How I Become a HAM !
I was interested about electronics specially radio electronics from my school life . I became a serious SWL ( short wave listener ) from 1980 . As a part of my radio related experiment I made a BFO ( beat frequency oscillator ) on 1982 to listen SSB ( single side band ) signal through my normal Short wave radio .At the end of October 1983 once afternoon first I heard that some body discuss on 20mb through Bengali language . Next two days I heard the same frequency and understood that they are all talking from INDIA.
I was surprised to listen that they were discussing all technical matter specially radio related and some times talking some code such as VU2AP, VU2APU ,VU2DPD etc. I became crazy to contact with them too but I didn't know their address. So I wrote a letter to Indian DX Club which I found earlier from Radio Netherlands’s Booklist. After some days I got a letter from
FARSI & informed me that was the Indian Amateur Radio Net and send me one of their postal address. I wrote to VU2APU Apu regarding my interest of amateur radio but after some days a reply came from
VU2APU and come to know that SSB transceiver buildup is too critical and on the other hand the HAM radio not allowed in
FARSI Bangladesh . But he advise me to contact to ARRL and collect a ARRL hand book from USA. After this information I wrote to American Radio Relay league on November 1983 and really surprised to see when ARRL's
reply and finally received an ‘ARRL HAND BOOK 1983' free of charge by sea mail. They had informed me that there is a amateur radio society in Bangladesh, called “Bangladesh Amateur Radio League“ . That was first time I heard about BARL and wrote a letter to BARL express my interest about HAM radio
I got a
letter from BARL on that the Amateur Radio not Yet permitted in Bangladesh . After this I met two times to Mr. Saif Shaid ( S21A ) the founder and former President of BARL . At the same time we are some young enthusiast start to contact several HAM organization in our own way . After the divesting Cyclone of April 30, 1991 our govt . realized the importance of HAM radio and finally the ban lifted officially on August 28, 1992. Then another question who and how will amateur radio license will be issue ? Which Syllabus will be followed ? Who will conduct the Amateur Radio Examination ? At this situation we found that Mr. Saif Shaid ( S21A ), Mr. Nizamuddin Chowdhury ( S21B ) got their license . The authority informed us that they have decided if any Bangladeshi have any foreign Amateur Radio License so the BTTB will issue Bangladeshi Call Sign and License until they arrange any HAM examination so as a part of that they have issued the license for S21A, S21B, S21C, S21AR.
That time we were too much crazy for our Bangladeshi Call sign and License so we are trying to obtain any Foreign Amateur Radio License. Finally as per our request one of the Amateur Radio Society of USA called “Foundation for Amateur International Radio Service [ FAIRS ]“ response and they informed us that as a part of promotion amateur radio in the under developing country they will come Bangladesh conduct a FCC ( US License ) examination here at Dhaka. The FAIRS International team lead by Mr. David Larsen ( KK4WW ) came Dhaka on March 12, 1993. FAIRS conduct a two week amateur radio tanning program at BUET about 34 people was participate that program including BTTB officials.
Finally 17 person passed and open the door for apply the Bangladeshi Call Sign and License Following the previous way I got my S21AM Call sign and License on September 12, 1993 that was the 5th Bangladeshi License in our Country.
We formed FAIRS Bangladesh on 1993 pls visit
http://www.fairs.org/- Manjurul Haque S21AM / KE4AEV
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