The Hindu features an article on Ham Hobby in Chennai

Catch this on print in The Hindu Metroplus dated 25th April 2009 or Click on the image for an enlarged view.








Chennaihams wishes to thank Prince Frederick (The Hindu) for the good coverage which would give more visibility to the HAM hobby in Chennai to ensure this hobby keeps growing further in this era where other communication modes are expanding fast.

TImes of India honours all Chennai HAMs with an article on the occasion of World Amateur Radio Day

Catch this on print in Page 6, Times of India (Main Paper/Times City) dated 18th April 2009 or Click on the image for an enlarged view.

Chennaihams wishes to thank Kamini Mathai(TOI) for the good coverage which would give more visibility to this passion in Chennai , thus attracting more people to become HAMmers.

Chennai HAM Couple featured in THE HINDU - METROPLUS

Chennai HAM couple VU2DRK (Ramakrishnan) & his wife VU2MRK (Manjula) were featured in the mush register section of The Hindu - Metroplus Chennai dated 14th April 2009.

Click this link for full article http://www.hinduonnet.com/mp/2009/04/14/stories/2009041450230500.htm

Wishes from all Chennai HAMS/SWL's to the couple for a wonderful life ahead and offcourse keep hamming to keep your voice on air always.

Chennai Eyeball Meet : A Memorable Gettogether

After longtime in Chennai all HAM's/SWL's got an opportunity to come together for an eyeball and share lots of things about the wonderful hobby. The response was overwhelming with almost 50+ people making time out of their precious Sunday and coming to venue at TTK road to meet their old buddies as well share their knowledge/experience with budding amateur radio enthusiasts/SWL’s.

A short photo profile of the eyeball is enclosed , full story board with photos would be updated shortly.

Vu2GMN Gopal Madhavan (President - Amateur Radio Society of India) gave the welcome address and elaborated on Amateur radio in general as well as the current bottlenecks the hobby faces in India and how ARSI is working to make things easier for budding HAMS.

Many senior HAM’s/SWL’s as well as budding hobbyists participated in the event and many shared their thoughts about this hobby as well as gave some much needed guidance for new comers.

VU2DPN also informed that the ASOC exam study group has now become 20+ members and hence most probably senior HAM’s are liaising with WPC wireless monitoring station (Perungudi) to conduct a restricted grade exam in Chennai by June’09 end.

All those interested to take up the exam are requested to register at hamexams@gmail.com to start getting the online lessons as well soft copy of study material which would be readily e-mailed to your mail ID .

Special thanks to VU3MOA Mohan for arranging for the venue and hope more and more volunteers come forward to organize such get together’s in Chennai in near future for the benefit of HAM community. Anybody wishing to publish a story/contribute photos like your HAM shack etc pls send across and we would review and publish same.

For full photoprofile of the event pls click on this link PhotoAlbum of Eyeball

Informal HAM Eyeball at Chennai on 12th April 2009

As a precursor to the world amateur radio day coming up in April month (18thApril) the Chennaihamsblogspot invites all the Chennai HAM's and SWL's to come together for the passion of this wonderful hobby under one roof in chennai for an informal eyeball on April 12th 2009 at 4:30PM onwards . Its long time since Chennai has an interaction like this.

The Address is as follows:
Maharastra Education Fund Hall No.290, TTK road , Alwarpet , Chennai Opp to Ethiraj Kalyanamandapam.

The eyeball meeting is a casual interaction meet for all SWL's/budding HAMS tomeet around with buddies to discuss on preparation plans to take up ASOL examsand also for all OM's to catch up old friends , have a chat etc.Its also an opportunity to share suggestions/ideas for the improvement of theblogsite as well overall HAM activities in Chennai or any other subject relatedto ham radio.Your presence for this gettogether will be the key to success of the event and astepping stone for organising further HAM activities during 2009 in Chennai.

For any further info/suggestions pls call anyone below.

Deepan /VU2DPN/9840790506

Vipin /SWL/9840873578

Devdas /VU2DH/9841015516

Sathyan /VU3MES/9840988517

Hope we all have a wonderful interactive session during the eyeball.

