Category: Radio

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POTA Adventure on the High Seas: Ireland’s Eye

Tog Hackerspace is teaming up with South Dublin Radio Club for another Parks on the Air adventure, and this time we are heading offshore to Ireland’s Eye.

Key info

Date: Sunday 21st June 2026
Meeting point: Howth, for the ferry to Ireland’s Eye
Ferry: 9:45 am ferry with Howth Cliff Cruises
Cost: Around €30.45 return, please check the ferry website for the latest price
Booking: Please book your own ferry ticket in advance
POTA references: IE-0266 Ireland’s Eye Conservation Area and IE-0267 Rockabill Conservation Area
Callsign: EJ0LGBT, using the June special event callsign EI0LGBT from the island
Bands: 20m, 40m and 2m, conditions permitting
Who can come: Radio operators, Tog members, SDRC members, walkers, island explorers and anyone curious about portable radio
Important note: Landing on Ireland’s Eye is weather and tide dependent, and the island has uneven ground and limited facilities.
Trip note: This is an informal club outing rather than a guided tour. Everyone joining is responsible for booking their own ferry, checking the conditions, and deciding if the island walk and boat landing are suitable for them.

On the day, club members will travel by ferry from Howth to Ireland’s Eye to activate two new Parks on the Air references:

The east edge of the island gives us a lovely POTA “2fer”, that’s right, two parks in one activation zone. We will be operating using the June special event callsign EI0LGBT, but as we will be on an island, we will be using EJ0LGBT on the air.

We plan to be active on 20m, 40m and 2m, conditions permitting. We also hope to call into the South Dublin Radio Club net and the IRTS 2m news from the island if timing and coverage allow.

Ireland’s Eye is a small uninhabited island just off Howth, with a mix of rugged coastline, seabirds, seals, the ruins of an early church, and a Martello tower. The island is part of an important protected coastal landscape, including the Ireland’s Eye SAC and the wider Rockabill to Dalkey Island SAC. We will be keeping well clear of nesting areas, taking all rubbish home, and leaving the island as we found it.

For a nice overview of the island and its history, have a look at this Irish Times walk around Ireland’s Eye.

Coming along?

We will be taking the 9:30am ferry from Howth with Howth Cliff Cruises. If you would like to join us, please book your own ferry ticket in advance. The return ferry is around €30.45, but please check the booking page for the latest price and availability before travelling.

Please note that this is an informal club outing rather than a guided tour. Everyone joining is responsible for booking their own ferry, checking the weather and ferry updates, wearing suitable clothing and footwear, and deciding if the boat landing and island walk are suitable for them. Landing on Ireland’s Eye is weather and tide dependent, and the island has uneven ground and limited facilities.

Please have a look at this Ireland’s Eye walking route on Wikiloc before booking, so you have a good idea of the mobility requirements.

This is not only for radio people. If you are a Tog member or friend who would just like a walk, a bit of island exploring, some sea air, birdwatching, or a look at what a portable radio activation involves, you are very welcome to come along.

What to bring

Please dress for the weather and the island terrain. We suggest:

  • Sturdy footwear
  • Rain jacket and warm layers
  • Water and snacks or a packed lunch
  • Sun cream and a hat if the weather looks good
  • A fully charged phone or power bank
  • Any portable radio gear you would like to bring
  • A bag to take all your rubbish home

As Ireland’s Eye is a protected bird sanctuary, please be mindful of wildlife, especially nesting birds. Keep to sensible walking areas, avoid disturbing birds or seals, and leave no trace.

We are looking forward to another fun POTA day out with South Dublin Radio Club, this time with a ferry trip, a bit of island radio, and hopefully plenty of contacts in the log.

Listen out for EJ0LGBT from Ireland’s Eye!

International Museums Weekend in Howth

As luck would have it, our Ireland’s Eye trip falls on the same weekend as International Museums Weekend. The Howth Martello Radio Group will be taking part on 20th and 21st June, operating EI0MAR from Ye Olde Hurdy Gurdy Museum of Vintage Radio in the Martello tower overlooking Howth Harbour.

The museum has strong links to the early experimental days of telecommunications and is a lovely follow-on visit after a morning of radio on Ireland’s Eye. Visitors are welcome to drop in, see the amateur radio station in operation, and maybe even get on the air.

The museum is open daily between 11am and 4pm until the end of October. It is approached by a steep narrow pathway opposite the Abbey Tavern on Abbey Street. The Eircode is D13 V099. I will be dropping in after the fun on the island.

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Amateur Radio & Connected Tech at Dublin Tech Week 2026

South Dublin Radio Club, in collaboration with TOG Hackerspace, will be taking part in Dublin Tech Week 2026 with a free, family-friendly drop-in event at Ballyroan Library.

