HAM radio a thriving hobby
Hyderabad: Be it an engineer, a student, doctor or even a farmer, anyone can become a Ham operator with the right set of knowledge and skills. And the fourth edition of Lamakaan Annual Radio Convention (LARC-4) got packed with enthusiasts, who come from various academic backgrounds, but have carved a niche for themselves in the […]
Hyderabad: Be it an engineer, a student, doctor or even a farmer, anyone can become a Ham operator with the right set of knowledge and skills. And the fourth edition of Lamakaan Annual Radio Convention (LARC-4) got packed with enthusiasts, who come from various academic backgrounds, but have carved a niche for themselves in the field of amateur radio communication.
Sudesh Chandar, a ham operator from Hyderabad, is an engineer by education. However, he trained as a pilot and was working for a conglomerate, for which he had to learn to operate Ham radio.
“It was so interesting that I started experimenting in the field. I communicated with several other Ham operators and that motivated me even more. It is very interesting to see people from varied backgrounds fascinated by the amateur radio so much that they are ready to not only put in their time, but also their money in this hobby,” says Sudesh Chandar.
While many people were introduced to Ham radio because of their profession, there are several others who were attracted to the field right from a young age.
Dr Ranjith Unnikrishnan, an Orthopaedic Spine Surgeon from Thiruvananthapuram, started experimenting with circuit designs even before he decided he wanted to be a medical professional. Calling ham radio ‘king of hobbies’, Dr Unnikrishnan, says, “I was in high school when I learnt about this hobby and was instantly attracted to it. I learned about other Ham operators in the region and they helped me learn a lot about the field.”
This hobby, he explains, is actually a cluster of activities — some people just love building the amateur radio with the material available, others like to communicate with other Ham operators for recreational purposes, while there is another group that manages disasters. “There is something for everyone in the field of Ham radio – that is why I call it the king of hobbies,” Dr Unnikrishnan says.
Although mobile networks may fail us during an emergency, Ham radio has saved many lives, on multiple occasions.
Dr M Devanathan, a ECE professor from Bengaluru, who took part in LARC shares that Ham radio operators were able to help several people during the pandemic.
“Just like Hyderabad there is a network of Ham operators in Bengaluru as well. Last year, and earlier this year, when the coronavirus cases increased in the country, we came together to report any emergency cases to the government officials. We would keep an eye on what was happening around us, and inform the officials if there were any unattended cases, or if any patient couldn’t find a bed in the hospitals,” says the professor, who has inspired several of his students to become Ham operators as well.
