INDIA: Mission and duty go ham in hand

Ham radio operators on expedition to Andamans were the first to establish links to the mainland after the tsunami

The Times of India
Wednesday, January 19, 2005

By C.H. Sushil Rao

HYDERABAD: They are expected to rush to disaster sites, okay.

But when a bunch of Ham radio operators from Hyderabad arrived in the Andamans early December, squaring up to a natural calamity was something they were not expecting, least of all a tsunami.

Excited, the team - the second Ham expedition to the archipelago in 17 years - was on a different mission altogether, making the most of a Supreme Court ban-lift on Ham activities there. Then the tsunami happened, putting them right in the thick of devastation. They were the first to establish links with the mainland from the sea wrecked islands.

Back in the city, the expeditionists from the National Institute of Amateur Radio (NIAR) shared their experiences with The Times of India.

"After the tsunami, Ham operators from several countries contacted us for information on people visiting the Andamans then," said S Ram Mohan, additional director, NIAR.

Ram Mohan himself had to scurry to safety in Port Blair as giant waves crashed into the island. Duty calling, he left for worst-hit Car Nicobar to help local authorities in relief efforts.

The other team members, including NIAR assistant director Jose Jacob, computer incharge R Sharat Babu and team leader Bharti Prasad, coordinated with officials in relief efforts in Port Blair and other places.

But before the tsunami hit, the team had already accomplished 'DXpedition', the mission for which were in the islands.

In Ham parlance, 'D' stands for making contact (with operators across the world) and 'X' means the unknown. Andamans were the 'unknown and inaccessible' for Ham radio contact.

"Our Hams established contact with 30,000 operators from practically every country in the globe," NIAR director S Suri said.

Ham operator R Sharat Babu in Port Blair after the tsunami hit the place.

Date Posted: 1/19/2005