13th HAM VHF Foxhunt conducted at Calicut,Kerala

The 13th Kerala VHF Fox Hunt was succesfully conducted at Calicut , Kerala on 8th March 2009 . Eight teams participated in total and a large crowd including members of public and press had assembled to witness the function which received lot of media coverage . The event was covered locally in Calicut by INDIAN EXPRESS, MALAYALA MANORAMA & MATHRUBHUMI and also TV. The programme was conducted by Quilon Amateur Radio League in association with Calicut Repeater Club.

Fox hunt being flagged off with team No.3, by Mr. A. Pradeepkumar,MLA with QARL President Natarajan

VU2KGN QARL President Natarajan VU2KGN giving a brief to the chief guest about HAM Radio.

Rest of gathering including HAMS,SWL's, media etc.

On the D-Day 8th March among the thousands of radio waves in the air , there was a tone in a particular frequency 144.600 Mhz , when all the six teams linedup on at 1000 hrs with their directional antennas and HAM RADIO Handies .

Taking bearing in a building top - VU2DH - DAS, VU3GGK-GOPAL, VU2KIV DR.VIJESH, VU2OGO SANTOSH, VU2VJT THOMAS

The tools of the trade including VHF handie, Maps, compass etc and its defenitely looks tech stuff from scotland yard or straight out of a bond movie.

They rushed in various directions, few of them were proceeding towards the medical college where they receive strong signals towards the driving exam grounds near CHEVAYOOR. The fox was VU2RDL RAJAGOPAL Vice President of QARL. This is the first time VHF Fox hunt being organised in Calicut which the 13th Kerala VHF Fox hunt being conducted by QARL.

Ham radio enthusiasts volunteer for communication support anywhere in the world during emergencies and natural calamities, and even ships and aircrafts in disaster. The aim of conducting FOX hunt was to create public awareness that HAMs can serve Government & public during emergencies. In the interesting game, the team from Chennai hunted down the the fox first within record 45 minutes.

This first prize winning team consisted of VU2DH(DAS), VU3GGK GOPALAKRISHNAN (GOPAL) & VU2KIV DR. VIJITH . The Radio Wave hunters on the move having a close discussion before finally closing in on the fox den.

First position winning team VU3GGK,VU2KIV,VU2DH with fox VU2RDL RAJAGOPAL after capturing the fox Den. All the participants at the Fox Den.

The other team consisting of OM Ibrahim, VU3IRH from Pollachi and OM Prabhu, VU2TPP won the second prize . The third prize went to team comprising of OM Santhosh, VU2OGO and OM Thomas, VU2VJT from Payyannur. The winners would be awarded CSD rolling shields in addition to cash prizes and certificates during Ham Fair, 2009 at Kollam.

All Chennai HAMS/SWL's would like to convey hearty congratulations to all the partipants and winners for keeping up the spirit of this passionate hobby . Available photos are shown here , if any more photos related to this event if anyone has pls send across by e-mail and we could upload in this space.

WORLD AMATEUR RADIO DAY - 18th April 2009

Each year on 18 April , radio amateurs celebrate World Amateur Radio Day. On that day in 1925 the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) was founded. In 2009, the IARU theme of the event is Amateur Radio: Your Resource in Disaster and Emergency Communication.

Indian HAMS have contributing heavily during disaster situations. In Gujarat, for 10 days after the 2001 earthquake, hams were the only people who could communicate effectively. A number of them drove straight to Gujarat when they heard about the tragedy, using car batteries to power their radios so they could call for help whenever they found victims or unclaimed bodies. Every time there's a cyclone, an air crash or disasters in open fields where communication is difficult, hams are called upon for help since their mobile radio systems always work. Often, one ham is stationed at the district collector's office, just so he can talk to the authorities. Over the years, many hams have lost their lives when serving during disasters. Deepa, a young lady who went to Gujarat to help out, picked up a disease there and died. More recently, a Sri Lankan ham, who was in Iraq on a peace keeping mission as part of the UN group for communications, was shot dead.

