How to improve your award chasing :

• Computer logging and record-keeping
• DX Cluster
• Read the DX Bulletins
• Get on in the little contests, even if just for a couple of hours
• LoTW
• Listen, listen, listen

Making a CQ call :

Being QRV on HF (Phone) for almost 18 months, I found some interesting CQ calls. Before making a CQ call first of all check if the frequency which you will be working is occupied by someone, if not go-ahead with your CQ call.

1) CQ CQ CQ victor uniform two sierra golf whiskey, victor uniform two sierra golf whiskey victor uniform two sierra golf whiskey calling and standing by.

2) CQ 20 CQ 20 CQ 20 victor uniform two sierra golf whiskey, victor uniform two sierra golf whiskey, victor uniform two sierra golf whiskey calling and by (this CQ call specifys the band).

3) CQ CQ CQ calling Africa victor uniform two sierra golf whiskey, victor uniform two sierra golf whiskey, victor uniform two sierra golf whiskey calling CQ and listening (this CQ call is made when a station is having a directional antenna and want to work with specific continent).

4) CQ DX CQ DX CQ DX victor uniform two sierra golf whiskey, victor uniform two sierra golf whiskey, victor uniform two sierra golf whiskey calling CQ DX and standing by.

5) CQ Delta Xray CQ Delta Xray CQ Delta Xray victor uniform two sierra golf whiskey, victor uniform two sierra golf whiskey, victor uniform two sierra golf whiskey calling and by.

African DX Safaris :

C9 - MOZAMBIQUE DXpedition

16 JULY- 31 JULY 2008

http://www.tdxs.net/C9.html

Beacon Locations :

Just click on the URL given below and u will have a detailed info with map too.

http://www.ncdxf.org/beacon/BeaconLocations.html

Each beacon transmits every three minutes, day and night. This table gives the minute and second of the start of the first transmission within the hour for each beacon on each frequency. A transmission consists of the callsign of the beacon sent at 22 words per minute followed by four one-second dashes. The callsign and the first dash are sent at 100 watts. The remaining dashes are sent at 10 watts, 1 watt and 100 milliwatts.

Six New Amateur Radio Satellites :

The ARRL reports that all the satellites launched on April 28 deployed normally and appeared to be functional. The six satellites are:

Delfi-C3 was designed and built by students at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. It includes an SSB/CW linear transponder. The satellite will be in telemetry-only mode for the first three months of the mission, after which it will be switched to transponder mode.

Delfi-C3 downlinks 1200-baud packet telemetry at 145.870 MHz. The linear transponder, when activated, will have an uplink passband from 435.530 to 435.570 MHz and a corresponding downlink passband from 145.880 to 145.920 MHz.

SEEDS designed and built by students at Japan's Nihon University. When fully operational, SEEDS will download telemetry in Morse code and 1200-baud FM AFSK packet radio at 437.485 MHz. The satellite also has Slow-Scan TV (SSTV) capability.

Several stations have reported receiving SEEDS CW telemetry and the team would appreciate receiving more reports from amateurs at their ground station Web page.

AAUSAT-II is the creation of a student team at Aalborg University in Denmark. It will downlink scientific telemetry at 437.425 MHz using 1200 or 9600-baud packet.

Can-X2 is a product of students at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies, Space Flight Laboratory (UTIAS/SFL). Can-X2 will downlink telemetry at 437.478 MHz using 4 kbps GFSK, but the downlink will be active only when the satellite is within range of the Toronto ground station.

Compass-One was designed and built by students at Aachen University of Applied Sciences in Germany. The satellite features a Morse code telemetry beacon at 437.275 MHz. Compass-1 will also provide a packet radio data downlink, which will include image data, at 437.405 MHz.

Cute 1.7 + APDII is a satellite created by students at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. This satellite will not only provide telemetry, it will also offer a 9600-baud packet store-and-forward message relay with an uplink at 1267.6 MHz and a downlink at 437.475 MHz.