Amateur Radio & Connected Tech: Making the Invisible Visible will explore how radio and wireless technology connect people, devices and even space.

The event takes place on Saturday, 23rd May 2026, from 12:00 to 16:00.

Visitors will be able to explore a range of short, hands-on demos throughout the day, including live radio spectrum displays, Morse code, digital radio modes, satellite signals, simple IoT workflows and more.

There will also be a beginner-friendly radio “fox hunt”, a fun direction-finding game where participants use radio signals to track down a hidden transmitter. It is a great way to learn how radio waves move through the world around us.

We will also be showing how modern amateur radio can be operated remotely, with a station in Dublin controlling radio equipment elsewhere over the internet. If conditions allow, we hope to make a live HF radio contact and speak with operators further afield.

No radio knowledge is needed, just curiosity. Drop in, ask questions, try a few demos and discover the invisible signals all around us.

You can find the event listed on the official Dublin Tech Week website here:
Making the Invisible Visible: Amateur Radio & Connected Tech

Event Details

What: Amateur Radio & Connected Tech: Making the Invisible Visible
When: Saturday, 23rd May 2026, 12:00 – 16:00
Where: Ballyroan Library, Orchardstown Avenue, Rathfarnham, Dublin, D14 VY33
Cost: Free
Booking: Drop-in event, all welcome

This event is hosted by South Dublin Radio Club EI2SDR in collaboration with TOG Hackerspace as part of Dublin Tech Week 2026, which runs from 22nd to 29th May.

Come along and see how amateur radio, connected devices and a bit of curiosity can make the invisible visible.

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POTA Rover Day: Five Parks, One Day

Our radio crew in TOG have really gotten into Parks on the Air over the last few months. We’re a little bit hooked.

For anyone new to it,Parks on the Air, or POTA, is an amateur radio activity where operators head out to recognised parks and make contacts from the field. It is a great mix of radio, portable operating, problem solving, and getting outdoors. It also has plenty for SWLs and curious newcomers, so it is not just for the people behind the mic.

We have already had great days out at Bull Island, the Botanic Gardens, and Ticknock outings, and now we are setting our sights on something a bit more ambitious.

On Sunday, 31st May, TOG Hackerspace and South Dublin Radio Club are planning a POTA Rover Day around Dublin.

The plan is simple enough on paper and a bit mad in practice: activate five parks in one day. If all goes to plan, that should qualify for the POTA Rover Warthog award, which is given for activating five unique references in a single UTC day.

We will be starting at 8am at IE-0213 — The Grand Canal Way Conservation Area, right by TOG Hackerspace, and then moving on to:
IE-0229 — Phoenix Park National Park/ IE-0250— Farmleigh Estate Historic Site
IE-0164 — Merrion Square Park National Historical Park
IE-0226 — Iveagh Gardens National Park

Because this is a rover day, we cannot promise exact times for each park. A lot will depend on how each activation goes, how travel works out, and how much chat we get dragged into along the way.

This could be a great idea, or it could totally fall apart, but that is all part of the fun. Amateur radio has always had that experimental side to it, and a day like this has a real sense of adventure.

Part of the fun of the day is that it overlaps with some of the regular Sunday radio activity too. We hope to make use of the South Dublin Radio Club weekly 40m net, which gets going from 08:30 local time and the IRTS Weekly News goes out nationally at 11:00 on 7.123 MHz SSB and in Dublin at 11:45 on 145.525 FM.

Some of our members are even hoping to complete the rover by bike, which feels very on-brand for us, but you do not need to cycle to take part. You are very welcome to join us for the whole day, or just drop in for one of the parks if that suits you better.

You will also be able to track our rough location live on APRS.fi by searching for EI0TOG.

What we really like about POTA is that it gets radio out into the world. It brings together portable antennas, operating skills, experimentation, a bit of fresh air, and plenty of chances for curious passers-by to ask what on earth we are up to. It also makes space for SWLs and newcomers to come along, listen, learn, and get involved without any pressure.

So if you fancy a day of parks, radios, and a slightly over-ambitious plan to bag five activations in one go, get in touch. We would love to have company for all or even just part of the route.

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BOTA, POTA, a Rally Stand, and a President

Big congratulations to our own Jeffrey Roe, EI7IRB, who was elected President of the Irish Radio Transmitters Society at the AGM in Shannon last weekend.

We are very proud to see one of our members taking on this role. TOG has long been a proud radio club and a member of the IRTS, so it was extra special to be there in person for the weekend and see it happen.

There was more good news for TOG too, with Daniel McDowell, EI8ICB, and Ana Cañizares, EI5IXB, also elected to the IRTS committee. It is brilliant to see TOG members helping shape the future of amateur radio in Ireland.