Meanwhile, in Tamil Nadu itself during the Tsunami in 2004 , HAMS swung to action to support State Government in relief ops and hams from across South India are being mobilised to help in whatever ways they can. They established stations in Vellankani, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Kanyakumari, Pondicherry and Thanjavur and also set up control stations in the bigger cities, like Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata and Delhi.

While the Amateur Radio Service has traditionally made its contributions to emergency and disaster response ever since its very beginnings almost 100 years ago, this role has gained a lot of importance just in the recent past. It has done so mainly for two reasons:
** The number and dimension of natural as well as man-made disasters is unfortunately on the increase, and
** The modern communication technologies are increasingly complex, infrastructure-dependent and therefore also increasingly vulnerable.

The Amateur Radio Services puts two equally valuable assets at its disposal for emergency and disaster prevention, preparedness and response:
** A large number of very flexible and mostly infrastructure-independent, local, national, regional and global networks, and
** A large number of skilled operators, who know how to communicate with often very limited means and to establish communications even under the most difficult circumstances.

The tools at their disposal range from the most robust means such as battery-operated stations operating in Morse code to links through amateur radio satellites and interconnectivity with the Internet, in voice, text, image and data modes. They range from local VHF networks of fixed, mobile and portable stations to shortwave networks that span the globe. All these networks are operated on a daily basis by men and women who are thoroughly familiar with their technology and their intricacies.

Telecommunications have become a commodity that society takes for granted, and the sudden loss of that service is often felt in a similar way to the loss of shelter, food and medical support. When disasters occur in regions that do not have good coverage by public networks, or when existing communications infrastructures have just been disrupted or destroyed by such events, the Amateur Radio Service comes to the rescue. Amateur Radio operators provide communications for the rescuers and relief workers and their organizations and they help to provide communications for those affected by a disaster.

In fact, contributions to emergency and disaster relief are a major argument for the preservation and the extension of the privileges the Amateur Radio Service enjoys in international and national regulations. This is one of the reasons why more and more Amateur Radio operators, through their clubs and their national societies, prepare very seriously for their role in emergencies. However, their skills can be put to use only if they are known by other first responders. Effective response to emergencies can only occur with the work of volunteers in all the various fields; from search and rescue to medical assistance and those who can provide food and shelter. Communication skills are a new, but equally vital commodity.

Activities world over / in India cities on the occasion of World Amateur Radio Day 2009 can be a great opportunity to spread the word about what the “hams” are doing for the community.

As 18th April 2009 is fast approaching , pls start your throught process and we invite suggestions/ideas from all Chennai based HAMS/SWL's/Radio Enthusiasts on what we could do in Chennai on this day to further spread the passion of this hobby among common people. If we all come together then something nice could be organised at Chennai this year on this special day for HAM/Radio Enthusiasts.

HAM VHF Repeaters in South India - General Information

This is already compiled info available in the internet on the HAM VHF repeaters in South India, but many are non functional at this point of time, We invite current status info on all these repeaters from HAMS across SIndia to create an uptodate one and post on this webspace for the benefit of all HAMS/SWL's across South India.

A Short note about repeater equipment for info , inputs from www.vu2dfd.com site plus few other sources.

A repeater is a device that extends the range of mobile and portable radios. A repeater consists of a dedicated high-power radio unit that receives transmissions on its input frequency and simultaneously re-transmits them on its output frequency. Most repeaters have a set, band-dependant channel spacing (all repeaters on a particular band will have their input and output frequencies separated by the same amount, known as a REPEATER OFFSET).

Ham radio makes use of repeaters quite frequently, as do most commercial radio users. For very obvious reasons, scanner users need only worry about monitoring a repeater’s output or tx frequency. The most basic repeater consists of an FM receiver on one frequency and an FM transmitter on another frequency usually in the same radio band, connected together so that when the receiver picks up a signal, the transmitter is keyed and rebroadcasts whatever is heard. Ham repeaters are found mainly in the VHF two meter (144 - 146 MHz) and the UHF 70 centimeter (434 - 438 MHz) bands, but can be used on almost any frequency pair above 29 MHz.