Source: The American Radio Relay League

HAMFEST OF INDIA 2008 :

GIAR, Gandhinagar to host HFI-2008. HFI-2008 will be held on 11th & 12th of October.
For further details visit : http://www.hfi2008. com/

My Guru VU2SWS :

Along with VU2NXM, VU2SWS YL Sarla Sharma was our teacher, she use to teach section II. To VU2SWS HAM radio is a religion for her rightly said in all aspects on her QRZ profile. She is VU's best YL operator QRV on Digital and most of the HF bands on SSB and now on CW too.

She has a very sound knowledge and a very good teacher. Got her license in 1996 and was a student of JNA wireless. Visiting her shack was a dream come true for me, very good set up regarding rig and antenna. Along with VU2NXM, VU2SWS was also with us at Elephanta Islands for IOTA and I got the opportunity to learn "How to make a DX contact and how to handle pile-ups". She loves contest and has got many awards like the DXCC, Sly Fox etc. She was also team member of VU7LD. Above all she is vice president of Amateur Radio Association Of India ARSI and also editor of HAM RADIO NEWS. Recently she has been appointed as Liaison officer for the IARU in India. Took a lead role in International Mumbai YL Meet 2006. She is a versatile personality and loves adventure sports, music and travelling. She believes in the existence of a superior force, whatever name you give it, try to be a good ham and a good person!!

Mumbai city - Net controllers :

Tune on to 144.100 +600 Mumbai repeater & 145.000 +600 Matheran repeater at 2130 hrs. IST corresponding to 1600 hrs. UTC, and you will hear either VU2WLL, OM Vispy or VU2PJM, YL Perviz. They are presently the net controllers of Night Owl's Net carried out in Mumbai city. This net is from Monday to Saturday.

Vispy and Perviz duo both brother and sister visually impaired have been conducting this net from 1996 consistently. The very first net controller for this net was VU2RIG, OM Rajen followed by VU2NFS, YL Nafisa. When collecting details from Vispy on lima lima, he told me that previously when he was in San Francisco, CA USA for studies lots of blind friends were HAM's and they insisted Vispy after going back to India do apply for HAM license. First he got information that classes of HAM radio are conducted in Nehru Science Center, But somehow that did not work and one fine day Vispy came into contact with VU2SVS, OM Sudhir Shah who was running JNA wireless classes. Vispy joined JNA classes in 1994 and after two year got his license. As there was no one to take the Night Owl's Net VU2GTE, OM Roomy told Vispy to go-ahead and take it and from that day he is conducting this net regularly. Perviz got her license in 1999.

On 15th. August 1997 it happened to be 50th. Anniversary of India's Independence day and Vispy 100th Net, so a thought came into Vispy mind that there should at least be 50 check ins. And his dream came true it was all together 63 checkins. Vispy told that there were days when not a single check ins. It reminds me of Bapu (Mahatma Gandhi) he used to say that if one person is there with me the struggle for freedom will go on.......Vispy proudly says. And both of them are still following that. We all HAM’s are really very thankful to both and wish them good luck.

Courtesy as told by VU2WLL & VU2PJM

Living legend :

VU2LK, Radio handle: Bob, real name Bhavsinh Morarji Tanna popularly know to family members as mota bhai i.e. big brother. Truly big in every aspect he is presently 93 yrs. Old and still going strong and very active HAM in Mumbai. He is very regular and first person to check in into the Night Owls Net which is conducted in Mumbai 144.100 +600 repeater shift from Monday to Saturday.

Bob is the oldest HAM operator presently in VU land and second one to receive HAM license way back in 1936 at the age of 21. Story of getting into this hobby is also interesting, once when he was returning home from his school a roadside vendor used to sit outside his school and lend magazine for two paise each. One of them had an article titled “Travel round the world without leaving your armchair” and this way he came and got attracted to this amateur radio hobby. His father too was very much happy and got more literature and information on HAM radio.

Bob took a lead role during freedom movement. He helped Indian National Congress and made equipment for them as there were no tape recorders in those days and he used to record the messages and speeches on acetate discs. It was going on smoothly for more than ten months and one day he was caught by the British. He was detained and kept in Colaba police station. They tortured him for seven days and was made to lie down on a block of ice with only an underwear. When they realized he did not have anything to share, they shifted him to Arther road jail and was set free after nine months.

