Hello Everybody I thought I will share my experiences, how I got interested in Ham Radio and subsequently got my ticket etc. etc. Years back I was presented with a Panasonic shortwave radio, which introduced me to the voices of far away places and countries. I started with DXing, the hobby of listening to shortwave radio stations from other countries. I was hooked to various DX programs from stations like BBC, Radio Nederland, Radio Australia and SLBC. Well one hot and cloudy evening, while I was busy with knob-twisting, I happened to hear some unusual conversations just near the VOA station I was trying to listen on the 41 metre band. I never knew that it was the 40mb ham band those days, so wrote to the Station Manger, AIR Madras [it was Madras those days] the gentleman replied me with all details on what I was hearing and what was ham radio – I was hooked. By the way the AM station I was hearing so nicely in Calicut, Kerala was none other than VU2TTC – OM CHAK who was a visually impaired ham. Later on I started to receive some stations with un-intelligible voices, SSB has arrived. Jonathan Marks[Radio Nederland] used to have a show on ham radio in his media network program, and he was one day explaining how SSB can be resolved Using two radios tuning on to same frequency. I had my Panasonic and Philips radios to do this and I could hear a lot of SSB Stations. My quest took me to see what was happening between the standard broadcast bands. Sony revolutionised the shortwave scene with their ICF-7600D with a digital display, putting an end to all ifs and buts on tuning to a particular Frequency. My first shortwave receiver with a digital display and general coverage was a Panasonic RFB-65D on which I could hear all sorts of stations between the bands, like air traffic controls, ships, hams, point to point radio telephones, political propaganda stations and what not. With the vertical long wire I connected to the top of a coconut tree, I could hear a Pan-Am flight reporting to New York and Santa Maria ATC with its position reports. Like all swls I went for the ham radio exams and got my license with call sign VU3MES. For HF I use a Yaesu FT857D transceiver, I also have a vintage Yaesu FT101E in my shack and for VHF I use an Icom IC2200H Base station and a Yaesu VX5R for qrPp purposes. My antennas are all Homebrewed, for HF I use a ten foot vertical wooden pole antenna on which 144 feet insulated cable is wound like a spring and tuned by a Sg230 automatic antenna coupler. A homemade GP is used for VHF.
73s and best of luck to one and all.
VU3MES SATYAN
www.chennaihams.blogspot.com Please also see my ham radio details at
www.qrz.com/vu3mesYou are visitor number :585
