EI0MAR Radio

The Howth Martello Radio Group, EI0MAR,
was founded in 2005 by Tony Breathnach and a
group of fellow amateur radio enthusiasts whose
photographs are shown here.

Previously, there had been several occasions
when special event stations had operated from
the Martello Tower in Howth, such as during the
annual Howth Festival and for International
Marconi Day.

The Martello had recently been refurbished and is now the site of a vintage radio museum.
The old tower had been the site for wireless telegraphy experiments carried out by the
American Lee de Forrest in 1903, and by the Marconi Company, two years later. There
could not be a more fitting location for an amateur radio station.

EI0MAR operates on most Sundays throughout the year. Morse code is the main mode of
transmission on the high frequency bands. Channel S23 (145.575) on the two-metre band is
also monitored.

The club station can be seen in the photograph above. An SGC SG-2020 is used for HF with
a maximum output of 25 Watts. A Yaesu FT-90R is used on vhf and uhf. No permanent
antennas can be installed. A home-madeSlim Jim antenna is used on vhf/uhf. For the HF
bands, a home-made 40-metre dipole is used, installed in two hollow telescopic fibreglass
fishing poles which can be quickly erected. A dipole for the 17-metre HF band piggybacks on
the longer dipole. Both dipole antennas are fed at a common point.

An LDG Z-100 automatic antenna tuning unit matches the antenna on all bands from 7 to 28
Megahertz. An outboard Radio Shack DSP unit (not shown in photograph) is used to
optimise audio on CW and SSB.

If you would like to see the station in operation, send an email in advance to ensure that it
will be operating. You can also telephone 086-8154189 for further information.