He was very active HAM operator and used homebrew rigs and antennas. Most of the HF contacts by Bob is using simple windom antennas. I consider myself one of the luckiest person to have an eyeball with Bob. I was there for almost four hours and he forced to have lunch with him, that was really a memorable day for me in my life. He is an inspiration to all of us and that’s why I call him living legend…………

Syllabus for HAM radio exams in India :

Section I:
Radio Theory and Practice

Elementary electricity and magnetism

Elementary theory of electricity, conductors and insulators, units, Ohm's law, resistance in-series and parallel, conductance, power and energy, permanent magnets and electromagnets and their use in radio work; self and mutual inductance; types of inductors used in receiving and transmitting circuits, capacitance; construction of various types of capacitors and their arrangements in series and/or parallel.

Elementary theory of alternating currents

Sinusoidal alternating quantities-peak, instantaneous, RMS, average values, phase; reactant's, impedance; series and parallel circuits containing resistance, inductance, capacitance; power factor, resonance in series and parallel circuits; coupled circuits; transformers for audio and radio frequencies.

Thermionic Valves

Construction of valves; thermionic emission, characteristic curves, diodes, triodes and multi-electrode valves; use of valves as rectifiers, oscillators, amplifiers, detectors and frequency changers, power packs, stabilization and smoothing.

Elementary theory and construction of semiconductor devices

Diodes and Transistors.

Radio receivers

Principles and operation of TRF and superheterodyne receivers, CW reception, receiver VA, WA, WB.

The written examination for Grade II licence is of one hours duration. The maximum number of marks is 100. Candidates must secure at least 40 per cent in each section and 50 per cent in aggregate to pass.

The syllabus for Grade I licence is the same as that for Grade II licence, but the written examination for Grade I licence is of two hours duration. The maximum number of marks is 100 and candidates must secure at least 50 per cent in each section and 55 per cent in aggregate for a pass.

Part II: MORSE CODE

(a) Section I: Morse receiving (Speed: 5 words per minute)

The test piece will consist of a plain language passage of 125 letters, five letters counting as one word. Candidates are required to receive for five consecutive minutes at the speed of 5 words per minute from a double headgear headphone receiver, international Morse code signals from an audio frequency oscillator keyed either manually or automatically. A short practice piece may be sent at the prescribed speed before the start of the actual test. Candidates will not be allowed more than one attempt in each test. The test may be written in ink or pencil but must be legible. Bad handwriting and over-writing will render a candidate liable to disqualification.

More than five errors will disqualify a candidate.

(b) Section II : Morse Sending (Speed: 5 words per minute)

The test piece will consist of a plain language passage of 125 letters, five letters counting as one word. Candidates are required to send on an ordinary key for five consecutive minutes at the minimum speed of five words per minute. A short practice piece may be allowed before the actual test. Candidates will not be allowed more than one attempt in the test. Efforts should be made to correct all errors. However, more than five uncorrected errors will disqualify a candidate. The accuracy of signaling, correct formation of characters and the correctness of spacing shall be taken into account. A candidate is required to pass both in Part I and Part II. In the case of candidates qualifying in Part I only, the license shall be restricted.To radiotelephone operations in the VHF ham band only. characteristics-sensitivity, selectivity, fidelity; adjacent channel and image interference; AVC and squelch circuits; signal to noise ratio.

Transmitter

Principles and operation of low power transmitter; crystal oscillators, stability of oscillators.

Radio propagation

Wavelength, frequency, nature and propagation of radio waves; ground and sky waves; skip distance; fading.

Aerials

Common types of transmitting and receiving aerials.

Frequency measurement

Measurement of frequency and use of simple frequency meters.

SECTION II :
Radio Regulations

(a) Knowledge of :

(i) the Indian Wireless Telegraph Rules, 1973; and

(ii) the Indian Wireless Telegraphs (Amateur Service) Rules, 1978.

(b) Knowledge of International Radio Regulations as relating to the operation of amateur stations with particular emphasis on the following:

Designation of Emission,

Nomenclature of the frequency and wavelength,

Frequency allocation to amateur radio service,

Measures against Interference,

Interference and tests, Identification of stations,

distress and urgency transmissions,

Amateur Stations,

Phonetic alphabets and figure code.

