A team of Goan amateur radio operators are contributing their might to the International Lighthouse and Lightship weekend that is being observed at the Fort Aguada new lighthouse over this weekend.
The Goa Radio Amateur Society (Gras) team led by Manjunath Shinde and comprising Rony Rodrigues and Amey Pandit has set up a amateur radio station inside the premises of the new lighthouse on Saturday.
A visit to the lighthouse on Saturday revealed the trio busy making radio contact with amateur radio operators (HAMs) across the world from Japan to the USA. Speaking to The Herald, Manjunath said, “With advancements made in satellite technology and GPS, the role of lighthouses has become redundant across the globe. The Lighthouse weekend is held to generate interest in lighthouses. By setting up a radio station here, we are trying to support this international initiative.”
According to Manjunath, HAM operators have activated three lighthouses in India, Aguada in Goa, Uttan near Mumbai and Pilamar near Rameshvaram. “In the past 24 hours, we have contacted almost 100 HAM operators across the world and shared information about Goa, India, the new Aguada lighthouse etc.”
Rony Rodrigues, a hardware engineer said that they were looking forward to members of the public visiting their radio station and understand the working of HAMs. ” Yes, we look forward to interacting with the public. We would love to guide them.” Readers therefore have a wonderful Sunday opportunity before them. They can climb up to the new lighthouse at Aguada and also chat up the Goan amateur radio operators in the adjacent building.
