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A quick glance at the Linux Kernel

March 6th, 2011 No comments

Ham Radio workshop conducted at Kerala State Science and Technology Museum, Thiruvananthapuram from December 11-13, 2010

January 14th, 2011 7 comments

I had the good fortune of attending the receiver workshop conducted at Kerala State Science and Technology Museum premises.

planetarium

The workshop was actually very helpful. We built our own 40m JOTA receivers from scratch.
Veteran hams were there to guide the budding ones. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet the veterans and hear them.

receiversintesting Usually it takes more than a month to assemble, troubleshoot and test the receiver, but with the helping hands of VU2DEV and all veterans around, it took only a couple of hours. It’s one of those wonderful moments when the receivers were tested and brought to life. My Rx picked up the transmission from Indonesia !

 

At the end of the workshop I took home my first Ham radio receiver.

The workshop was very successful and well organised.

Even though I registered late, VU3AUZ Allen managed to get the components and kit in time. I’d like to extend a special word of thanks to VU3AUZ. I am also thankful to SWL Biju, Anith and Shanthi who extended their helping hands to complete the receiver in a single day !

You can find more detailed reports with photos and videos from the following links

Receiver Workshop at KSSTM- The first day

Receiver Workshop at KSSTM -Second day

Receiver Workshop-Third day

There is a Ham radio club station, VU2CLU operating at Kerala State Science and Technology Museum to demonstrate amateur radio to the general public. The club is under the control of  Government of Kerala.

HamradioclubKerala State Science and Technology Museum

Route Map


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For more information please visit http://tvmhams.blogspot.com

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To the World of Amateur Radio

January 13th, 2011 No comments

amateur_radio Amateur radio is a hobby with an excellent opportunity to serve the community with your expertise when it needs the most, especially in disasters. Radio amateurs emerged long before the days of satellite communications and survived through decades.

What is Ham radio?
A two way radio station to talk to people all over the world.  There are no political, social or cultural boundaries. The following vintage video explains it well.

 

 

 

Is it sill relevant at this Internet age?
When you have no infrastructure due to any disasters like earthquake, floods or tornados your ISPs and mobile phones won’t work. Radio Amateurs plays a vital role in disaster management. They provide communications after natural disasters when all the other lines of communications are down.

Ham radio is still the only affordable personal communications system capable of worldwide communications without the use of infrastructure. Hams enjoy operating their own two-way radio station to talk to people all over the world or in their own community. They all have one thing in common, an interest in what’s happening in the world, and they use radio to reach out. It helps to

  • learn the technology behind radio, including the finer details.
  • an excellent opportunity to meet like minded people and many more !
    • Many are attracted by the ability to communicate across the country, around the globe, or even with astronauts on space missions.

 

    Amateurs can operate their equipment from wherever they want, in homes, cars, boats, office buildings, even on bicycles.

 

Another role amateur radio has to play is in education. It provides the crucial element of hands-on experience for young and old alike who want to explore the world of science and technology. Many scientists and engineers will happily tell you they were first inspired toward their careers by amateur radio. Most people who pursue careers in science and engineering will agree that what gets young people excited about these fields in not reading or listening to lectures, but actually getting your hands on some equipment and making it work. Amateur radio is an excellent way to encourage budding technical professionals.

Amateur radio not only helps young people enter technical careers, but it also serves as a vital interface between people in technical careers and those in non-technical careers. Since the world is an increasingly-technical place, anything we can do to improve the technical literacy of the workforce is good for the nation. Over the years, ham radio has consistently drawn people with no technical background at all who develop a curiosity about not only radio but also other technical subjects. In this way, ham radio has expanded their intellectual horizons and possibly made them better workers, managers and voters.”
Source: qsl.net

 

How to get license to operate Amateur radio ?

Each country has its own licensing arrangements. License tests cover electronics theory and amateur radio rules and regulations.  In US the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) issues the license. In India the licenses are issued by Wireless Planning & Co-ordination Wing under Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.

For more details and detailed syllabus about the exam visit the website of hamradioindia.org.

You can download the book A Guide To Ham Radio (ISBN: 81-7480-068-9) for free from Vigyan Prasar Digital Library.

If you are interested, just drop in to your nearest Ham club. Try Ham Radio Search engine to locate one. They would be glad to have you as a member.

There will be new technologies, new modes but, Ham Radio will be around for a long time to come.

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