Who are SEARG...
SEARG (South Eastern Amateur Radio Group) are a non-profit organisation based in Waterford city in the South-East of Ireland which caters for those with an interest in amateur radio. We currently have members in Counties Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford & many other counties beyond the South-East with interests in a wide range of aspects of amateur radio including SSB, CW, Satellite Operation, VHF, Digital Modes, Foxhunts, Repeaters and SWL (Short Wave Listening). We have often been referred to as "Ireland's biggest & most active radio club". We do be active using our club callsign EI2WRC (Echo India Two Whiskey Romeo Charlie). Fellow amateurs can check out our QRZ page. For more information about us and what we do, you can find us on Facebook or follow us on X. You can also download our information sheet here.
Online Membership/Donations...
South Eastern Amateur Radio Group membership is open to anyone with an interest in radio. Membership costs just €30 per year and concessionary membership (for unemployed, students & pensioners) costs €20 per year. Family membership (two or more people) is also available for €50. Membership is free to anyone under the age of 18. Membership runs from date of joining until the end of March of the following year. Anyone that joins from October to December will have their membership for the following year included (e.g. you join November 2024, membership will be from Nov 2024 until March 2026). Membership is at the absolute discretion of the EI2WRC committee and members must abide by the club rules and constitution which can be downloaded from the Downloads Page. Membership fees go towards the running of the club (special event call signs, QSL cards etc). If you would like to join SEARG, simply download the required application form, single or family from our Downloads Page, complete and return it, along with the appropriate fee to our Treasurer, or any committee member listed on our Committee and Roles Page. Membership forms can also be submitted through our Contact Us page. We also accept membership payment via PayPal. For those wishing to pay via Bank Transfer please contact the EI2WRC Treasurer. You can also make a donation via our Online Membership/Donations page. No member, either committee or club member gets paid in any way for the work they do within the club so any donations however small would be very much appreciated and help with the day to day running of the club.
Events...
Every year, EI2WRC participate in a large number of different type events and activations where we showcase the amateur radio hobby to the public and show them what is involved. We try to promote the hobby and get more people interested by doing these events. Some of our yearly events include International Marconi Day, 145 Alive, Bunmahon Activation Weekend, Railways On The Air Weekend and Lighthouses On The Air Weekend as well as the yearly Inistioge Vintage Festival. The group also takes part in the yearly Jamboree On The Air event with scout groups from the local area.
These events, particularly the overnight ones, tend to be social occasions as much as technical exercises and apart from the transmitters, generators, antennas, and camping equipment that are brought on site, barbeque equipment, food and beer are brought along also! The group also participates in many of the yearly IRTS contests from various locations around the South-East. These competitions provide an ideal opportunity for club members to test out equipment and have some good fun trying to beat other contestants!
For more detailed information on our latest activities or events visit or Latest News Page. To view future planned events for 2024, you can download our 2024 Events Calendar here. As events not planned do sometimes take please check our social media and IRTS news bulletins for up-to-date information. Please make sure before you leave to attend any of our events that the event is taking place and is still active. Events sometimes do not go ahead due to bad weather or finish early due to bad weather or band conditions. To make sure events are taking place or still active please contact a committee member who will confirm if the activation is still active/going ahead. To view previous years events, we have taking part in please click here. Some of our previous events can also be viewed on our YouTube channel here.
Affiliations...
IRTS Weekly News...
Members of the EI2WRC group transmit the weekly IRTS radio news bulletin at 8.00 p.m. (local time) every Tuesday via the Southern Ireland Repeater Network, DMR Talkgroup 27240, EchoLink Node 225431, IRLP Node 5883 and also on the Southern Ireland Repeater Network channel on the Zello app. A live video feed is also available too on the TikTok app on TheIrishOutDoorCook channel. A report call-in net is held directly after the news broadcast. This call-in usually starts with RF callers and callers using Digital platforms like EchoLink and Zello are taken once the RF call-in has concluded. All reports are also very welcome and SWL reports can be sent to the news reader. The news readers number and email address will be given out at various times throughout the bulletin. A list of previous Tuesday callers to the net afte the news is available here.
Theory Classes For The HAREC Exam...
Although the club has not run theory classes covering the HAREC syllabus for anyone who wishes to get an EI callsign in the past few years there may be classes run in the future if sufficient interest is in place. Theory courses only happen if enough people express interest in them so if you or someone you know might be considering studying for the HAREC exam please get in touch with any of the committee members so we can add your name to a list of people possibly interested in doing a theory course with us in the future. In recent years the IRTS have ran very successful Zoom classes for anyone wishing to do the HAREC course. These courses are run jointly between the IRTS and the National Shortwave Listeners Club. Keep an eye on www.swl.ie for upcoming courses and news. You can also check the Amateur Radio Licensing section on the IRTS website by clicking here.
Club Meetings...
EI2WRC club meetings take place in the South East Technological University. Netlabs Research & Innovation Building, SETU West Campus, Carriganore, Waterford (Eircode X91 WR86) at 8.00 p.m. on the last Monday of each month. We do not have meetings on Bank Holidays. Visitors or anyone who may be interested in joining or finding out more about the amateur radio hobby or the club are very welcome to come along and have a chat with us. SWL's (short wave listeners) are in particular very welcome to attend. We do also have virtual meetings on the Zoom platform every other Monday night. If you would like to join in on one of our Zoom meetings please get in touch by clicking here. Our committee meetings also take place on the Zoom platform on an as-needed basis. For up-to-date information about meetings check our Latest News page, Facebook, X and weekly IRTS news bulletins.
More Info...
If you would like to find out more, please feel free to come along to any of our general meetings, talks or events. Meetings are normally held in Waterford while events may be held in various locations around Ireland. You can email us by going to the Contact Us page. Check our Latest News page, Facebook page, X page and IRTS news bulletins for information on upcoming meetings and events.
