After I pass the ASOC exams in 1985, it was a period of waiting to "officially" get on the air. But we could still "un-officially" get on the air - through "modulation test" - a "created facility" to put SWLs - "Still Waiting for Licence" - as we expanded it (actually Short Wave Listener) - on the air during contacts being made by the hams.
As already mentioned in a previous post, I used to listen to the radio very regularly and knew most of the Indian hams - either by reputation - or by way of sending SWL reports and getting their QSL (verification/ confirmation of contact) cards. I used to visit VU2JCE daily in the evening - to assist the batches taking ham classes and after that to listen in on the contacts being made. The interesting aspect of the shack at VU2YSG/ VU2JCE was its furniture.
It had one table about 3 1/2 ft in height and just wide enough to accomodate the Yaesu FT-757 GX, the FP-757GX power supply and the log book. There was a single light bulb/ tubelight, a metal cupboard and a metal folding type chair - seat of which was around 2 ft. Sitting on the chair, the table top would be just under shoulder height for the operator. The chair could accomodate probably 1 1/2 lean persons to sit ackwardly if required. So the only COMFORTABLE position for me or for that matter any second person in the shack would be to bend forward, rest the elbows on the table & cup the chin in the palms of the hands. I used to be in that position for close to 2 hours!!!
Seeing my plight, operators would offer to share the seat - which I would jokingly reject referring to my generous girth :) !!!
The antenna is use those days were two dipoles - one for 40m (also useable on 15m) & the other for 20m. The 40m dipole was hung between nearby trees and the 20m dipole was about 2 ft from the roof with the feed point "slightly elevated" by a stick - on the two storied building. Propogation those days was so good that this setup was great enough to get us voice (SSB) contacts will all parts of the globe.
When VU2YSG (the Mysore University ARC) was closed and VU2JCE (SJCE ARC) was inaugurated in 1986, the shack was shifted to a 3 - storied building with a seperate exclusive 12' x 12' room on the terrace which gave us plenty of space of a multi-band fan dipole and an excellent horizontal clearance in all directions. We had slightly better infrastructure - a larger table, 4 chairs, well lit and 2 windows - one facing west whcih gave us a fantastic view of the setting sun. There were days when we would stop operations - just to watch the sunset!!!
From this shack, we experimented with fan dipoles for multi - band operation, a boomless cubicle quad for 20 - 15 - 10 & a horizontal dipole for 40m made of aluminum tubes - which unfortunately foded up horizontally due to high winds and insufficient strengthening. We also later erected a tower designed by VU2SSR for a 3 element tri-bander.
Activities from this club station also included communication support to motor ralles. This was a unique experience althgether. This was the activity where I could officially get on the air by myself. This was due to the fact that such communication was conducted OUTSIDE the ham bands on a special permission. This also gave me the experience of propogation variations, skip distance, round the clock operations, split frequencies, etc.
I will share my rally communication experience seperately in the next post.
Showing posts with label VU2YSG. Show all posts
Showing posts with label VU2YSG. Show all posts
25 October 2019
15 April 2010
I cleared the ASOL exam - 1986
With this history and the background, I was well on my way to become a HAM operator.
The training classes started and was scheduled for 1 hour from 5.30 PM every week day from Monday to Friday. Regular college classes were scheduled to close at 5.00 PM.
My sked was - Leave Home (about 5 Kms from the College - My home was in Chamarajapuram- Near Law Courts) - cycle the distance and reach the college by 5 PM. Park the cycle adjacent to the Ganesha Temple opposite to the Main Gate. Stand and wait for the HAM team to finish their classes - they usually went past me around 5.10 PM and would come back after aback after about 15 mins with the Power Supply, Morse Key and CPO. This necessiated me to wait atleast 25 mins before the Ham Classes started. The wait usually meant that I STAND leaning on to my bicycle,waiting for the team to arrive.
Also see http://vu2mud.blogspot.com/2007/06/four-year-term-at-sjce.html
Classes were successful - with about 30 students and one outsider - ME - appeared for the ASOL exam in 1986. I successfully cleared the Grade I exam.
Next was the indefinite wait for the "critical" "Decision Letter" to arrive from the WPC - but that is a story by itself - more of it in a different post.
The training classes started and was scheduled for 1 hour from 5.30 PM every week day from Monday to Friday. Regular college classes were scheduled to close at 5.00 PM.
My sked was - Leave Home (about 5 Kms from the College - My home was in Chamarajapuram- Near Law Courts) - cycle the distance and reach the college by 5 PM. Park the cycle adjacent to the Ganesha Temple opposite to the Main Gate. Stand and wait for the HAM team to finish their classes - they usually went past me around 5.10 PM and would come back after aback after about 15 mins with the Power Supply, Morse Key and CPO. This necessiated me to wait atleast 25 mins before the Ham Classes started. The wait usually meant that I STAND leaning on to my bicycle,waiting for the team to arrive.
Also see http://vu2mud.blogspot.com/2007/06/four-year-term-at-sjce.html
Classes were successful - with about 30 students and one outsider - ME - appeared for the ASOL exam in 1986. I successfully cleared the Grade I exam.
