Amateur radio in India
Amateur radio or ham radio is practised by more than 22,000 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 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 number 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 as of 2007[update], 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.[2][3][4]
The
History
The first amateur radio operator in India was Amarendra Chandra Gooptu (callsign 2JK), licensed in 1921.[5][6]
Later that year, Mukul Bose (2HQ) became the second ham operator, thereby introducing the first two-way ham radio communication in the country.
With the outbreak of
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.
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.
Amateur radio operators have played a significant part in
In 2005, India became one of few countries to launch an
Licence
The Indian Wireless Telegraph (Amateur Service) Amendment Rules, 2009 lists two license categories:[12]
- Amateur Station Operators' Licence (General)
- Amateur Station Operators' Licence (Restricted)
After passing the examination, the candidate can proceed to apply for an amateur radio licence certificate. After clearance, the WPC grants the licence along with the user-chosen call sign.[13] This procedure can take up to 12 months.[13]
Licence category | Age | Power[14] | Examination[15][16] | Privileges |
---|---|---|---|---|
Amateur Station Operators' Licence (Restricted) (Formerly Grade II) | 12 | 10 W on VHF and UHF
50 W on HF |
Minimum score of 40% in each section of the written examination, and 50% overall. | Terrestrial radiotelephony transmission in HF Bands.
|
Amateur Station Operators' Licence (General) (Formerly Grade I and Advanced) | 12 | 25 W on VHF and UHF
400 W on HF |
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 HF Bands.
|
Examination
Examination centresAmateur Station Operator's Certificate or ASOC is the examination that needs to be passed to receive an amateur radio licence in India.
The exam consists of two parts:[20][21]
- Part I – Written Test
- Section 1: Radio Theory and Practice
- Section 2: Radio Regulations
- Part II – Morse Test (Not required for Restricted Grade)
- Section 1: Morse Receiving and Sending (Speed: 8 words per minute)
- Section 2: Morse Receiving and Sending (Speed: 8 words per minute)
The written test for the Restricted Grade consists of 50 questions related to radio theory and practice and radio regulations (25 questions in each section), that one must attempt in one hour. The written test for the General Grade consists of 100 questions, with 50 questions in each section, that have to be attempted in two hours. A candidate must score a minimum of 40% (50% for General grade) in each written section, and 50% (60% for the General grade) in aggregate for passing the test.[15]
The application and licensing procedures are done online through the SaralSanchar portal, short for Simplified Application For Registration And Licenses, which is a web portal for license management under the Department of Telecommunications.
Radio theory and practice
The Radio theory and practice syllabus includes eight subtopics:[20]
The first subtopic is the elementary theory of electricity that covers topics on conductors, resistors,
Radio receivers is the fourth topic that covers the principles and operation of
The last three topics deal with radio propagation, aerials, and frequency measurement. Covered are topic such as wavelength, frequency, nature and propagation of radio waves; ground and sky waves;
Radio Regulations
Knowledge of the
Also included in the syllabus are Q codes such as QRA, QRG, QRH, QRI, QRK, QRL, QRM, QRN, QRQ, QRS, QRT, QRU, QRV, QRW, QRX, QRZ, QSA, QSB, QSL, QSO, QSU, QSV, QSW, QSX, QSY, QSZ, QTC, QTH, QTR, and QUM; and abbreviations such as AA, AB, AR, AS, C, CFM, CL, CQ, DE, K, NIL, OK, R, TU, VA, WA, and WB.[12]
Morse Code Test
Candidates who appear for the General grade licence examination must also take and pass the Morse receiving and sending test simultaneously. There is no Morse test for the Restricted grade. The test piece consists of a plain language passage of 200 letters which may consist of letters, figures and punctuation marks such as the full stop, comma, semicolon, break sign, hyphen and question mark.[12]
- Receiving
- Candidates have to receive for five consecutive minutes at a speed of 8 words per minute, the test piece from an audio oscillator keyed either manually or automatically. Accurately receiving a part of the test piece for one consecutive minute is required to pass the receiving test. A short practice piece is sent at the prescribed speed before the start of the test. Making more than five errors disqualifies a candidate. The average words consist of five characters and each figure and punctuation is counted as two characters.
- Sending
- The test piece is similar to the one provided in the receiving section. Candidates are required to transmit by using a straight Morse key for five consecutive minutes at the minimum speed of 8 words per minute. A short practice piece is allowed before the test. Candidates are not allowed more than one attempt in the test. Making more than five errors disqualifies a candidate.
Place | Month |
---|---|
Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai | Every month |
Hyderabad and Nagpur
|
January, March, June, August, October and December |
Gorakhpur, Jalandhar, Goa (Betim), Mangalore, Shillong, Ranchi (Dumka), Srinagar, Dibrugarh, Visakhapatnam, and Thiruvananthapuram .
|
January, April, July and October |
Fees
Grade | 20 Years | Lifetime |
---|---|---|
General Grade | 1000 | 2000 |
Restricted Grade | 1000 | 2000 |
Reciprocal licensing and operational restrictions
Indian amateur radio exams can only be taken by Indian citizens. Foreign passport holders can apply for reciprocal Indian licences based upon a valid amateur radio license from their country of residence.[23]
Indian amateur radio licences always bear mention of location of transmitting equipment. Portable and mobile amateur radio stations earlier required explicit permission from WPC and the fee for mobile endorsement was fixed at ₹200.[24] As of June 2019, amateur radio stations are allowed to operate anywhere in India except those locations that are restricted by the government from time to time.[25]
Amateur radio operators from
Call-signs
The
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.
