Follow the links below to the list you wish to visit:-
A 'Confirmed' column has been included in the Six (50MHz) Metre listing to indicate that the claimed contact has been confirmed and images of QSL (contact confirmation) cards have been attached to relevant callsigns. These cards illustrate the long-standing custom amongst amateur radio operators of exchanging personalised acknowledgement or confirmation cards. A confirmed claim will always take precedence for publication over an unconfirmed claim.
Firsts listings for 70MHz and above are still in the early stages of research but is hoped that they will mature to confirmed status as more information and more evidence of confirmation becomes available.
None of the lists that follow will ever be complete or final - they are, at best, constantly under review and, at any given time, the most accurate compilations I have been able to make of what information has been made available.
The determination as to what constitutes a 'First' contact results from a correlation of the earliest known date and time of a legitimate two-way contact between Northern Ireland and the other named country with the date and time of official release of the indicated frequency, in both countries, for the purpose of two-way amateur radio communication. As different sections of the frequency spectrum have been made available at different times and under differing local conditions in various countries, any substantiated information regarding official release dates as well as details of early contacts will always be most welcome and helpful. With your help, I promise to endeavour to avoid the infamous computerised problem of GIGO - garbage in, garbage out!
Please note I have NO interest in promoting any variety of 'one-up-man-ship' whether of an individual or of an organisational nature. These lists are merely an attempt to chart what is known of the earliest achievements in establishing legitimate two-way communication by means of amateur radio from the geographical area known as Northern Ireland.