in Dublin and Wicklow provided emergency communications for the Circuit of Imaal walk, which took place recently in Co. Wicklow. This walk,
organised by An Óige, covers 37 kilometres.

It starts in Donard village and includes the main
mountaintops around the Glen of Imaal. This year's walk
took place on Saturday the 21st of June, which turned out to be "the longest rainy day of the year", in the words of one of the walkers.

With an entry of approximately 100 walkers and the worst weather conditions for many years, there were plenty of challenges for the walk organisers and the amateur radio experimenters supporting them. With almost zero visibility, many walkers had difficulties with navigation.

Amateur radio communications proved invaluable in ensuring that a search was launched for a number of missing walkers, and some of the experimenters providing communications support were also involved in escorting walkers, who had dropped out of the event, back to base.

Source: IRTS