Amateur radio in India
Encyclopedia
Amateur radio or ham radio
is practised by more than 16,000 licensed users in India
. The first amateur radio operator was licensed in 1921, and by the mid-1930s, there were around 20 amateur radio operators in India. Amateur radio operators played an important part in the Indian independence movement
with the establishment of illegal pro-independence radio stations in the 1940s. The three decades after India's independence saw only slow growth in the numbers of operators until the then Prime Minister of India
and amateur radio operator, Rajiv Gandhi
(VU2RG), waived the import duty on wireless equipment in 1984. Since then, numbers have picked up, and , there were more than 16,000 operators in the country. Amateur radio operators have played a vital role during disasters and national emergencies such as earthquakes, tsunamis, cyclones, floods, and bomb blasts, by providing voluntary emergency communications
in the affected areas.
The Wireless and Planning and Coordination Wing
(WPC)—a division of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology
—regulates amateur radio in India. The WPC assigns call signs, issues amateur radio licences, conducts exams, allots frequency spectrum, and monitors the radio waves. In India, the Amateur Radio Society of India
(ARSI) represents amateur radio interests at various forums, and represents India at the International Amateur Radio Union
. Popular amateur radio events include daily ham nets, the annual Hamfest India
, and regular DX contests.
Public figures in India who are licensed ham operators include Indian National Congress
president Sonia Gandhi
(VU2SON), Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan
(VU2AMY), and former Minister for Information Technology Dayanidhi Maran
(VU2DMK).
Later that year, Mukul Bose (2HQ) became the second ham operator, thereby introducing the first two-way ham radio communication in the country. By 1923, there were twenty British hams operating in India. In 1929, the call sign prefix VU came into effect in India, replacing three-letter call signs. The first short-wave entertainment and public broadcasting station, "VU6AH", was set up in 1935 by E P Metcalfe
, vice-chancellor of Mysore University. However, there were fewer than fifty licence holders in the mid-1930s, most of them British officers in the Indian army
.
With the outbreak of World War II
in 1939, the British cancelled the issue of new licences. All amateur radio operators were sent written orders to surrender their transmitting equipment to the police, both for possible use in the war effort and to prevent the clandestine use of the stations by Axis collaborators and spies. With the gaining momentum of the Indian independence movement
, ham operator Nariman Abarbad Printer (VU2FU) set up the Azad Hind Radio
to broadcast Gandhian protest music and uncensored news; he was immediately arrested and his equipment seized. In August 1942, after Mahatma Gandhi
launched the Quit India Movement
, the British began clamping down on the activities of Indian independence activists and censoring the media. To circumvent media restrictions, Indian National Congress
activists, led by Usha Mehta
, contacted Mumbai-based amateur radio operators, "Bob" Tanna
(VU2LK) and Nariman Printer to help broadcast messages to grass-roots party workers across the country. The radio service was called the "Congress Radio
", and began broadcasting from 2 September 1942 on 7.12 MHz. The station could be received as far as Japanese-occupied Myanmar
. By November 1942, Tanna was betrayed by an unknown radio officer and was forced to shut down the station.
Temporary amateur radio licences were issued from 1946, after the end of World War II. By 1948, there were 50 amateur radio operators in India, although only a dozen were active. Following India's independence in 1947, the first amateur radio organization, the Amateur Radio Club of India was inaugurated on 15 May 1948 at the School of Signals at Mhow in Madhya Pradesh
. The club headquarters was later moved to New Delhi
, where it was renamed the Amateur Radio Society of India
(ARSI) on 15 May 1954. As India's oldest amateur radio organization, ARSI became its representative at the International Amateur Radio Union
.
Partly due to low awareness among the general population and prohibitive equipment costs, the number of licensed amateur radio operators did not increase significantly over the next two decades, numbering fewer than a thousand by 1970. CW
(Morse code
) and AM
were the predominant modes at that time. The electronic equipment was mostly valve
-based, obtained from Indian army
surpluses. During the mid-1960s, the modes of operation saw a change from Amplitude Modulation to Single Side Band (SSB) as the preferred communication mode. By 1980, the number of amateur radio operators had risen to 1,500. In 1984, then Indian Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi
, waived the import duty for wireless equipment. After this, the number of operators rose steadily, and by 2000 there were 10,000 licensed ham operators. , there are more than 16,000 ham radio operators in India.
Amateur radio operators have played a significant part in disaster management and emergencies
. In 1991, during the Gulf War
, a lone Indian ham operator in Kuwait
, provided the only means of communication between stranded Indian nationals in that country and their relatives in India. Amateur radio operators have also played a helpful part in disaster management. Shortly after the 1993 Latur and 2001 Gujarat earthquake
s, the central government rushed teams of ham radio operators to the epicentre to provide vital communication links. In December 2004, a group of amateur radio operators on DX-pedition
on the Andaman Islands witnessed the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. With communication lines between the islands severed, the group provided the only way of relaying live updates and messages to stations across the world.
In 2005, India became one of few countries to launch an amateur radio satellite
, the HAMSAT
. The Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) launched the microsatellite
as an auxiliary payload on the PSLV-6.
The Indian Wireless Telegraph (Amateur Service) Rules, 2005 lists two licence categories:
To obtain a licence, candidates must pass the Amateur Station Operator's Certificate
examination. This examination is held monthly in Delhi
, Mumbai
, Kolkata
and Chennai
), every two months in Ahmedabad
, Nagpur
and Hyderabad, and every four months in some smaller cities. The examination consists of two 50-mark written sections: Radio theory and practice, Regulations; and a practical test consisting of a demonstration of Morse code
proficiency in both sending and receiving. After passing the examination, the candidate must then clear a police interview. After clearance, the WPC grants the licence along with the user-chosen call sign. This procedure can take up to 12 months.
