A team of 16 Australian radio amateurs in V-K-3 will activate special event callsign AX3ITU on Tuesday 17th of May. This, to mark the 140th birthday of the International Telecommunications Union.

Amateur Radio Victoria aims to have the have AX3ITU on air virtually the entire 24 hours. The station will be available on CW, Phone, PSK31 and an amateur satellite on the day.

Three of the team, VK3QI, VK3ANJ and VK3YR, will concentrate on CW on the 40, 30 and 20 meter bands. Phone operation will be on the 80, 40, 20 and 2-metre bands, while PSK31 is to target 80 and 40 meters.

A commemorative QSL card will be available for contacts. Cards go direct to VK3WI or via the bureau.

'Rag-chewing' has become clamorous affair for ham

Thanks to AIR, ‘rag chewing’ has become clamorous affair for ham operatorsFriday April 29 2005 00:00 IST

KOCHI: For hams, ‘rag chewing’ (conversing) in ham radios has become a clamorous affair thanks to the Thiruvananthapuram All India Radio (AIR) station.

The station is transmitting errant and spurious signals, thereby hampering and interrupting exclusive frequencies of ham radio operators in the country. The noise has forced several ham amateurs in India to pull down the big switch.

The AIR Thiruvananthapuram station, which is authorised to use 5010 and 7290 khz in the 60 and 41-metre band respectively for its domestic Malayalam service, regularly trespasses into the ham frequencies band, which is segmented between 7000 and 7100 khz.

“Several ham radio frequency bandwidths are affected as a result of the spurious emission. It causes extreme interference to our radio communication and we have changed several of our ham net programmes to other bandwidths and different time schedule,” said Manohar Arasu, monitoring systems co-ordinator of Amateur Radio Society of India (ARSI), who goes by the call sign VU2UR.

The corrupted bandwidths located till now are 7002, 7026, 7050, 7074, 7098 khz. There are also unwanted emissions on bands 7121, 7314 and 7362 khz, which do not belong to the hams.

“These bandwidths can even belong to radio services used for aviation communication, navigation, telephone services etc. The overpowering signals from the AIR station just elbow-in and interrupt our audio. This may not cost much for ham radios, but radio signals for aviation and navigation, if mangled, will lead to a disaster,” said P.B.Sam Kumar, who has a call sign VU3MGU.

As per the rules charted in the International Radio Regulations, it is clearly stated that no unwanted emission should be allowed to trespass into the frequency allotted to ham operators. If any such cases arise, it should be rectified as early as possible, or the transmission must be stopped.

“We had sent letters to Thiruvananthapuram AIR station for restricting their emissions. But nothing has been done so far. Their spectrum analyser showed no harmonics (a type of emission) was their reply. But in the first place, I had never told them of any harmonics at all. AIR is violating the rules framed by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)”, said Manohar Arasu.

Top officials at the AIR Station, Thiruvananthapuram, are willing to solve the problem, provided the ham club co-operate. But the broadcast major has been ham-fisted in locating the erring line. The department has not changed its working frequency for several years.“We had even summoned the Wireless & Planning Commission (WPC) in vain, to detect the emission. We are willing to hold discussion with members of the ham clubs regarding this. If worked together we will be able to find a permanent solution to the whole problem,” said AIR-Thiruvananthapuram station engineer K.V.Ramachandran.

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IER20050428111932&Page=R&Title=Kerala&Topic=0

S21ZA

It took almost three years to get Bangladesh off the ground in an amateur radio sense. It was not the sort of place where one could go, set up a station and start making QSOs. No legislation was in place to direct amateur radio operation, and such legislation did not feature on top of the new Bangladeshi Government's list of priorities.

Jim, VK9NS started dealing with the relevant Government departments in February 1990. In March 1991 he travelled to Dhaka in response to a 'Telex of Invitation' from the Ministry of Information, only to find that permission to operate amateur radio in Bangladesh could not be granted at that time. During his stay in Dhaka, Jim established contact with various departments and had many meetings with government officials. There was considerable suspicion about amateur radio with fears that it could jeopardize the country's security. Top officials were also generally too busy to pursue the matter further.

On 2nd. April Jim received a telephone call confirming that everything was finally approved for a demonstration of amateur radio. Operation would be restricted to using three frequencies for SSB, one each on 20, 15 and 10 M. and would be conducted in the office of the N.B.A. monitoring section. Jim thus made 730 QSOs as S21U under supervision.

The monitoring was a success, giving some locals also a chance to say hello to some amateur voice from Australia, Japan, Norfolk Island and so on. Officials of the new government were also impressed and happy to hear that Bangladesh was the centre of international attention. Jim succeeded in making them aware that amateur radio is a hobby, good fun and involves people from all walks of life.

