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)

New QRZ CD-ROM available

The 24th edition of the Q-R-Zed C-D ROM Ham Radio Callsign Database is about ready to start shipping. The disk contains the same 1.2 million callsigns found on the QRZ.com on-line database and you have the option of reading them from the DC ROM or installing them on your hard disk for lightning fast access. For ordering and shipping information simply point your web browser to https://secure.qrz.com/store/qrz_cd.html or http://qrz.com/ and click on the photo icon that says "New Q-R-Zed CD ROM".

(QRZ.COM)

How I become a HAM - S21AM

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

BIG CHANGES AT THE QRZ.COM WEBSITE

Some major changes are taking place at the very popular QRZ.com ham radio website.

Fred Lloyd, AA7BQ, who runs the QRZ.com website has announced major changes in access to posting access site. This, for registered users whose login user name is not the same as their ham radio callsign.

Basically, Lloyd says that only contributors who have legitimate ham radio calls will be permitted to post material to most areas of the website. To accomplish this Llloyd says that he has created two levels of membership. One called Ham is for those who want to use their call sign as registration login. The other will be the Guest member for those who may not have a call or who simply prefer not to use it.

Those who have a call and use it for login purposes will have full read and write access to all public Q-R-Z forums, plus the ability to make changes and/or additions to listings in the callsign database. Guest level members will be limited to posting on the sites Help Forum, the For Sale Forums, and the Questions and Answers Forum. These people will have no access to callsign database editing functions. QRZ.com has also instituted several rules to help keep order and decorum at the site to make it enjoyable for the majority of those signing on. Among these are the right to terminate the current and future membership status of any user who engages in the harassment of any other user, staff member, or volunteer of this system or the use of any information derived from the website that contributes in any way to unsolicited e-mail of any kind. Also banned is the posting of obscene or offensive material on the site and QRZ managers say that they reserve the sole right to determine what is either offensive or obscene.

The site will shortly begin converting current members to the new system. If you are currently signed up using your call sign as your logon I-D you need do nothing. For those who are not, QRZ we will be assigning new login names to those current members who are apparently licensed amateurs. The new logon name will be the same as the callsign that is listed in the QRZ call sign database as the 'Primary Callsign' for that account. Each user who is subjected to a name change will be notified via e-mail at the address we have on file for that user. Names that cannot be associated with a callsign will be assigned to the Guest level of membership.

Lots more about the changes are on the QRZ.com website under the title QRZ System Announcement. Lloyd and the managers at QRZ say that they hope that these hanges will improve the website for everybody.

-QRZ.com

MARKONI 100 Award

The MARKONI 100 Award is available to all amateurs worldwide who submit three QSL cards as confirmation of having contacted three Montenegrins radio amateur stations with special prefixes in period between 01. July – 31. August 2004. year, or one QSL card as confirmation of having contacted with memorial radio station 4O6100BB. In addition, endorsement stickers are available as listed below.

1. Endorsement stickers for the basic mixed mode/band award are available for SSB, CW any single band . The GOLD endorsement is available for the applicant who has worked 10 stations with special prefixes, including memorial station 4O6100BB. QRP is defined as 10 watts input (or 5 watts output) of the applicant only and is affirmed by signature of the applicant on the application.

Aplications with QSL cards and 10 IRCs or 10E have to be sent to award manager YT6A. For each endorsement stickers you have to sent 3 IRCs or 3E.

Ranko Boca, YT6A
Nikole Ljubibratica 78, Herceg Novi 85340
Montenegro, SiCG
List with all applicants will be daily update on www.yt6a.com
POZ, Aćim YZ1EW
--
Dragan Acimovic
Petnica Science Center
P. O. Box 6, 14104 Valjevo
SUSAM (State Union of Serbia And Montenegro)
Phone (+381) 14 241-180
Fax (+381) 14 241-212
Cel (+381) 64 128-56-91
http://www.qsll.com

SEARCHABLE CQ MAGAZINE ARCHIVE

Finding an article or an advertisement in a back issue of CQ Magazine is about to become only a mouse click away. This, as CQ Communications and Buckmaster Publishing announce plans to create a searchable on-line archive of CQ magazines back issues.

Buckmaster, which produces the Hamcall CD has for decades filmed issues of CQ onto microfiche for use by researchers and hobbyists. Buckmaster also provides advanced scanning and searching technology for on-line posting of documents for major corporations. Now this same technology will be applied to back issues of CQ.

As currently envisioned, searches will be free, while access to reading and printing specific pages will require a subscription at a nominal fee. Eventually Buckmaster plans to have every issue of CQ available dating back to the magazine's first issue in January 1945.

A beta test version covering CQ from 1990 to 2002 is already on-line. The archive may be accessed at http://www.hamcall.net/cgi-bin/cqcgi.

- CQ