The International Telecommunication Union
(ITU) has divided all countries into three regions; India is located in ITU Region 3. These regions are further divided into two competing zones, the ITU and the CQ
. Mainland India
and the Lakshadweep Islands come under ITU Zone 41 and CQ Zone 22, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands under ITU Zone 49 and CQ Zone 26. The ITU has assigned to India call-sign blocks 8TA to 8YZ, VUA to VWZ, and ATA to AWZ.
The WPC allots individual call-signs. Indian amateur radio operators are allotted only the VU call-sign prefix. The V or Viceroy, series prefix was allotted to British colonies. at the 1912 London International Radiotelegraphic Convention
.
VU call-signs are listed according to licence grade: for General (formerly the Advanced Grade and Grade–I) licence holders, the call-sign prefix is VU2; for Restricted (formerly Grade–II and Grade–II Restricted) licence holders, the prefix is VU3. The VU3 prefix has also been granted to foreigners operating in India. , call-signs consist of only letters, not numerals, and can be either two or three characters long. Examples of Indian amateur radio call-signs are "VU2XY" and "VU2XYZ".
In addition to individual and club call-signs, the WPC allots temporary call-signs for contests and special events. For example, in November 2007, the WPC temporarily allotted the prefixes AT and AU to selected ham operators to mark the anniversary of the birth of radio scientist Jagadish Chandra Bose. The Indian Union territory
(UT) of Andaman and Nicobar Islands are given the call-sign VU4 (VU4AN) and VU5; and the UT of Lakshadweep is given VU7 (VU7LD). The WPC had temporarily allotted these call-signs to hamfests and DX-pedition
s held at those locations.
Defunct call-signs include CR8 (for Portuguese India
), FN8 (for French India
), and AC3 (for the former kingdom of Sikkim
, which merged with India in 1975).
with divisional offices in Mumbai
(Bombay), Kolkata
(Calcutta), and Chennai
(Madras). It also has monitoring stations in Ahmedabad
, Nagpur
, Hyderabad, Ajmer
, Bangalore
, Darjeeling, Gorakhpur
, Jalandhar
, Goa
(Betim), Mangalore
, Shillong
, Ranchi
, Srinagar
, Dibrugarh
, Vishakapatnam, and Thiruvananthapuram
. Set up in 1952, the organization is responsible for conducting exams, issuing licences, allotting frequency spectrum
, and monitoring the airwaves. It is also responsible for maintaining the rules and regulations on amateur radio. In India, amateur radio is governed by the Indian Wireless Telegraphs (Amateur Service) Rules, 1978
, the Indian Wireless Telegraph Rules
, and the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885
. The WPC is also responsible for coordinating with the Ministry of Internal Affairs
and the Intelligence Bureau
in running background checks before issuing amateur radio licences.
The Amateur Radio Society of India
(ARSI), based in Chennai, is a non-profit organization
founded in 1954 that represents the interests of amateur radio operators before the India government, provides technical advice and assistance to amateur radio enthusiasts, and supports a number of educational programs throughout the country. ARSI is India's representative at the International Amateur Radio Union
.
Another notable organization is the non-governmental National Institute of Amateur Radio
(NIAR), based in Hyderabad. NIAR was established by the Ministry of Communications
in 1983 to promote amateur radio in India. NIAR is also involved in amateur radio educational programs in the country and sponsors several DX-peditions.
The following 15 frequency bands are permitted by the WPC for use by amateur radio operators in India.
Indian amateur radio operators number just 16,000 for a population of 1.2 billion, or less than 0.002 percent of the population. Factors for the low numbers include low awareness, high equipment cost, and bureaucratic procedures in obtaining a licence where obtaining a licence can take over a year. After decades of lobbying to include ham radio in school syllabi, efforts paid off in 2006 after the Central Board of Secondary Education
(CBSE) included ham radio in the chapter of Emergency communications on the subject of Disaster Management. The CBSE is one of the two national education boards. The Former President of India APJ Abdul Kalam, in a speech to the International Union of Radio Science
held in New Delhi
in 2005, stressed on the promotion of the hobby and setting up of ham stations in local panchayat offices, schools and hospitals. They would also act as early warning systems for the village communities in cases of emergencies.
Amateur radio clubs across the country many join the hobby by organizing courses in preparation for the Amateur Station Operator's Certificate
. The government-funded NIAR is one such organization that actively promotes the hobby by holding regular classes. The Vigyan Parishad
, an apex body for science popularization under the Department of Science and Technology
of the Government of India coordinates simulated disaster communication exercises and also organizes trainings to help people getting ham radio licenses in areas vulnerable to natural calamities.
, DX-pedition
s, hamfest
s, JOTA
, QRP operation
s, Contesting, DX communications, Light House operation, and Islands on Air. One of the most popular activities is Amateur Radio Direction Finding commonly known as a "foxhunt
". Several clubs across India regularly organize foxhunts in which participants search for a hidden transmitter around the city. A foxhunt carried out in Matheran
near Mumbai in 2005 by the Mumbai Amateur Radio Society was listed in the 2006 Limca Book of Records
under the entry "most ham operators on horseback on a foxhunt." Despite being a popular recreational activity among hams, no organization has yet participated in an international event.
