MONDAY, MAY 20, 2024
Ajit John
Amateur radio or ham radio is practised by more than 22,000 licensed users in India. The first amateur radio operator was licensed in1921 and by the mid 1930’s there were around 20 amateur radio operators in India. Once the late PM Rajiv Gandhi waived the import duty on wireless equipment in 1984, numbers picked up. As of 2007, there were more than 16,000 operators in the country. In Goa, too the numbers are gradually increasing. As of 2024, there are around 20 hams in the State and the number is increasing by one or two every year.
For the young Amey Pandit his interest in radio astronomy led him to ham radio. A ham operator since 2015, prior to that he was a short wave listener. Anyone who is interested is called short wave listener, way back in 2004. He used to listen to ham radio on the Vigyan Prasar website. He first applied for a licence in 2004 but since there were not many candidates from Goa, the exam did not take place. He remained active as a SW for sometime and then answered the exam in 2013 and got his licence in 2015.
The exam was in two sections, technical and non technical. The technical section is full of basic electronic questions which are found in the syllabus of Class 12 and the non technical section is full of rules, regulations and a Morse code test. It was a test about sending and receiving signals. These days, he operates the radio on a weekend, in the evening. He talks to other ham operators and makes contact via ham radio satellite.
He says, “We talk in simple text, we talk about building our own radios and antennas so there is talk about designs. We provide help if it is needed. This is called ragchew. It is a slang word for long discussions on air. We also have contests on weekends where we have to make maximum contacts around the world. Hams from all over participate in these events. There are field events where we set up radio stations on hill tops or parks or the beach. There are hams in all the seven continents. Even in Antarctica. There are operators, some of whom are scientists who when they are free come on air and make contact. Our communication is like a one way communication just like the police. One person will speak and the end of the sentence will say over and then the other person speaks”.
He said in order to identify each other, everyone in the ham world had a call sign. It is a unique alphanumeric character given to the operator. For example, if his call sign was vu2abc then VU stands for India, 2 or 3 would depend on the licence type and the last three alphabets were your numbers. For India the call sign begins with VU. For UE the call sign is A6. The receiver would know where you were calling from.
Speaking about Goa, he says there were around 20-25 operators and they were all under the Goa Club called the Goa Radio Amateur Society.They would meet regularly at special events or at field events. To get a licence, one has to pay Rs 100 for the exam fee and Rs 1000 either for a 20 year licence or 2000 for lifetime license. With regards to the set, one can either build it for less than Rs 10,000 or buy a commercial set or buy a second hand set which could be cheaper. Amey built his own and later purchased a commercial one. To increase the popularity of ham radios, the group goes to colleges and does demos. People were interested and there was an increase every year of one or two new ham operators. Some would want to be only SWL. To listen one does not need a license. But to call it is needed.
For Mahendra Kannawar, the bug bit him and he got the licence in 2017. He said he met Amey, a ham operator in Goa and got interested. He says, “I listened to the radio and I admired the radio. He taught me to make contact and I got more interested. I gave the exams and then purchased the radio, a second hand version. We made antennas together and started talking to contacts around the world. There are some rules we have to follow. We cannot discuss politics or commercial activities on air. They have to be avoided. Any hobby can be discussed.”
He says he would be on air when he had the time. Since he was in business, it would usually be on Sunday. A resident of Ponda, he would be a ham for the rest of his life and had made contacts all over the world like in USA, Russia and even Antarctica.
For the interesting Sandesh Bhat who has been a ham operator for four years it was a natural progression. He says, “I’ve always had a fascination with gadgets and a passion for overlanding and off-roading. Initially, I used walkie-talkies for short-range communication during my adventures. Recognizing the limitations of these devices, especially in remote or off-grid areas, I decided to expand my capabilities by obtaining a ham radio license. This not only enhanced my ability to communicate over longer distances but also aligned perfectly with my commitment to preparedness for any situation, be it off-grid living or potential disaster scenarios. Ham radio offers a reliable means of communication when traditional systems might fail, which is crucial for my lifestyle and interests”. Hams use three methods of communication—voice, morse code and digital. Of these, morse code is the most dramatic. Morse code is wireless technology which was used to transmit telegrams by the postal department until recently.
For Ranjan Chakrabarty, call signVU2APU, he is one of the veterans in the group. He started off in ham radio in 1968. He says, “Those days it was different. You had to do everything by yourself, nothing was available. The thrill to talk to people across the world fascinated me. Even now if I speak across the world I don’t need a mobile service. I have my ham, I am happy, I go air everyday. I am based in Betalbatim and have contacts all over the world. For me everyday is interesting. The ability to contact people across the world and not know them is fascinating. It is a very interesting world.”
The life of a ham operator is certainly fascinating, full of interesting conversations and contacts that can be surprising and unexpected.