The groundwork was done but it was to be another year before everything was in place for amatuer radio in Bangladesh to take its rightful place. Jim helped with the actual writing of the necessary legislation and in July 1992 he received a Telex from Teleboard - Dhaka informing him that the Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh had approved Amateur Radio Service in Bangladesh, and invited him to make his application for a license. Jim duly made his application and had all paperwork in order by the end of the month. He travelled to Dhaka in early August and operated as S21ZA, this being the first license issued to a foreigner.

Many other foreign operators have followed and Bangladesh now sports its own Amateur Radio Society.

http://www.hidxa.nlk.nf/ExpeditionsS21ZA.htm

Recently Kolkata Ham set up a VHF repeater in Kolkata.

Call : VU2CVH (Calcutta VHF Amateur Radio Society Repeater)

Uplink 145.050 MHz / Downlink 145.650 MHz,

Custodian : VU2HFR.

They have interfaced it with Echolink. Right now the internet service at VU2HFR is dialup but within a month or so the same will be a BSNL broadband link. Right now the best timing for the net for us is 2230 hrs when the internet tariff is least on dialup (1 call every 10 mins). VU2CVH-R can be QRV on Echolink at 2230 hrs.

73's
Horey, VU2HFR
Asst. Secretary & Repeater Custodian
CVARS

HAM global centre at Sagar Island during Gangasagar Mela

[India News]: Kolkata, Jan 8 : Union Communications Ministry has issued licences to city-based amateur HAM Radio operators to set up a round-the-clock global communication station at the Sagar Island during this year's Gangasagar Mela.The facility would be available from January 9 to 16 at the fair grounds and relations and pilgrims still searching for their near and dear ones hit by the tsunami would be able to avail the facility free of cost at the centre being put up, an official release here said.HAM volunteers are setting up two special high frequency sets to provide security and communication-related assistance to the fair administration.A 25-member HAM brigade will assist the administration at the Sagar Island in security vigil and in other aspects during the annual fair, the release said.HAM volunteers had played an important role during search and relief operations in the aftermath of the Gujarat earthquake and the super cyclone in Orissa.
PTI
Published at New Kerala Media.

Significant move....

Dear friends,
In a significant move, the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Govt. of India, has convened a joint meeting of the different Ministries, Government Departments and different Amateur Radio (ham radio) promoting bodies in India on December 6, 2004. The meeting which was held at the behest of the National Disaster Management Wing of the Ministry of Home Affairs aimed at removing the bottlenecks of ham radio promotion in India and to bring up a 'National Roadmap' for ham radio promotion.

Brainstorming sessions on the following aspects were held:
(1) Amateur Radio in Education (School/College/Technical Institutes);(2) Amateur Radio for Volunteer Groups under youth development schemes;(3) Amateur Radio Promotion and related Legal/Security/Regulatory aspects.
The ham radio operators in the India were represented by the Amateur Radio Society of India (ARSI), Vigyan Prasar (National Council for Science & Technology Communications & Vigyan Prasar Club VU2NCT, Govt. of India), National Institute of Amateur Radio (NIAR), Mumbai Amateur Radio Society (MARS), and Institute of Amateur Radio Gujarat (GIAR).

Hams who have represented on behalf of the above organisations were: Lion Ajoy from Bangalore, VU2JHM (representing ARSI-an IARU affiliated body) and Shri Sahruddin, VU2SDN (Ex-President, ARSI), Shri S. Suri, VU2MY (National Institute of Amateur Radio, Hyderabad), Shri Sandeep Baruah, VU2MUE (Ex-VU2MSY) & Dr. Subodh Mahanti from Vigyan Prasar, Deptt. of Science & Technology, Shri Nilesh Rathod, VU2NLF (Mumbai Amateur Radio Society, Mumbai), and Shri Jinofer Bhujwala (Institute of Amateur Radio Gujarat-GIAR).

ARSI's views were earlier faxed by Mrs. Sarla Sharma, VU2SWS (Vice-President, ARSI) to the Home Ministry.

Shri Rama Rao, Assistant Wireless Adviser to the Govt. of India, WPC Wing was also present in the meeting. It was informed by Shri Rama Rao that WPC is now considering an amendment of the Indian Wireless Telegraph (Amateur Service) Rules 1978 (which was last amended in 1984). For example, there may be just two categories of ham radio licences in India, i.e.'Restricted Grade' and a 'General Grade' licence.

The meeting was convened and presided over by Shri Saroj Kumar Jha, Director (NDM-III, Ministry of Home Affairs), who strongly felt that that the grievances of amateur radio enthusiasts in India are genuine and that these attract serious attention. He also expressed his feelings to do away with the age old rules & regulations pertaining to ham radio in India.