Hamfest India
is an annual event that serves for social gathering and comparison and sales of radio equipment. Most hamfests feature a flea market, where the attendees buy and sell equipment, generally from and for their personal stations. The event also seeks to raise amateur radio awareness in the host city. In 2008, Gandhinagar hosted the annual hamfest. Bangalore
hosted the hamfest in November 2009. The 2011 hamfest would be held at Kollam
, Kerala
. Two special international hamfests were organized in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (VU4) in 2006, and Lakshadweep (VU7) in January 2007. As amateur radio activity is not permitted on the two union territories due to security restrictions, special permissions were needed to be secured to host the event. The two events received widespread international participation through contests, DXing
, and DX-peditions.
Ham nets, where amateur radio operators "check into" are regularly conducted across India. Airnet India, Charminar Net, Belgaum Net, and Nite Owl's Net are some of the well-known ham nets in India. Some amateur radio operators have also provided a service of downloading and decoding satellite signals of the weather over India and publishing them on the internet as a public service.
Amateur Radio Light House operations in India was started with AT8LH http://www.qrz.com/db/AT8LH followed with http://www.qrz.com/db/AT8LHC and we are on ILLW there onwards.
World Flora and Fauna operations in India was activated with special event station AT8WFF http://www.qrz.com/db/AT8WFF at Bannerghatta National Park near Bangalore. Special Pictorial Cancellation with WFF logo on permanent basis highlighting the Butterfly park is one of the collectors item.
In Mumbai, ham operators also help in disaster management during the monsoon season when heavy rain disrupts general life there. In 2008, the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai
, for the first time, formally included ham operators as part of the disaster management plan. Hams in Mumbai also help out at the annual Ganpati Visarjan
by providing emergency radio services to civic organizations at the immersion points. The "Island on the Air" is another activity where ham enthusiasts visit remote islands and report on the conditions there, similar to DX-peditions.
Amateur radio
Amateur radio is the use of designated radio frequency spectrum for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication...
is practised by more than 16,000 licensed users in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The first amateur radio operator was licensed in 1921, and by the mid-1930s, there were around 20 amateur radio operators in India. Amateur radio operators played an important part in the Indian independence movement
Indian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
with the establishment of illegal pro-independence radio stations in the 1940s. The three decades after India's independence saw only slow growth in the numbers of operators until the then Prime Minister of India
Prime Minister of India
The Prime Minister of India , as addressed to in the Constitution of India — Prime Minister for the Union, is the chief of government, head of the Council of Ministers and the leader of the majority party in parliament...
and amateur radio operator, Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Ratna Gandhi was the sixth Prime Minister of India . He took office after his mother's assassination on 31 October 1984; he himself was assassinated on 21 May 1991. He became the youngest Prime Minister of India when he took office at the age of 40.Rajiv Gandhi was the elder son of Indira...
(VU2RG), waived the import duty on wireless equipment in 1984. Since then, numbers have picked up, and , there were more than 16,000 operators in the country. Amateur radio operators have played a vital role during disasters and national emergencies such as earthquakes, tsunamis, cyclones, floods, and bomb blasts, by providing voluntary emergency communications
Amateur radio emergency communications
In times of crisis and natural disasters, amateur radio is often used as a means of emergency communication when wireline, cell phones and other conventional means of communications fail....
in the affected areas.
The Wireless and Planning and Coordination Wing
Wireless and Planning and Coordination Wing
The Wireless Planning and Coordination Wing is a branch of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology of the Government of India. The department is responsible for issuing amateur radio licenses and allotting the frequency spectrum and monitoring the frequency spectrum...
(WPC)—a division of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology
Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (India)
The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology is an Indian government ministry. It contains three departments:*Department of Telecommunications*Department of Information Technology*Department of Posts...
—regulates amateur radio in India. The WPC assigns call signs, issues amateur radio licences, conducts exams, allots frequency spectrum, and monitors the radio waves. In India, the Amateur Radio Society of India
Amateur Radio Society of India
The Amateur Radio Society of India is a national non-profit organization for amateur radio enthusiasts in India. ARSI is recognized by the Indian government under the provisions of Section 13 of the Indian Societies Registration Act as amended and extended...
(ARSI) represents amateur radio interests at various forums, and represents India at the International Amateur Radio Union
International Amateur Radio Union
The International Amateur Radio Union is an international confederation of national amateur radio organisations that allows a forum for common matters of concern and collectively represents matters to the International Telecommunication Union...
. Popular amateur radio events include daily ham nets, the annual Hamfest India
Hamfest India
Hamfest India is a popular hamfest held annually. The venue of the 2008 hamfest was Gandhinagar, The event serves for social gathering and comparison and sales of radio equipment. Most hamfests feature a flea market, where the attendees buy and sell equipment, generally from and for their personal...
, and regular DX contests.
Public figures in India who are licensed ham operators include Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
president Sonia Gandhi
Sonia Gandhi
Sonia Gandhi is an Italian-born Indian politician and the President of the Indian National Congress, one of the major political parties of India. She is the widow of former Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi...
(VU2SON), Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...
(VU2AMY), and former Minister for Information Technology Dayanidhi Maran
Dayanidhi Maran
Dayanidhi Maran is a member of parliament in India’s 15th Lok Sabha from Chennai Central constituency and Additional Deputy Leader of DMK. He was also the Minister for Textiles in the Union Cabinet, and has also served as the as the Minister for Communications and Information Technology before that...
(VU2DMK).
History
The first amateur radio operator in India was Amarendra Chandra Gooptu (callsign 2JK), licensed in 1921.Later that year, Mukul Bose (2HQ) became the second ham operator, thereby introducing the first two-way ham radio communication in the country. By 1923, there were twenty British hams operating in India. In 1929, the call sign prefix VU came into effect in India, replacing three-letter call signs. The first short-wave entertainment and public broadcasting station, "VU6AH", was set up in 1935 by E P Metcalfe
E P Metcalfe
Dr. EP Metcalfe was the former vice chancellor and Professor of Physics, and Principal of Central College of Bangalore University. He served from 1930 to 1937. Metcalfe was instrumental in establishing a residential college for women in Mysore in science and arts in the early 1930s...
