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Amateur radio in India

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Template:Infobox amateur radio country Amateur radio or ham radio is practiced by more than 167,000 licensed users in India.[1] 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 have played an important part in the Indian independence movement with the establishment of pro-independence radio stations in the 1940s, which were illegal. The three decades after India's independence saw only slow growth in the numbers of operators until the then Prime Minister of India, and ham operator Rajiv Gandhi (VU2RG), waived the import duty on wireless equipment in 1984. Since then, numbers have picked up, and as of 2007, 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).[2][3][4]

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Licence categories

Main article: Amateur radio licence categories in India
An operator monitoring the air

The Indian Wireless Telegraph (Amateur Service) Rules, 1978 lists five licence categories:[5]

  1. Advanced Amateur Wireless Telegraph Station Licence
  2. Amateur Wireless Telegraph Station Licence, Grade–I
  3. Amateur Wireless Telegraph Station Licence, Grade–II
  4. Restricted Amateur Wireless Telegraph Station Licence
  5. Short Wave Listener's Amateur Wireless Telegraph Station Licence (SWL)

To obtain a licence in the first four categories, candidates must pass the Amateur Station Operator's Certificate examination.[6] 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.[7] 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.[8] 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.[9] This procedure can take up to 12 months.[9]

Licence category Age[10] Power[11] Examination[12] Privileges
Short Wave Listener's Amateur Wireless Telegraph Station Licence 12 — Obtained without appearing for the examination. A user can monitor the airwaves on short wave frequencies.
Restricted Amateur Wireless Telegraph Station Licence 12 10 W Minimum score of 40% in each section of the written examination, and 50% overall. Terrestrial radiotelephony transmission in two VHF frequency bands.
Amateur Wireless Telegraph Station Licence, Grade–II 12 50 W Minimum score of 40% in each section of the written examination, and 50% overall. In addition, a demonstration of proficiency in sending and receiving Morse code at five words a minute. Radiotelegraphy and radiotelephony transmission in 11 frequency bands.
Amateur Wireless Telegraph Station Licence, Grade–I 14 150 W A minimum of 50% in each section of the written examination, and 55% overall, and a demonstration of proficiency in sending and receiving Morse code at 12 words a minute. Radiotelegraphy and radiotelephony transmission in 14 frequency bands. In addition, satellite communication, facsimile, and television modes are permitted.
Advanced Amateur Wireless Telegraph Station Licence 18 400 W A candidate must pass an advanced electronics examination, in addition to the passing the Rules and Regulations section, and a Morse code proficiency at 12 words per minute. The maximum power permitted is 400 W in selected sub-bands.

In a 2005 notification, the WPC proposed an amendment to the 1978 Amateur Service Rules in the rationalization of the licence categories to only two: the Amateur Wireless Telegraph Station Licence (General) and the Amateur Wireless Telegraph Station Licence (Restricted). As of November 2008, amendment has yet to be passed by the Parliament of India.[13]

Call-signs

Main article: Amateur radio call-signs of India
The generic QSL card created by ARSI for amateur radio operators in India

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.[14][15]

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.[16] at the 1912 London International Radiotelegraphic Convention.[17]

VU call-signs are listed according to licence grade: for Advanced Grade and Grade–I licence holders, the call-sign prefix is VU2; for Grade–II and Grade–II Restricted licence holders, the prefix is VU3. As of 2008, 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".[18]

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.[19] The Indian Union territory (UT) of Andaman and Nicobar Islands are given the call-sign VU4 (VU4AN)[20] and VU5;[21] and the UT of Lakshadweep is given VU7 (VU7LD).[22] The WPC had temporarily allotted these call-signs to hamfests and DX-peditions 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).[23]

Organizations

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The WPC is responsible for regulating amateur radio in India. The WPC has its headquarters in New Delhi 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.[7] 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.[24]

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.[25]

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.

Allotted spectrum

Main article: Amateur radio frequency bands in India
Antennas at the location of ham operator VU2GMN in Chennai.

The following 14 frequency bands are permitted by the WPC for use by amateur radio operators in India.[11]

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 7.000–7.100 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
8 144–146 2 m
9 434–438 70 cm
9 1260–1300 23 cm
10 3300–3400 9 cm
10 5725–5840 5 cm

Awareness drives

Indian amateur radio operator, Bharathi VU2RBI, demonstrates Amateur Radio to local students in Port Blair, Andaman Islands, a few days before the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.

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.[26] 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.[27] The CBSE is one of the two national education boards. The 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.[28]

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.[29]

Activities and events

Popular events and activities include Amateur Radio Direction Finding, DX-peditions, hamfests, JOTA, QRP operations, 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".[9] Several clubs across India regularly organize foxhunts in which participants search for a hidden transmitter around the city.[30] 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."[31] Despite being a popular recreational activity among hams, no organization has yet participated in an international event.[25]

Live satellite images such as this are decoded by amateur radio operators to provide accurate weather reports during heavy rains in cities prone to flooding such as Mumbai.