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.[12] The VU3 prefix has also been granted to foreigners operating in India. As of 2011[update], call-signs consist of only letters, not numerals, and the suffix is three characters long. Examples of Indian amateur radio call-signs are "VU2XYZ" and "VU3EGH".[citation needed]
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.[31] The Indian Union territory (UT) of Andaman and Nicobar Islands are assigned the prefix VU4 and the UT of Lakshadweep is assigned VU7.
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).[32]
Organisation
The WPC is the only authorised body responsible for regulating amateur radio in India. The WPC has its headquarters in
In India, amateur radio is governed by the
Allotted spectrum
The following frequency bands are permitted by the WPC for use by amateur radio operators in India.[14][12][35]
Band | Frequency in MHz | Wavelength |
---|---|---|
6 | 1.820–1.860 | 160 m |
7 | 3.500–3.700 | 80 m |
7 | 3.890–3.900 | 75 m |
7 | 7.000–7.200 | 40 m |
7 | 10.100–10.150 | 30 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 |
10 | 5725–5840 | 5 cm |
Awareness drives
Indian amateur radio operators number approximately 22,000. Amateur radio clubs across the country offer training courses for the
Recently, many amateur radio clubs, such as, the Indian Institute of Hams, the Amateur Radio Society of India and the South India Amateur Radio Society, have conducted physical and virtual training programmes to help more people into taking up amateur radio as one of their hobbies.[36] These clubs also run awareness campaigns from time to time highlighting the role of amateur radio in disaster management in India.[37]
Activities and events
Popular events and activities include
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 was held at Kochi, Kerala.[41]
Amateur radio clubs
- Mangaluru Amateur Radio Club
MARC engages in a number of activities, including amateur radio homebrew, amateur radio awareness campaigns, and communication support during the land slide,
- HAMBEL Amateur Radio Club: A very active amateur radio club based in Belagavi. It is one of the oldest ham radio clubs in India.
- Hams of Pune: This is a ham radio club based in Pune, Maharashtra though they have members from other cities too, Hams of Pune also operates a VHF/UHF repeater station in the city.
- Bhavan's Amateur Radio Club: The club has callsign VU2BAC and was formed by the first batch of amateur radio operators successfully getting their licenses from the Indian government. The club is based at Bhavan's College in Andheri (West), Mumbai.
- JNA Wireless Association. The JNA Wireless Association is located in South Mumbai and was formed in memory of veteran ham radio operator, late JN Anklesaria. The club was using ham radio equipment donated by the family of JN Anklesaria. This club played a major role in relief operations in Osmanabad and Latur areas following the September 1993 killer earthquake at Killari.
See also
- Amateur radio frequency bands in India
- Amateur Station Operator's Certificate
- Citizens Band radio in India
- Amateur radio callsigns of India
References
- Note:* Indian call signs do not use numbers as an identifier. This picture is for demonstration purposes only.
- ^ a b Ramchandran, Ramesh (3 March 2005). "Government to promote amateur radio". The Tribune. Retrieved 27 July 2008.
- Indian Express. Express Group. Retrieved 23 July 2008.
- ^ a b Susarla, Ramesh (15 December 2007). "Licence to yak". The Hindu. N. Ram. Archived from the original on 7 December 2008. Retrieved 23 July 2008.
- ^ Ramchandran, Ramesh (4 January 2005). "Sonia helps bridge communication gap". The Tribune. The Tribune Trust. Archived from the original on 26 July 2008. Retrieved 25 July 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f
Missra, Avinash (1996). Brief History of Amateur Radio in Calcutta. Hamfest India '96 Souvenir. Kolkata.
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: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ ISBN 0-313-33167-7. Retrieved 30 June 2008.
- ^ a b Williamson, Owen. "The Mahatma's Hams". WorldRadio. Archived from the original on 28 June 2008. Retrieved 23 July 2008.
- ^ "Member Societies". International Amateur Radio Union. Archived from the original on 22 July 2008. Retrieved 23 July 2008.
- ^ a b c Missra, Avinash (1996). Brief History of Amateur Radio in Calcutta. Hamfest India '96 Souvenir. Kolkata.
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: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Verma, Rajesh (1999). "1". ABC of Amateur Radio and Citizen Band (2 ed.). New Delhi: EFY Enterprises Pvt. Ltd. p. 11.
- ^ "AMSAT - VO52 (HAMSAT) Information". AMSAT. 12 May 2005. Archived from the original on 31 July 2008. Retrieved 23 July 2008.
- ^ a b c d e "OM L-14011/255/2004-AMT" (PDF). WPC Wing, Ministry of Communications & I.T., Government of India. 13 August 2010. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
- ^ a b c "Ham operators are a cut above the rest". The Times of India. 21 May 2007. Archived from the original on 18 October 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2008.
- ^ 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. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 October 2008. Retrieved 3 August 2008.
- ^ a b 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. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 October 2008. Retrieved 3 August 2008.
- Wireless and Planning and Coordination Wing, Government of India. 9 June 2005. Retrieved 23 July 2008.
- ^ 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. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 October 2008. Retrieved 3 August 2008.
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VU3WIJ. "An Introduction to Amateur Radio". The Indian Wireless Telegraphs (Amateur Service) Rules, 1978. Retrieved 19 July 2008.
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- ^ Indian Wireless Telegraphs (Amateur Service) Rules
- ^ 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. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 October 2008. Retrieved 3 August 2008.
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- ^ "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. Archived from the original on 15 April 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2008.
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Amendment in Amateur Radio rule 2010 by WPC (actually based on 2009)[1]
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
- Verma, Rajesh (1988). "ABC of Amateur Radio and Citizen Band" (Document). EFY Publications.
- Ali, Saad (1985). "Guide To Amateur Radio In India" (Document). E.M.J. Monteiro.