, vice-chancellor of Mysore University. However, there were fewer than fifty licence holders in the mid-1930s, most of them British officers in the Indian army
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
.
With the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 1939, the British cancelled the issue of new licences. All amateur radio operators were sent written orders to surrender their transmitting equipment to the police, both for possible use in the war effort and to prevent the clandestine use of the stations by Axis collaborators and spies. With the gaining momentum of the Indian independence movement
Indian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
, ham operator Nariman Abarbad Printer (VU2FU) set up the Azad Hind Radio
Azad Hind Radio
Azad Hind Radio was a propaganda radio service that was started in leadership of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose in Germany in 1942 to encourage Indians to fight for freedom. Though initially based in Germany, its headquarters were shifted to Singapore and later Rangoon following the course of the war...
to broadcast Gandhian protest music and uncensored news; he was immediately arrested and his equipment seized. In August 1942, after Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
launched the Quit India Movement
Quit India Movement
The Quit India Movement , or the August Movement was a civil disobedience movement launched in India in August 1942 in response to Mohandas Gandhi's call for immediate independence. Gandhi hoped to bring the British government to the negotiating table...
, the British began clamping down on the activities of Indian independence activists and censoring the media. To circumvent media restrictions, Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
activists, led by Usha Mehta
Usha Mehta
Usha Mehta was a renowned Gandhian and freedom fighter of India. She is also remembered for organizing the Congress Radio, also called the Secret Congress Radio, an underground radio station, which functioned for few months during the Quit India Movement of 1942...
, contacted Mumbai-based amateur radio operators, "Bob" Tanna
Bob Tanna
Bhavsinh Moraji "Bob" Tanna was an amateur radio operator who was instrumental in setting up the Congress Radioalong with Nariman Printer on the request of Usha Mehta, an Indian National Congress party leader...
(VU2LK) and Nariman Printer to help broadcast messages to grass-roots party workers across the country. The radio service was called the "Congress Radio
Congress Radio
Congress Radio was a clandestine and underground radio station, which operated for about three months during the Quit India Movement of 1942, a movement launched by Gandhi against the British Raj for independence of India. Congress Radio was the broadcasting mouthpiece of the Indian National...
", and began broadcasting from 2 September 1942 on 7.12 MHz. The station could be received as far as Japanese-occupied Myanmar
Japanese occupation of Burma
The Japanese occupation of Burma refers to the period between 1942 and 1945 during World War II, when Burma was a part of the Empire of Japan. The Japanese had assisted formation of the Burma Independence Army, and trained the Thirty Comrades, who were the founders of the modern Armed Forces...
. By November 1942, Tanna was betrayed by an unknown radio officer and was forced to shut down the station.
Temporary amateur radio licences were issued from 1946, after the end of World War II. By 1948, there were 50 amateur radio operators in India, although only a dozen were active. Following India's independence in 1947, the first amateur radio organization, the Amateur Radio Club of India was inaugurated on 15 May 1948 at the School of Signals at Mhow in Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
. The club headquarters was later moved to New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
, where it was renamed the Amateur Radio Society of India
Amateur Radio Society of India
The Amateur Radio Society of India is a national non-profit organization for amateur radio enthusiasts in India. ARSI is recognized by the Indian government under the provisions of Section 13 of the Indian Societies Registration Act as amended and extended...
(ARSI) on 15 May 1954. As India's oldest amateur radio organization, ARSI became its representative at the International Amateur Radio Union
International Amateur Radio Union
The International Amateur Radio Union is an international confederation of national amateur radio organisations that allows a forum for common matters of concern and collectively represents matters to the International Telecommunication Union...
.
Partly due to low awareness among the general population and prohibitive equipment costs, the number of licensed amateur radio operators did not increase significantly over the next two decades, numbering fewer than a thousand by 1970. CW
Continuous wave
A continuous wave or continuous waveform is an electromagnetic wave of constant amplitude and frequency; and in mathematical analysis, of infinite duration. Continuous wave is also the name given to an early method of radio transmission, in which a carrier wave is switched on and off...
(Morse code
Morse code
Morse code is a method of transmitting textual information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that can be directly understood by a skilled listener or observer without special equipment...
) and AM
Amplitude modulation
Amplitude modulation is a technique used in electronic communication, most commonly for transmitting information via a radio carrier wave. AM works by varying the strength of the transmitted signal in relation to the information being sent...
were the predominant modes at that time. The electronic equipment was mostly valve
Vacuum tube
In electronics, a vacuum tube, electron tube , or thermionic valve , reduced to simply "tube" or "valve" in everyday parlance, is a device that relies on the flow of electric current through a vacuum...
-based, obtained from Indian army
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
surpluses. During the mid-1960s, the modes of operation saw a change from Amplitude Modulation to Single Side Band (SSB) as the preferred communication mode. By 1980, the number of amateur radio operators had risen to 1,500. In 1984, then Indian Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Ratna Gandhi was the sixth Prime Minister of India . He took office after his mother's assassination on 31 October 1984; he himself was assassinated on 21 May 1991. He became the youngest Prime Minister of India when he took office at the age of 40.Rajiv Gandhi was the elder son of Indira...
, waived the import duty for wireless equipment. After this, the number of operators rose steadily, and by 2000 there were 10,000 licensed ham operators. , there are more than 16,000 ham radio operators in India.
Amateur radio operators have played a significant part in disaster management and emergencies
Amateur radio emergency communications
In times of crisis and natural disasters, amateur radio is often used as a means of emergency communication when wireline, cell phones and other conventional means of communications fail....