Note that different countries have different rules; for example, in the United States, the two meter band is 144-148MHz, while in the United Kingdom and most of Europe) it's 144-146MHz.
Repeater frequency sets are known as "repeater pairs," and in the ham radio community most follow ad hoc standards for the difference between the two frequencies, commonly called the offset. In India two-meter band, the standard offset is 600 kHz (0.6 MHz), In the days of crystal-controlled radios, these pairs were identified by the last portion of the transmit (Input) frequency followed by the last portion of the receive (Output) frequency that the ham would put into the radio.

Thus "one-five seven-five" (15/75) meant that hams would transmit on 145.75MHz and listen on 145.15MHz (while the repeater would do the opposite, listening on 145.75 and transmitting on 145.15). Since the late 1970s, the use of synthesized, microprocessor-controlled radios, and widespread adoption of standard frequency splits have changed the way repeater pairs are described. Repeaters typically have a timer to cut off retransmission of a signal that goes too long. Repeaters operated by groups with an emphasis on emergency communications often limit each transmission to 30 seconds, while others may allow three minutes or even longer. The time restarts after a short pause following each transmission, and many systems feature a beep or chirp tone to signal that this has taken place.

A Band-pass/ Band-reject Filter otherwise known as Duplexer is used along with the repeater to operate on a single antenna for both transmit and receive. The Duplexer may have a set 2 or 3 cavities on both Transmit and receive side. A high gain Omni-directional antenna will be normally used at the repeater locations.

In India compared to other state/Cities Chennai is having maximum VHF repeater Stations.
Call Sign Tx Frequency Rx Frequency Location
VU2 PUM 145.600MHz 145. 00 MHz Chennai
VU2 MRR 145.775 MHz 145.175 MHz Chennai
VU3 MVR 145.675 MHz 145.075 MHz Chennai
VU3 VGC 145.575 MHz 144.975 MHz 75 KM from Chennai
VU2 VCM 145.475 MHz 145.875 MHz 150KM from Chennai
VU2 X I S 145.375 MHz 144.775 MHz 75 Km from Chennai

Due to some technical snags few of the above repeaters are not working. In a few months time all the repeaters will be operational . The First UHF repeater station in India is also located in Chennai.

VU2 MUG 434.100MHz / 435.800 MHZ

Each repeater station location and installation was a dream and it carries so much struggle/memories of different people who made it possible . The featured articles will follow with updates about the story of each repeater . In 2009 Chennai hams are trying to do more research and new ideas on the repeater maintenance , keep visiting this site for more updates.

Also this is an interesting link with info on the latest models of HAM Transreceivers from ICOM,Kenwood,Yaesu,Motorola etc . Pls check out http://www.twowayradioonline.com/

Becoming a HAM Radio Operator in India

Amateur radio, often called HAM Radio, is both a hobby and a service in which participants, called "hams," use various types of radio comunications equipment to communicate with other radio amateurs for public service , recreation and self-training. Amateur radio operators / HAMS enjoy personal (and often worldwide) wireless communications with each other and are able to support their communities with emergency and disaster communications if necessary, while increasing their personal knowledge of electronics and radio theory. An estimated six million people throughout the world are regularly involved with amateur radio and its a very addictive passion like photography, adventure sports etc.

Amateur radio or HAM Radio is practised by more than 16,000 licensed users in India. 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 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 first step is to get an amateur radio license in India from the ministry of communications/Wireless Planning Commission(WPC) . For the same, you have to write and pass an exam, and depending upon the category of license you are applying for, you may also need to learn the morse code. Don't worry that it would be too technical, its simple stuff which you need to learn and within reach of anybody, not essentially only engineers/tech folks.



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, but it all depends on number of applicants . 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 for Grade I & II. After passing the examination, the candidate must then clear a police verification process . After clearance, the WPC grants the licence along with the user-chosen call sign. This procedure can take up to 12 months.
The catogories of licenses are;
i) Advanced Amateur Wireless telegraph Station Licence; You need to know a lot of advanced electronics theory, plus be able to send and receive morse at 15 words per minute.
(ii) Amateur Wireless Telegraph Station Licence, Grade - I; Advance electronics theory - and morse at the speed of 15 words per minute.
(ii) Amateur Wireless Telegraph Station Licence, Grade - II; A brief theory exam, plus morse at a speed of 5 words per minute.
(iii) Restited Grade Amateur Wireless Telegraph Station Licence Only the theory exam and no morse. This restricted licence allows you to use VHF/UHF equipment, that is limited in range to line of sight type of distances, similar to the ones used by police and other services.
(iv) Short Wave Listeners' Amateur Wireless Telegraph Station Licence No exams, no morse! You can only listen - you can't talk back, not very exciting really.