(c) Standard frequency and time signal services in the world.

(d) The following 'Q' codes and abbreviations which shall have meaning as assigned to them in the International

Telecommunication Union (ITU) convention :

QRA, QRG, QRH, QRI, QRK, QRL, QRM, QRN, QRQ, QRS, QRT, QRU, QRV, QRW, QRX, QRZ, QSA,QSB, QSL, QSL, QSO, QSU, QSV, QSW, QSX, QSY, QSZ, QTC, QTH, QTR and QUM.

Telegraphic (Morse code) abbreviations: AA, AB, AR, AS, BT, C, CFM, CL, CQ, DE, K, KN, NIL, OK, R, TU,

Morse Code test for Grade I

Receiving-(Speed: 12 words per minute)

The test piece will consist of a plain language passage of 300 characters which may comprise letters, figures and punctuation (punctuation are indicated below). The average words shall contain five characters and each figure and punctuation will be counted as two characters. Candidates are required to receive for five consecutive minutes at a speed of 12 words per minute. Other conditions are the same as applicable to Grade II Examination.

Punctuations

Full stop, Comma, Semi-colon, Break sign (BT), Hyphen and Question mark.

Sending-(Speed: 12 words per minute)

The test piece will be similar to Morse receiving test. Candidates are required to send for five consecutive minutes at a speed not less than 12 words per minute. Other conditions are the same as applicable to Grade II examination.

A candidate is required to pass both in Part I and Part II simultaneously.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Advanced Amateur Station Operators' Examination

Part I-Written Test

(a) Section 1: Radio Theory and Practice

In addition to the syllabus prescribed for Grade II Examination, following items shall be included in the syllabus

of Advanced Amateur Station Operators' Examinations :-

i) Motors and generators: Elementary principles and construction of alternators, motors and generators.

(ii) Alternating current: Construction of transformers, transformer losses, transformer as a matching device.

(iii) Measuring instruments: Moving coil and moving iron meters, frequency meters.

(iv) Semiconductor devices and transistors: Elementary principles of conduction and construction, symbols, biasing methods.

(v) Power supplies: Half wave and full wave rectifiers, smoothing and regulation, bridge rectifier.

(vi) Modulation: Principles of frequency modulation.

(vii) Transmitters and receivers: Elementary principles of transmission and reception of facsimile and television signals, elementary principles of transmitters and receivers employing single side band.

(viii) Propagation: Characteristics of ionosphere and troposphere. Properties of different reflecting layers, optimum working frequency, day and night frequencies.

(ix) Aerials: Principles of radiation, aerials for different frequency bands including aerials for microwave.

(x) Space communications: Elementary principles of communication via satellite.

(b) Section 2: Radio Regulations

Syllabus is same as prescribed for Grade II Examination. The test is of 3 hours duration. The maximum number of marks is 100 and candidate must secure at least 50 per cent in each section and 60 per cent in aggregate for a pass.

Part II- Morse Code

Syllabus is same as prescribed for Grade I Examination.

Part-III

Radio Theory and Practice

A. Elementary Theory of Electricity & Magnetism

My Guru VU2NXM :

VU2NXM - BASAPPA ARABOLE

My very first eyeball with VU2NXM, OM Basappaji was in 2005 December at Thane Amateur Radio Association classes. During the tea break I told Basappaji that it is impossible for me to learn CW. Being an EX-Navy Telegraphic officer he just told me one thing that I still remember, this are his words "still the war has not started and you want to surrender yourself, without even fighting".

VU2NXM took pains teaching me CW in a very simple way jumbling alphanumeric words for practicing CW. It is because of Basappaji I was a part IOTA DXpedition (IOTA AS-169) Elephanta islands when I was an SWL, were each and everything was clear regarding the pile-ups, split, digital and setting up of antennas.

Basappaji's former callsign was VU3BKY. Has worked CW and SSB but his taste is more towards CW. Enjoys working split with a speed of 25-30 WPM. He has participated in most of the CW contest and few SSB. He has won many awards and one of them is the prestigious DXCC.


VU2NXM, team member of VU7LD Lakshdweep Island expeditions, worlds most wanted DXCC country