. In 1991, during the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
, a lone Indian ham operator in Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
, provided the only means of communication between stranded Indian nationals in that country and their relatives in India. Amateur radio operators have also played a helpful part in disaster management. Shortly after the 1993 Latur and 2001 Gujarat earthquake
2001 Gujarat earthquake
The 2001 Gujarat earthquake occurred on January 26, 2001, India's 52nd Republic Day, at 08:46 AM local time and lasted for over two minutes. The epicentre was about 9 km south-southwest of the village of Chobari in Bhachau Taluka of Kutch District of Gujarat, India...
s, the central government rushed teams of ham radio operators to the epicentre to provide vital communication links. In December 2004, a group of amateur radio operators on DX-pedition
DX-pedition
A DX-pedition is an expedition to what is considered an exotic place by amateur radio operators, perhaps because of its remoteness or because there are very few radio amateurs active from that place. This could be an island, a country, or even a particular spot on a geographical grid.The activity...
on the Andaman Islands witnessed the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. With communication lines between the islands severed, the group provided the only way of relaying live updates and messages to stations across the world.
In 2005, India became one of few countries to launch an amateur radio satellite
OSCAR
OSCAR is an acronym for Orbiting Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio. OSCAR series satellites use amateur radio frequencies to facilitate communication between amateur radio stations. These satellites can be used for free by licensed amateur radio operators for voice and data communications...
, the HAMSAT
HAMSAT
HAMSAT also known as HAMSAT INDIA and VU2SAT is a microsatellite weighing , providing amateur radio communications services for Indian and international amateur radio operators. This satellite carries the in-orbit designation of VO-52, and is an OSCAR series satellite.It was launched by PSLV-C6 on...
. The Indian Space Research Organisation
Indian Space Research Organisation
The Indian Space Research Organisation is an independent Indian governmental agency established in 1969 for the research and development of vehicles and activities for the exploration of space within and outside of Earth’s atmosphere. Headquartered in Bangalore...
(ISRO) launched the microsatellite
Miniaturized satellite
Miniaturized satellites or small satellites are artificial satellites of unusually low weights and small sizes, usually under . While all such satellites can be referred to as small satellites, different classifications are used to categorize them based on mass .One reason for miniaturizing...
as an auxiliary payload on the PSLV-6.
Licence categories
- Amateur Wireless Telegraph Station Licence (General)
- Amateur Wireless Telegraph Station Licence (Restricted)
To obtain a licence, candidates must pass the Amateur Station Operator's Certificate
Amateur Station Operator's Certificate
Amateur Station Operator's Certificate or ASOC is the examination that needs to be passed to receive an amateur radio licence in India. The exam is conducted by the Wireless and Planning and Coordination Wing of the Ministry of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology...
examination. This examination is held monthly in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
and Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
), every two months in Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
, Nagpur
Nagpur
Nāgpur is a city and winter capital of the state of Maharashtra, the largest city in central India and third largest city in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune...
and Hyderabad, and every four months in some smaller cities. The examination consists of two 50-mark written sections: Radio theory and practice, Regulations; and a practical test consisting of a demonstration of Morse code
Morse code
Morse code is a method of transmitting textual information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that can be directly understood by a skilled listener or observer without special equipment...
proficiency in both sending and receiving. After passing the examination, the candidate must then clear a police interview. After clearance, the WPC grants the licence along with the user-chosen call sign. This procedure can take up to 12 months.
| Licence category | Age | Power | Examination. | Privileges |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amateur Wireless Telegraph Station Licence (Restricted) (Formerly Grade II]] | 12 | 10 W | Minimum score of 40% in each section of the written examination, and 50% overall. | Terrestrial radiotelephony transmission in two VHF Very high frequency Very high frequency is the radio frequency range from 30 MHz to 300 MHz. Frequencies immediately below VHF are denoted High frequency , and the next higher frequencies are known as Ultra high frequency... frequency bands. |
| Amateur Wireless Telegraph Station Licence (General) (Formerly Grade I and Advanced) | 12 | 25 W | Minimum score of 50% in each section of the written examination, and 55% overall. In addition, a demonstration of proficiency in sending and receiving Morse code at eight words a minute. | Radiotelegraphy and radiotelephony transmission in 12 frequency bands. |
Call-signs
International Telecommunication Union
The International Telecommunication Union is the specialized agency of the United Nations which is responsible for information and communication technologies...
(ITU) has divided all countries into three regions; India is located in ITU Region 3. These regions are further divided into two competing zones, the ITU and the CQ
CQ Amateur Radio
CQ Amateur Radio is a magazine for amateur radio enthusiasts. The magazine has a worldwide readership base for its English language edition. A Spanish language edition is published in Spain with some translations of articles from the English language edition and some original European content...
. Mainland India
Mainland India
Mainland India are the territories of India located on the Asian continental mainland. This includes the twenty-eight states and five out of seven union territories...
and the Lakshadweep Islands come under ITU Zone 41 and CQ Zone 22, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands under ITU Zone 49 and CQ Zone 26. The ITU has assigned to India call-sign blocks 8TA to 8YZ, VUA to VWZ, and ATA to AWZ.
The WPC allots individual call-signs. Indian amateur radio operators are allotted only the VU call-sign prefix. The V or Viceroy, series prefix was allotted to British colonies. at the 1912 London International Radiotelegraphic Convention
1912 London International Radiotelegraphic Convention
The 1912 London International Radiotelegraphic Convention established international callsigns, replacing the three letter callsigns prevalent then. Major world powers were given single prefixes such as N/K/W A , F , B . British colonies were given the call signs starting with "V. The convention...