Who can apply?
Only individuals over the age of 18 may apply to become a ham. But even if you are not 18 yet, do not despair. If you are over 12 and can get your parents or guardians to write that you are interested in wireless telegraphy, you can still get a ham radio licence.

For all those interested, the book "ABC of Amateur Radio and Citizen Band: Authored by Rajesh Verma" is available in Bangalore at below address, alternatively you could send them a DD along with courier charges and they will courier it to you.

EFY Enterprises No:9 , 17th Main 1st Cross,
HAL 2nd Stage, Behind Bajaj Showroom , Indira Nagar , Bangalore - 8 , Tel : 25260394
Cost : Rs.75

Once you are prepared , for taking the exams we may need to apply to the nearest Wireless Planning commission's monitoring station which in Chennai is locate at Perungudi. If there are more than 25 people they would come to any place we decide, else we may need to go there.

Some senior HAMS in Chennai through this free webspace are trying to bring together few interested HAM enthusiasts/SWL as a study group and propose to guide new comers to take up the ASOC exams including conduct weekend classes . Pls spread this messaage among your friends also and all interested people in Chennai Region pls send a mail and register at hamexams@gmail.com.
If you would like to watch live as to once you get your India HAM Radio License , how do you setup a basic Ham Radio station and what are the essentials/options for that , visit below link for some good videos , this info is courtesy VU3MES.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sKwzb7INXs&feature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YysVmkqAMfo&feature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3juOZCMDVZQ&feature=channel

Mahabs Eyeball Meet - More Photo Profiles

These are the few photographs sent by VU2 LFW OM Narayana Rao from chennai , special thanks to him for contributing. Anybody wishing to share more photos pls send in. Full spectrum photos are available at http://maham2009.blogspot.com/

VU3 MPK, VU2 KBX , VU3 WIB

VU2 TTL, VU3 MPK

VU2 KBX

VU2 TTL, VU2 GWH, VU2 DPN, VU2 FTF

VU2 AKW, VU3 MOA

VU2 AKW, VU3 MOA, VU2 DH, VU2 ISR

VU3 USI, VU3 WIB

VU2 VMZ, VU2 GWH HARI V/S HARI

VU2 INA, VU2 VSD, VU2 BOA.

Jan 2009 - Yercaud Shevroy HAM meet 2009

The Shevroy Ham meet 2009 was organised in Yercaud on Jan 25 and Jan26 2009 at Yercaud hills and saw some good participation from lot of HAMS . More than 235 HAMS and SWL's from all over India.

From Chennai the following hams attended the meet

Vu2 DPN Deepan / Vu2 DRK Ramki / VU2 GMN Gopal / VU2 AKW Ashok
VU2 DH Devadas / VU2 ISR Harsha / Vu2 PTR Thiagu / Vu2 GJR Dr. Gaja
Vu2 BOA Sam / VU2 VMZ Hari / Vu3 MOA Mohan / Vu3 CBM Balu
Vu3 STJ Radha / Vu2 VMK Mohameed / Vu2 GHB Hari / Vu2 CDP Deepak

Vu2 WYR Manohar With his full family attended the meet.

A record break of 137 checkin in the morning net on the January 26 2009 Year 2007 record checkin is 111 only. The fox hunt was a great event 4 teams participated. VU2DH and team become second. A 6 SqKm radius on a hilly terrion was a difficult one..Excellent food arrangement both veg and non veg. From near by Chennai Vu3wib DAYALN with his family also attended. Everybody expressed sincere thanks to VU2 PCP for the great effort to run the show as a single man . VU2 DPN was also appreicated for conducting the fox hunt and controlling the net.

Some photos of the event to get a visual profile.
Expert HAM fox, VU2DH Devdas from Chennai emerging from his Fox Den after the hunt.