Most of the participants came to a common consensus that following are the bottlenecks of ham radio promotion in India:

(1) Long delay in the 'Licencing' (due to the long process involved in police verification etc.)

(2) Restrictions like the permissions involved in ham radio operation (for portable operation, mobile operation, field day operation, awareness programmes, expeditions, dxpedition, reciprocal operations, car rallies etc.)

(3) Customs duty imposed on amateur radio equipments (those that come under the HS Code 852520 04).

(4) Mandatory requirement of the knowledge of Morse Code etc.

In this regard, an elaborate report is submitted to the NDM (Home Ministry) by VU2NCT club station of Vigyan Prasar, which is available at http://www.qsl.net/vu2msy/VU2NCT_Suggestions_to_Home_Ministry.pdf .
These are in line with the views which are separately submitted by ARSI to the NDM (Home Ministry).

We on behalf of VU2NCT club station would like to thank all the hams who have submitted their valuable suggestions through an online Internet form long time back at http://www.qsl.net/vu2msy/amendment.htm .

Many of the views in our report to the Home Ministry are directly 'taken' or 're-produced' from the views which were deliberated by the individual hams in India through the online Internet form.

Thanks to OM Gopal Madhavan, VU2GMN, YL Sarla Sharma, VU2SWS (Vice President, ARSI), Shri Sahruddin, VU2SDN (Ex-President, ARSI) and Lion Ajoy, VU2JHM for catalyzing the effort.

Thanks to VU2UKR, VU3FUN, VU2ZZA, VU2LID, VU2ZAP, VU2UYC, VU2DUF, VU2KFR, VU2ATN, VU2PCD, VU2CBU (Ex-VU3PDZ), VU3DJQ, VU3SNM, VU2JPS, VU2NGB, VU3HCL, VU2LLA, VU2GRM, VU3RJH, VU2PAI, VU2SBJ, VU2HSM, VU2JN, VU3HCL, VU2SDU, VU2LLA, VU2PAI, VU2DRL, VU2LIB, VU2WEE VU2ARC/JHM, VU2YK, VU2RAK, VU2HFR, VU2SXA, VU2BTM, VU3VOA, VU2NTA, VU3GRB, VU2FTF, VU3GTF, VU2SWM, VU3SLV, VU3ALK, VU3NSP, VU2KFL, VU2PQ, VU2NGD, VU3AGU, VU2PN, VU2QGQ, VU2QGS, VU2OGR, VU2HY, VU2CRD, VU2CMR, VU2KYP, VU3KSP, VU2XMX, VU3VOC, VU3PAN, VU3BWB VU3RCN, VU3KPL, VU2MKD, VU2RPC, VU2SKD, VU3BFO, VU3WCI, VU2RAR, VU2IVG, VU3KSP, VU2RDQ, VU2SXA, VU2TNA, VU3BGS, VU3BHU, VU3CSB, VU3MHM, VU2NJN, VU3GHB VU2TES, VU2TNA, VU3HPF, VU3AZI, VU3BSW, VU2NYR, VU2CVT, VU2AMU, VU2AVE, VU3OAM, VU2DXC, VU3XTO, VU2JSH, VU2LU, VU2VTH and also many SWLs, especially OM Ramakrishnan (Bangalore), OM Abhijit Dharmadhikari (Mumbai) who have been long waiting (for more than two years!) for their licences since they passed their exams...

The different Ministries/Departments who have participated in the meeting are:Deptt. of Space, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of HRD, Deptt. of IT, DOT, DCPW (Police Wireless), Confederation of Indian Industries, Orissa State Disaster Mitigation Authority (OSDMA), Govt. of Uttaranchal and Govt. of AP etc. We expect that a National Roadmap for the promotion of ham radio in India would come up soon.

Kudos to the Disaster Management Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs for coordinating and promoting amateur radio as a tool for effective disaster communication. It is expected that the present impediments of amateur radio promotion in India can be removed by implementing a new amateur radio policy with active cooperation of different Ministries (e.g. DOT, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Defence, Revenue Ministries, Ministry of HRD & other concerned deptts.) and amateur radio promoting bodies.

Thanks & Best 73de
(Sandeep Baruah) VU2MUE

Senior Scientific Officer

Vigyan Prasar, Deptt. of Science & Technology (Club VU2NCT)

C-24, Qutab Institutional Area,

New Delhi - 110016.

VoIP TRANSCEIVER TO BE INSTALLED IN BAGHDAD

Former 73 Magazine Editor Keith Lamonica, W7DXX, plans to install a fully operational remotely controlled transceiver in Baghdad, Iraq, in the next few weeks. YI9DXX this will be available for any ham in the world who is registered with W7DXX to use his Voice over I P Internet system. For more information take your web browser over to www.lamonica.com and peruse the information you will find there.

(G3ZHI)