.
VU call-signs are listed according to licence grade: for General (formerly the Advanced Grade and Grade–I) licence holders, the call-sign prefix is VU2; for Restricted (formerly Grade–II and Grade–II Restricted) licence holders, the prefix is VU3. The VU3 prefix has also been granted to foreigners operating in India. , call-signs consist of only letters, not numerals, and can be either two or three characters long. Examples of Indian amateur radio call-signs are "VU2XY" and "VU2XYZ".
In addition to individual and club call-signs, the WPC allots temporary call-signs for contests and special events. For example, in November 2007, the WPC temporarily allotted the prefixes AT and AU to selected ham operators to mark the anniversary of the birth of radio scientist Jagadish Chandra Bose. The Indian Union territory
Union Territory
A Union Territory is a sub-national administrative division of India, in the federal framework of governance. Unlike the states of India, which have their own elected governments, union territories are ruled directly by the federal government; the President of India appoints an Administrator or...
(UT) of Andaman and Nicobar Islands are given the call-sign VU4 (VU4AN) and VU5; and the UT of Lakshadweep is given VU7 (VU7LD). The WPC had temporarily allotted these call-signs to hamfests and DX-pedition
DX-pedition
A DX-pedition is an expedition to what is considered an exotic place by amateur radio operators, perhaps because of its remoteness or because there are very few radio amateurs active from that place. This could be an island, a country, or even a particular spot on a geographical grid.The activity...
s held at those locations.
Defunct call-signs include CR8 (for Portuguese India
Portuguese India
The Portuguese Viceroyalty of India , later the Portuguese State of India , was the aggregate of Portugal's colonial holdings in India.The government started in 1505, six years after the discovery of a sea route to India by Vasco da Gama, with the nomination of the first Viceroy Francisco de...
), FN8 (for French India
French India
French India is a general name for the former French possessions in India These included Pondichéry , Karikal and Yanaon on the Coromandel Coast, Mahé on the Malabar Coast, and Chandannagar in Bengal...
), and AC3 (for the former kingdom of Sikkim
Sikkim
Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
, which merged with India in 1975).
Organizations
The WPC is responsible for regulating amateur radio in India. The WPC has its headquarters in New DelhiNew Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
with divisional offices in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
(Bombay), Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
(Calcutta), and Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
(Madras). It also has monitoring stations in Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
, Nagpur
Nagpur
Nāgpur is a city and winter capital of the state of Maharashtra, the largest city in central India and third largest city in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune...
, Hyderabad, Ajmer
Ajmer
Ajmer , formerly written as Ajmere, is a city in Ajmer District in Rajasthan state in India. Ajmer has a population of around 800,000 , and is located west of the Rajasthan state capital Jaipur, 200 km from Jodhpur, 274 km from Udaipur, 439 km from Jaisalmer, and 391 km from...
, Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, Darjeeling, Gorakhpur
Gorakhpur
Gorakhpur is a city in the eastern part of the state of Uttar Pradesh in India, near the border with Nepal. It is the administrative headquarters of Gorakhpur District and Gorakhpur Division. Gorakhpur is one of the proposed capitals of the Purvanchal state which is yet to be formed...
, Jalandhar
Jalandhar
Jalandhar is a city in Jalandhar District in the state of Punjab, India. It is located 144 km northwest of the state capital, Chandigarh...
, Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
(Betim), Mangalore
Mangalore
Mangalore is the chief port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located about west of the state capital, Bangalore. Mangalore lies between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghat mountain ranges, and is the administrative headquarters of the Dakshina Kannada district in south western...
, Shillong
Shillong
-Connectivity:Although well connected by road, Shillong has no rail connection and a proper air connection. Umroi Airport exists but has only limited flights.-Roadways:Shillong is well connected by roads with all major north eastern states...
, Ranchi
Ranchi
-Climate:Ranchi has a humid subtropical climate. However, due to its position and the forests around the city, it is known for its pleasant climate. Its climate is the primary reason why Ranchi was once the summer capital of the undivided State of Bihar...
, Srinagar
Srinagar
Srinagar is the summer seasonal capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated in Kashmir Valley and lies on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus. It is one of the largest cities in India not to have a Hindu majority. The city is famous for its gardens, lakes and houseboats...
, Dibrugarh
Dibrugarh
Dibrugarh is the headquarters of Dibrugarh district, Assam, India, and is the second largest city in Assam after Guwahati. It is situated on the banks of the Brahmaputra River, about north-east of Guwahati. It is the gateway to the three tea-producing districts of Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, and Sibsagar...
, Vishakapatnam, and Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
. Set up in 1952, the organization is responsible for conducting exams, issuing licences, allotting frequency spectrum
Frequency spectrum
The frequency spectrum of a time-domain signal is a representation of that signal in the frequency domain. The frequency spectrum can be generated via a Fourier transform of the signal, and the resulting values are usually presented as amplitude and phase, both plotted versus frequency.Any signal...
, and monitoring the airwaves. It is also responsible for maintaining the rules and regulations on amateur radio. In India, amateur radio is governed by the Indian Wireless Telegraphs (Amateur Service) Rules, 1978
Indian Wireless Telegraphs (Amateur Service) Rules, 1978
The Indian Wireless Telegraphs Rules, 1978 is an act that governs amateur radio services in India. The Act covers the syllabus, rules and regulations and contains the various forms necessary to obtain a licence and handling equipment. The act is a sub part of Indian Wireless Telegraph...
, the Indian Wireless Telegraph Rules
Indian Wireless Telegraph Rules
The Indian Wireless Telegraph Rules governs the use of wireless devices in India. The act was first drafted in 1949, and then in 1973. It also incorporates clauses from the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885.-References:*...
