Deadline passes for Irish repeater call signs

It had been signalled some time back that Irish regulator ComReg intended to re-organise the allocation of repeater call signs.

The matter was aired on the Repeater Reflector and a logical system for call signs proposed by John McCarthy EI8JA was accepted by those who contributed to the discussion. This system was accepted by ComReg at a meeting on the 10th of July last.

Voice repeater call signs will for the future have the prefix EI2, EI7 or EI0 depending on whether a two metre, seventy centimetre or ten metre repeater is involved.

The call sign suffix will have three letters. The first two will be user determined giving perhaps geographical information such as ML for Mount Leinster. The final letter in the suffix will be R to indicate a repeater station.

Repeater groups and clubs responsible for repeaters were notified of the new call sign arrangements via the Repeater Reflector or by letter. Proposals for call signs in the revised format were to be submitted to ComReg by the 1st of October. Even if a repeater has a call sign which conforms to the new format an application to ComReg for retention of the call sign was necessary to avoid the possibility of duplication.

Unfortunately a significant number of repeater groups or clubs with repeaters have made no contact with ComReg on this matter. The indications to us at present are that ComReg is considering withdrawing the repeater facility from those groups or clubs who have not submitted proposals for call signs, which comply with the new format.

The Irish Radio Transmitters Society (IRTS) urges any such groups or clubs to make proposals to ComReg immediately for call signs in the new format so as to avoid the withdrawal of any existing repeater facilities.

Such proposals should be sent to:
Derek O'Reilly, Commission for Communications Regulation, Abbey Court, Irish Life Centre, Lower Abbey Street, Dublin 1 or to “derek dot oreilly at comreg dot ie”.