Vu3OGO, VH3DH, Vu3RSB and an SWL













VU3STJ and VU3MOA















vu3ITI,VU2 YFS,VU2 PCP andVU3 NKK on stage











The second prize winning team for the Fox Hunt headed by VU2DH Devdas from Chennai












VU2IRH & team receiving award for first prize in Fox Hunt

xyl of vu2 wyr vu2 wyr vu2 gjr vu2 ent

fox hunt ist place ICI, IRH , DPN , TPP

fox hunt 3 rd place vu2 ctn vu3ksj vu3 gnu vu3 nkk

isr cbm and wdp

vu2ptr

Mahabalipuram HAM Eyeball Meet 2009

Mahabalipuram Amateur/HAM Eyeball Meet 2009 : The Great Get - Together

The organizers of Mahabs HAM eye ball meet are proud to dedicate this year's meet to OM MV Chauhan in recognition of his service to promote ham radio in India particularly in Chennai.
Around 87 hams and SWLs attended the function from Tamil Nadu , Andhra, Karnataka, and Kerala.
It was a real pleasure to meetup withg old HAM friends from vary places after quite sometime. VU2VSD S OM Sundar welcomed the gathering. OM Vittal VU2 VIT spoke about OM Chauhan VU2 MV mentioning the relationship with him, the services rendered by him for promoting ham radio in India.

OM Guru VU2 GUR shared his experience about the Ham satellite contacts. Dr. Rajasekar reddy VU2 HMY explained about his project Transceiver. After the lunch break VU2 PTR, VU2 LF, VU3 PAL , VU2 ARA displayed ham gears for sale.

From Chennai following HAMS joined in :
VU2 VIT Vittal, VU2 UU Shankar, VU2 LF Lakshman, VU2 GWH Hari, VU2 CDP Deepak,

VU3 STJ Radha, VU2 BOA Sam, VU2 MPK Appan, VU3 JRN Jamuna Rani, VU2 UMX Umakanthan, VU2 DH Das, VU2 GHX Madhavan, VU2 RDX Dhanasekar, VU2SAA Sampath, Vu3 CPE Vimal, VU2 ISR Harsha, VU2 DPN Deepan, VU2 WYR Manohar, VU2 PTR Thiagu, VU2 ETO Ravi, VU3 GGK Gopal, VU3 LFW Narayana Rao, VU2 DRK Ramki, VU3 USI Christi, VU2 AKW Ashok, VU2 TTL C-Kay, VU2 VAU Srini, VU3 MOA Mohan, VU2 CSM Shan, VU2 MTS Anantha, VU3 RLR Ratan, VU2 KLS Kalyan, VU2 DJM Murthy, VU2 KBX Anna, VU3 WIB Dayalan , VU3RGK Rajesh and SWL Nathan Participated .

Other hams like VU2 YFS Santhanam, VU3 ITI Varadhan, VU2 GUR Guru, VU2 QM Anantha VU2 FTF Rajan, VU2 ARA Arasu, VU3 ICI Mohan, VU2 IXY Reddy, VU2 RVK Vijay, VU2 OHM Arul, VU3 PAL Pal, are the few noticeable .

Thanks to VU2 GWH, VU3MPK, VU3 WIB, VU2 TTL, VU2 KBX and Vu2 INA Iynarappan from Kalpakkam for the excellent arrangemts .

VU2 PTR, VU2 FTF

VU3GGK - GOPAL , VU2VAU - SRINI, VU3MOA - MOHAN & VU2DH - DAS

VU2DPN, VU3 USI, VU3 GGk, Vu2 GHX

Vu3 STJ,VU2 BOA,VU2 VMZ,VU2 VAU,VU2 ARA

VU2VIT

VU2 DRK,VU3ITI ,VU2 OHM

VU3 USI, VU3 GGk, Vu2 GHX

VU2 GWH, VU3 MOA, VU2 PTR

VU2 ISR, Vu2 CSM



If you would like to see some more good photo collection of the Mahabs EyeBall Meet 2009 , pls click http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/bbcsakthi/MahabalipuramEyeballMeet2009#