, and the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885
Indian Telegraph Act, 1885
The Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 is a law in India that governs the use of telegraphy, phones, communication, radio, telex and fax in India. It gives the Government of India exclusive privileges of establishing, maintaining and working telegraphs. It also authorizes the government to tap phone lines...
. The WPC is also responsible for coordinating with the Ministry of Internal Affairs
Ministry of Home Affairs (India)
Ministry of Home Affairs , known as the Home Ministry or MHA, is an Indian government ministry. It is an interior ministry mainly responsible for the maintenance of Internal security and domestic policy.-Ministerial Team:...
and the Intelligence Bureau
Intelligence Bureau (India)
The Intelligence Bureau also known as IB is India's internal intelligence agency and reputedly the world's oldest intelligence agency. It was recast as the Central Intelligence Bureau in 1947 under the Ministry of Home Affairs...
in running background checks before issuing amateur radio licences.
The Amateur Radio Society of India
Amateur Radio Society of India
The Amateur Radio Society of India is a national non-profit organization for amateur radio enthusiasts in India. ARSI is recognized by the Indian government under the provisions of Section 13 of the Indian Societies Registration Act as amended and extended...
(ARSI), based in Chennai, is a non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
founded in 1954 that represents the interests of amateur radio operators before the India government, provides technical advice and assistance to amateur radio enthusiasts, and supports a number of educational programs throughout the country. ARSI is India's representative at the International Amateur Radio Union
International Amateur Radio Union
The International Amateur Radio Union is an international confederation of national amateur radio organisations that allows a forum for common matters of concern and collectively represents matters to the International Telecommunication Union...
.
Another notable organization is the non-governmental National Institute of Amateur Radio
National Institute of Amateur Radio
The National Institute of Amateur Radio is an amateur radio society based in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh in India. The organisation organises several HAM fests and coordinates between government bodies for the promotion of HAM radio....
(NIAR), based in Hyderabad. NIAR was established by the Ministry of Communications
Ministry of Communications
Ministry of Communications may refer to:* Ministry of Communications * Ministry of Communications * Ministry of Communications * Ministry of Communications of Morocco...
in 1983 to promote amateur radio in India. NIAR is also involved in amateur radio educational programs in the country and sponsors several DX-peditions.
Allotted spectrum
| Band | Frequency in MHz | Wavelength |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 1.820–1.860 | 160 m |
| 7 | 3.500–3.700 | 80 m |
| 7 | 3.890–3.900 | 80 m |
| 7 | 7.000–7.200 | 40 m |
| 7 | 14.000–14.350 | 20 m |
| 7 | 18.068–18.168 | 17 m |
| 7 | 21.000–21.450 | 15 m |
| 7 | 24.890–24.990 | 12 m |
| 7 | 28.000–29.700 | 10 m |
| 8 | 50–54 | 6 m |
| 8 | 144–146 | 2 m |
| 9 | 434–438 | 70 cm |
| 9 | 1260–1300 | 23 cm |
| 10 | 3300–3400 | 9 cm |
| 10 | 5725–5840 | 5 cm |
Awareness drives
Central Board of Secondary Education
The Central Board of Secondary Education is a Board of Education for public and private schools, under the Union Government of India.-History:...
(CBSE) included ham radio in the chapter of Emergency communications on the subject of Disaster Management. The CBSE is one of the two national education boards. The Former President of India APJ Abdul Kalam, in a speech to the International Union of Radio Science
International Union of Radio Science
The International Union of Radio Science is one of 26 international scientific unions affiliated to the International Council for Science.- History and objectives :...
held in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
in 2005, stressed on the promotion of the hobby and setting up of ham stations in local panchayat offices, schools and hospitals. They would also act as early warning systems for the village communities in cases of emergencies.
Amateur radio clubs across the country many join the hobby by organizing courses in preparation for the Amateur Station Operator's Certificate
Amateur Station Operator's Certificate
Amateur Station Operator's Certificate or ASOC is the examination that needs to be passed to receive an amateur radio licence in India. The exam is conducted by the Wireless and Planning and Coordination Wing of the Ministry of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology...
. The government-funded NIAR is one such organization that actively promotes the hobby by holding regular classes. The Vigyan Parishad
Vigyan Parishad
The Vigyan Parishad is an apex body for science popularization under the Department of Science and Technology of the Government of India....
, an apex body for science popularization under the Department of Science and Technology
Department of Science and Technology (India)
The Department of Science and Technology is a department within the Ministry of Science and Technology in India. It was established in May 1971, with the objective of promoting new areas of Science and Technology and to play the role of a nodal department for organising, coordinating and promoting...
of the Government of India coordinates simulated disaster communication exercises and also organizes trainings to help people getting ham radio licenses in areas vulnerable to natural calamities.
Activities and events
Popular events and activities include Amateur Radio Direction FindingAmateur Radio Direction Finding
Amateur radio direction finding is an amateur racing sport that combines radio direction finding with the map and compass skills of orienteering...
, DX-pedition
DX-pedition
A DX-pedition is an expedition to what is considered an exotic place by amateur radio operators, perhaps because of its remoteness or because there are very few radio amateurs active from that place. This could be an island, a country, or even a particular spot on a geographical grid.The activity...
s, hamfest
Hamfest
A Hamfest is a convention of amateur radio enthusiasts, often combining a trade show, flea market, and various other activities of interest to amateur radio operators . In the United Kingdom the term rally is more commonly used for amateur radio conventions...
s, JOTA
Jota
Jota may refer to:*the name of J, the tenth letter of the Spanish alphabet and Portuguese alphabet*Jota , a type of Spanish music and dance*Jota, a bean-sauerkraut soup of Slovenian/Croatian origin*Laverda Jota, a motorcycle...