We had a great time at the AGM weekend in Shannon. As well as the AGM itself, there was loads going on across the weekend. We took part in Bunkers on the Air, chatted to lots of people from our stand at the rally, and had the chance to catch up with radio friends from around the country. On the way back from Shannon, our members even squeezed in a Parks on the Air activation, because one radio activity in a weekend is never enough.

Weekends like this are a nice reminder of what amateur radio is really about: communication, technical curiosity, meeting people, and having a bit of craic along the way. It was great to see so much activity, enthusiasm, and community spirit packed into one weekend.

You can check out more photos from the trip here:
IRTS AGM weekend gallery: https://www.tog.ie/gallery/nggallery/album/irish-radio-transmitters-society-93rd-agm-weekend
BOTA at Shannon Airport gallery: https://www.tog.ie/gallery/nggallery/album/bota-shannon-airport

Congratulations again to Jeffrey, Daniel, and Ana. We are looking forward to seeing what the year ahead brings for the IRTS and for amateur radio around Ireland.

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TOG at HamCon Belgium 2026

TOG is heading to Belgium next month for HamCon Belgium 2026, a day packed with talks, workshops, demos, and plenty of radio chat.

Our own Jeffrey Roe EI7IRB will be part of the programme with two sessions on the day. He’ll be running a Satellite Ground Station Workshop, showing people how to build and get started with a TinyGS setup, and later giving a DMR Workshop for anyone curious about digital radio and how to get on the air.

It looks like a great event, with talks and activities covering everything from TETRA and DAPNET to meteor science, antennas, PCB design, and more. If you’re into amateur radio, digital modes, satellites, or radio tech in general, there’s loads to dig into.

If you’re thinking of making the trip, have a look at the full programme and event details here: https://hamcon.be/

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Toilets on the Air at 39C3 (TOTA)

You might have heard of Parks on the Air (POTA), Summits on the Air, or maybe even Bunkers on the Air. Radio amateurs love combining the hobby with an excuse to go and visit somewhere.

But what about Toilets on the Air?

Yes. Toilets.

Let me set the scene

Picture this: around 16,000 people in Hamburg, Germany, all packed into a massive conference centre for the 39th Chaos Communication Congress (39C3), a four-day hacker conference running 27–30 December 2025.

It’s the middle of winter. The venue is huge. There’s reinforced concrete everywhere. You can be walking for ages just trying to get from one hall to another… and if you have a handheld radio in your pocket, you’ll start wondering how well anything is going to get through all that building.

Which brings us to…

TOTA — Toilets on the Air

TOTA is a small (and slightly ridiculous) activity that’s been running at 39C3 for a few years now. The idea is simple: it’s a gentle “contest” / training exercise to help new radio amateurs (and anyone curious) learn basic operating. https://totawatch.de/

And don’t worry, you’re not asked to make contacts from inside the toilet itself. The rules are pretty clear: stand a few metres from the door, don’t block anyone, and always respect privacy.

It’s meant to be good fun, not weird.

Modes

  • FM: 430.200 MHz
  • SSTV: 430.200 MHz
  • CW: 432.032 MHz
  • DMR: Brandmeister TG26223

Activators, Hunters, and T2T

Like the other “on the air” things, you’ve got:

  • Activator — the person at the reference (in this case, a toilet location) who calls CQ.
  • Hunter / Chaser — the person answering.

And then there’s Toilet-to-Toilet (T2T), when two activators manage to work on each other while both are at their own reference locations. Ridiculous, maybe.

My bit of TOTA (DL/EI7IRB)

I was busy giving three workshops during the first few days of the congress, so I only got in on the action on the last day.

I took on the role of a hunter, answering plenty of calls as I wandered around the conference with my Quansheng.

But only making voice contacts… where’s the fun in that?

Of course, there was SSTV.

So there I was, operating as DL/EI7IRB, with a handheld radio and a smartphone held up to the speaker, trying to decode images from the tones. It’s a very “CCC” way of doing it with minimal setup, lots of messing, and it somehow kind of works.

There’s a Mastodon bot collecting the SSTV images people received during the event. If you want to go down the rabbit hole and see loads of them, here’s the link:

https://social.darc.de/@tota

Closing Thoughts

I was nowhere near the top of the leaderboard, but I had a great time. TOTA isn’t really about big numbers or fancy stations. It’s about getting people comfortable on the air, having a laugh, and learning a few things without anyone taking it too seriously. Maybe you will see TOTA at the next conference you go to. 

For more photos from 38c3 check out our gallery https://www.tog.ie/gallery/nggallery/album/39c3