Irregular amplitude variations and another abrupt period change in the delta Scuti star V1162 Ori

We report that the intermediate amplitude delta Scuti star V1162 Ori has ch anged its main pulsational period in the course of the year 2000. This new period change falls in a sequence of period changes observed during the las t 5 years. While the average amplitude value of all our new data, 63 mmag, fits a cyclic amplitude variation suggested by Arentoft et al. (2001), spli tting the data up in smaller subsets discloses significant deviations from regularity, with stretches of constant amplitude during short intervals of time. The new data show that the amplitude of one of the secondary frequenc ies, f(2), has in 3 years dropped from more than 3 mmag to now about 1 mmag , and that the previously obtained f(5) probably is a 1 d(-1) alias of the real frequency. We present the newly acquired times of minimum and maximum light as support for subsequent observing campaigns.