, QRP operation
QRP operation
In amateur radio, QRP operation means transmitting at reduced power levels while aiming to maximize one's effective range while doing so. The term QRP derives from the standard Q code used in radio communications, where "QRP" and "QRP?" are used to request, "Reduce power," and ask "Should I reduce...
s, Contesting, DX communications, Light House operation, and Islands on Air. One of the most popular activities is Amateur Radio Direction Finding commonly known as a "foxhunt
Transmitter hunting
Transmitter hunting , is an activity wherein participants use radio direction finding techniques to locate one or more radio transmitters hidden within a designated search area...
". Several clubs across India regularly organize foxhunts in which participants search for a hidden transmitter around the city. A foxhunt carried out in Matheran
Matheran
- Getting to Matheran :Matheran is located about 100 km from Mumbai, 120 km from Pune. and 320 km from Surat. It lies on the busy Mumbai-Pune rail link and the nearest train station is at Neral, approximately 11 km from Matheran. From Neral, one can either rent a taxi to the...
near Mumbai in 2005 by the Mumbai Amateur Radio Society was listed in the 2006 Limca Book of Records
Limca Book of Records
Limca Book of Records is a record book of Indian origin. First published in 1990, when the Limca Brand was owned by Parle Group. The book continued to be published by Coca-Cola, when they bought the Limca Brand. The 20th edition of this book was released by Amitabh Bachchan in March 2009...
under the entry "most ham operators on horseback on a foxhunt." Despite being a popular recreational activity among hams, no organization has yet participated in an international event.
Hamfest India
Hamfest India is a popular hamfest held annually. The venue of the 2008 hamfest was Gandhinagar, The event serves for social gathering and comparison and sales of radio equipment. Most hamfests feature a flea market, where the attendees buy and sell equipment, generally from and for their personal...
is an annual event that serves for social gathering and comparison and sales of radio equipment. Most hamfests feature a flea market, where the attendees buy and sell equipment, generally from and for their personal stations. The event also seeks to raise amateur radio awareness in the host city. In 2008, Gandhinagar hosted the annual hamfest. Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
hosted the hamfest in November 2009. The 2011 hamfest would be held at Kollam
Kollam
Kollam , often anglicized as ', is a city in the Indian state of Kerala. The city lies on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake on the Arabian sea coast and is situated about north of the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram...
, Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
. Two special international hamfests were organized in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (VU4) in 2006, and Lakshadweep (VU7) in January 2007. As amateur radio activity is not permitted on the two union territories due to security restrictions, special permissions were needed to be secured to host the event. The two events received widespread international participation through contests, DXing
DXing
DXing is the hobby of tuning in and identifying distant radio or television signals, or making two way radio contact with distant stations in amateur radio, citizens' band radio or other two way radio communications. Many DXers also attempt to receive written verifications of reception from the...
, and DX-peditions.
Ham nets, where amateur radio operators "check into" are regularly conducted across India. Airnet India, Charminar Net, Belgaum Net, and Nite Owl's Net are some of the well-known ham nets in India. Some amateur radio operators have also provided a service of downloading and decoding satellite signals of the weather over India and publishing them on the internet as a public service.
Amateur Radio Light House operations in India was started with AT8LH http://www.qrz.com/db/AT8LH followed with http://www.qrz.com/db/AT8LHC and we are on ILLW there onwards.
World Flora and Fauna operations in India was activated with special event station AT8WFF http://www.qrz.com/db/AT8WFF at Bannerghatta National Park near Bangalore. Special Pictorial Cancellation with WFF logo on permanent basis highlighting the Butterfly park is one of the collectors item.
In Mumbai, ham operators also help in disaster management during the monsoon season when heavy rain disrupts general life there. In 2008, the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai
Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai
The Brihanmumbai Mahanagar Palika is the civic body that governs the city of Mumbai and is India's richest municipal organisation. Its annual budget is even more than that of some of the small states of India. It is also known as Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai or the Brihanmumbai...
, for the first time, formally included ham operators as part of the disaster management plan. Hams in Mumbai also help out at the annual Ganpati Visarjan
Anant Chaturdashi
Anant Chaturdashi is Hindu religious observance is performed on the fourteenth day of the bright fortnight of Bhadrapad month of Hindu calendar. The principal deity of this observance is Lord Anant, that is Lord Vishnu while the subordinate deities are Shesh and Yamuna. This vowed religious...
by providing emergency radio services to civic organizations at the immersion points. The "Island on the Air" is another activity where ham enthusiasts visit remote islands and report on the conditions there, similar to DX-peditions.
See also
- Amateur radio frequency bands in IndiaAmateur radio frequency bands in IndiaAmateur radio or ham radio is a hobby that is practised by over 16,000 licenced users in India.Licences are granted by the Wireless and Planning and Coordination Wing , a branch of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. In addition, the WPC allocates frequency spectrum in India...
- Amateur Station Operator's CertificateAmateur Station Operator's CertificateAmateur Station Operator's Certificate or ASOC is the examination that needs to be passed to receive an amateur radio licence in India. The exam is conducted by the Wireless and Planning and Coordination Wing of the Ministry of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology...
- Citizens Band radio in IndiaCitizens Band radio in IndiaIn India, Citizens Band is a system of short-distance radio communications between individuals on a selection of 40 channels within the 27 MHz band...
Further reading
- Verma, Rajesh (1988), ABC of Amateur Radio and Citizen Band, EFY Publications
- Ali, Saad (1985), Guide To Amateur Radio In India, E.M.J. Monteiro