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 is scheduled to host the next hamfest in November 2009. Two special international hamfests were organized in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (VU4) in 2006, and Lakshadweep (VU7) in January 2007.[32] 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.[33] 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.[26] 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.[34] Hams in Mumbai also help out at the annual Ganpati Visarjan by providing emergency radio services to civic organizations at the immersion points.[35] The "Island on the Air" is another activity where ham enthusiasts visit remote islands and report on the conditions there, similar to DX-peditions.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference thetribune was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Bachchan, Gandhi style!". Indian Express. Express Group. 2005-10-15. Retrieved 2008-07-23. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference hindu-andaman was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference sonia was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Section 5 "The Indian Wireless Telegraphs (Amateur Radio) Rules, 1978" (PDF). Ministry of Communications, Government of India. Controller of Publications, Civil Lines, New Delhi. 1979. p. 34. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
  6. ^ Section 7 "The Indian Wireless Telegraphs (Amateur Radio) Rules, 1978" (PDF). Ministry of Communications, Government of India. Controller of Publications, Civil Lines, New Delhi. 1979. p. 34. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
  7. ^ a b Appendix II "The Indian Wireless Telegraphs (Amateur Radio) Rules, 1978" (PDF). Ministry of Communications, Government of India. Controller of Publications, Civil Lines, New Delhi. 1979. p. 34. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
  8. ^ Annexure III, Appendix I, Section 2.3 "The Indian Wireless Telegraphs (Amateur Radio) Rules, 1978" (PDF). Ministry of Communications, Government of India. Controller of Publications, Civil Lines, New Delhi. 1979. p. 34. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
  9. ^ a b c d "Ham operators are a cut above the rest". Times of India. Times Group. 2007-05-21. Retrieved 2008-07-25.
  10. ^ Section 5 "The Indian Wireless Telegraphs (Amateur Radio) Rules, 1978" (PDF). Ministry of Communications, Government of India. Controller of Publications, Civil Lines, New Delhi. 1979. p. 34. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
  11. ^ a b Annexure V "The Indian Wireless Telegraphs (Amateur Radio) Rules, 1978" (PDF). Ministry of Communications, Government of India. Controller of Publications, Civil Lines, New Delhi. 1979. p. 34. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
  12. ^ Annexure III, Appendix I "The Indian Wireless Telegraphs (Amateur Radio) Rules, 1978" (PDF). Ministry of Communications, Government of India. Controller of Publications, Civil Lines, New Delhi. 1979. p. 34. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
  13. ^ "Indian Wireless Telegraphs (Amateur Service) Amendment Rules, 2005" (doc). Wireless and Planning and Coordination Wing, Government of India. 2005-06-09. Retrieved 2008-07-23.
  14. ^ ITU Zone 41 Map (Map). International Telecommunication Union. Retrieved 2008-07-23.
  15. ^ CQ Zone 22 Map (Map). International Telecommunication Union. Retrieved 2008-07-23.
  16. ^ "Govt yet to free Indian aircraft from colonial past". Indian Express. Express Group. 2003-08-04. Retrieved 2008-07-25.
  17. ^ "Radio Call Letters: May 9, 1913". Bureau of Navigation, Department of Commerce, United States. 1913-05-09. Retrieved 2008-07-23.
  18. ^ "Mahamastabhisheka to be covered live on HAM radio". The Hindu. N. Ram. 2006-01-14. Retrieved 2008-07-23.
  19. ^ "Special callsigns for Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose anniversary". Government of India letter "L-14011/640/ 2007-AMT" dated 2007-09-19". Southmate Amateur Radio Club. Retrieved 2008-07-23.
  20. ^ "Hamfest (VU4) India 2006". National Institute of Amateur Radio. Retrieved 2008-08-04.
  21. ^ "VU2ANI/VU5 1960 Port Blair, Andaman Islands". Amateur Radio Society of India. 1960. Retrieved 2008-08-04.
  22. ^ "Sponsorship". Amateur Radio Society of India. Retrieved 2008-08-04.
  23. ^ "Amateur Radio Old Prefixes & Deleted Entities". ARRL. 2004-01-07. Retrieved 2008-07-23.
  24. ^ "WPC Home". Wireless Planning and Coordination Wing. Retrieved 2008-07-23.
  25. ^ a b "Member Societies". International Amateur Radio Union. Retrieved 2008-07-23. Cite error: The named reference "iaru" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  26. ^ a b Rasquinha, Gavin Reagan (2007-07-03). "Hum hai na, say Hams!". Times of India. Times Group. Retrieved 2008-07-25.
  27. ^ "Together Towards a Safer India Part-III" (PDF). Central Board of Secondary Education. 2006. p. 69. Retrieved 2008-07-25.
  28. ^ "Rapports des Assemblées Générales de l'URSI" (PDF). URSI. XXVII. New Delhi. 2005-10-2005. Retrieved 2008-07-29. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  29. ^ "DST Scientific Institutions & Professional Academies". Department of Science and Technology. 2006–2007. Retrieved 2008-07-25.
  30. ^ "HAM club organising 'Fox Hunt'". The Hindu. N. Ram. 2007-10-06. Retrieved 2008-07-23.
  31. ^ Limca Book of Records 2006. Limca Books. ISBN 8190283731. Retrieved 2008-04-05. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  32. ^ "ARI DX Bulletin". ARI - Associazione Radioamatori Italiani (in Italian). Retrieved 2008-07-23.
  33. ^ "Lifeline Systems in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (India) after the December 2004 Great Sumatra Earthquake and Indian Ocean Tsunami" (PDF). Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. Retrieved 2008-07-25. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  34. ^ "Malabar Hill gets HAM station to combat rains". Times of India. Times Group. 2008-06-03. p. 4. Retrieved 2008-07-25.
  35. ^ Express News Service (2007-09-26). "Lakhs throng beaches on immersion day". ExpressIndia.com. Indian Express. Retrieved 2008-07-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

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

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