Next was the indefinite wait for the "critical" "Decision Letter" to arrive from the WPC - but that is a story by itself - more of it in a different post.
26 July 2008
HISTORY OF HAM RADIO ACTIVITY FROM MYSORE:
After a long hiatus – due to restrictions at the office and due to certain changes in the home front, I had been off blogging. Now that things are stablilising a little bit, continuing the memoirs. Now back to where I had left off.
Along with the new language, I also learned about the history of HAM Radio activity in Mysore.
There was supposedly a bit of HAM radio activity from in and around Mysore with Mr. George – VU2TV (I never got to meet this elderly operator – he had reportedly shifted to the Gulf with family), Mr. Sampath (VU2YZ an entrepreneur with an electronics showroom in Mandya) and his wife Hemalatha (VU2TT – a teacher by profession – who passed on recently). In fact, the credit of putting Mysore on the HAM popularity map is due mainly to Sampath and his wife. He would travel daily to Mysore to conduct the HAM radio training to a group of enthusiasts. Such was the zeal of the youngsters that they used to practice the Morse code in their regular conversations.
The enthusiastic team was not just about students, there was an enthusiastic mother too. This team consisted of Ramanujam, Satish, Sriram, Shiva Kumar, Sukhbir Singh Jolly, Yogeesh, Mrs. Loveleen Kaur Jolly, to name a few (that I remember!). The exams for the first batch were conducted at PES College, Mandya and the candidates traveled for the exam. Last minute preparations and hospitality was organized at the residence of Sampath and Hema. The result of the exam was highly encouraging and the entire team came out with flying colours.
Mrs. Loveleen Kaur Jolly, a mother and a teacher by profession, came out highly successful, in fact even better than her son and secured a higher grade of license than him. In later years the entire family took to the hobby and all the family members including a son-in-law became HAMs.
With encouragement from the management of the SJCE college and with grants from the Mysore University, the Mysore University Amateur Radio Club was set up in 1983-84 with the call sign – VU2YSG – under the Electronics and Communication Department of SJCE. The College also procured a State of the Art – wireless equipment – a Japanese Make – transmitter – cum – receiver (Transceiver). This transceiver was capable of operating on all the allowed modes of transmission (AM – Amplitude Modulation- generally used by radio broadcasters, SSB – Single Side Band – a variation of the AM transmission but using lesser bandwidth, CW – Continuous Wave or Morse Code and FM – Frequency Modulation). In an earlier post, I had mentioned about listening to a few HAMs from SJCE before I got in touch with Mr. Muthanna. It was with this equipment that they were ON THE AIR when I listened to them.
This was the background of the Amateur Radio activity from Mysore when I made my entry into the hobby.
Along with the new language, I also learned about the history of HAM Radio activity in Mysore.
There was supposedly a bit of HAM radio activity from in and around Mysore with Mr. George – VU2TV (I never got to meet this elderly operator – he had reportedly shifted to the Gulf with family), Mr. Sampath (VU2YZ an entrepreneur with an electronics showroom in Mandya) and his wife Hemalatha (VU2TT – a teacher by profession – who passed on recently). In fact, the credit of putting Mysore on the HAM popularity map is due mainly to Sampath and his wife. He would travel daily to Mysore to conduct the HAM radio training to a group of enthusiasts. Such was the zeal of the youngsters that they used to practice the Morse code in their regular conversations.
The enthusiastic team was not just about students, there was an enthusiastic mother too. This team consisted of Ramanujam, Satish, Sriram, Shiva Kumar, Sukhbir Singh Jolly, Yogeesh, Mrs. Loveleen Kaur Jolly, to name a few (that I remember!). The exams for the first batch were conducted at PES College, Mandya and the candidates traveled for the exam. Last minute preparations and hospitality was organized at the residence of Sampath and Hema. The result of the exam was highly encouraging and the entire team came out with flying colours.
Mrs. Loveleen Kaur Jolly, a mother and a teacher by profession, came out highly successful, in fact even better than her son and secured a higher grade of license than him. In later years the entire family took to the hobby and all the family members including a son-in-law became HAMs.
With encouragement from the management of the SJCE college and with grants from the Mysore University, the Mysore University Amateur Radio Club was set up in 1983-84 with the call sign – VU2YSG – under the Electronics and Communication Department of SJCE. The College also procured a State of the Art – wireless equipment – a Japanese Make – transmitter – cum – receiver (Transceiver). This transceiver was capable of operating on all the allowed modes of transmission (AM – Amplitude Modulation- generally used by radio broadcasters, SSB – Single Side Band – a variation of the AM transmission but using lesser bandwidth, CW – Continuous Wave or Morse Code and FM – Frequency Modulation). In an earlier post, I had mentioned about listening to a few HAMs from SJCE before I got in touch with Mr. Muthanna. It was with this equipment that they were ON THE AIR when I listened to them.
This was the background of the Amateur Radio activity from Mysore when I made my entry into the hobby.
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