P R Vaidyanathan VU2PRV Thrissur
P R Vaidyanathan VU2PRV I am very much delighted to see Sri. Joseph Mattappally’s effort to bring out a book titled ‘Gateway to Ham Radio’ with a view to guide the newcomers to this wonderful hobby of Ham Radio. This volume highlights the technical aspects of Ham Radio too. Going through the work, it gives me the impression, that Sri Mattappally VU2JIM has explained almost every technical aspect of radio, one should know to enter in this hobby in a very lucid way.
I am confident to say, the basic knowledge imparted by this book will certainly enable the reader to clear the ASOC examination conducted by the Ministry of Communications for obtaining a Ham Radio licence. The book should find a place as reference book in every Ham shack.
Note: Shri P R Vaidyanathan VU2PRV, who retired from KSEB as Chief Engineer, is an Electrical Engineer by profession. Though a little late to join Ham Radio (1982), he is a very popular Ham and an innovative home brewer. His contributions are not limited to the stylish circuits he has designed but also to his promotional activities which truly contributed to the growth of Ham Radio in the South.
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Dr K Jayakumar VU2JKR Kottayam
Homo sapiens, sapiens, you and me, are neotenized apes (primate), with the largest ‘brain weight to body weight ratio’ in the animal kingdom. By neoteny, we evolved to retain childhood curiosity, exploratory behaviour and learning capabilities. In the course of evolution, we developed language, a medium for communicating complex ideas. Initially the range and speed of the information transfer was small, limited by earshot range, and later by the speed of the messenger, running or riding a horse. Invention of telegraph revolutionised this by enabling instantaneous transfer of information, at light speed, between two locations connected by a wire. Later use of electromagnetic waves removed the necessity of an intervening wire. Thus radio communications was born. As soon as Marconi demonstrated sending messages through the air, enthusiasts started experimenting with wireless telegraphy and later, radio telephony and had made, and are making, new inventions and innovations in the field of communications. This group of hobbyists are known as Amateur Radio operators or in common parlance “HAM” Radio operators or Hams in short.
I am a Neurosurgeon, and got into that branch in 1977, with 24×7×365 duty cycle. Till date, I am doing that job to earn my livelihood. We doctors, especially Neurosurgeons, in general, get very little time to socialise and hence our acquaintance is limited to a small circle. But that is not the case with me, since I am a HAM with Indian Call Sign VU2JKR. I had and am having many friends on the air, from all walks of life, starting with celebrities like King Hussein of Jordan, Sri. Rajiv Gandhi, film stars Charuhasan, Mammootty, to Plus Two school children. I could partake in many emergency relief works like the Iraq invasion of Kuwait, Perumon train accident, and the recent floods. This hobby gives me the ultimate satisfaction and I know, from personal involvement, why it is called the KING OF HOBBIES.
I will be ungrateful if I forget Er. Jayaram VU2JN, Mr. L.V. Sharma VU2LV, Er. Guhan Menon VU2TG, who played crucial roles in making me a HAM. Although busy with and enjoying their profession, all my HAM friends are, whole heartedly involving in and enjoying this hobby like me.
I met Mr. Joseph Mattappally VU2JIM, intimately called Jim, for the first time in 1985 at the residence of late Prof. (Dr) V K Kuriakose VU2VKK in Kottayam, during a meeting on Ham Radio. Thereafter we went to sit for our Grade I licence at Cochin; in fact the choice of my call sign as JKR was suggested by him. Later when I upgraded to Advanced Grade licence, I kept that call sign without changing to two letter call. The first rig I used after being licensed was a 5 Watt QRP home brewed by Jim, modified to work at 12 Volts DC, from a car battery. Together, we used to involve in some social rescue operations too. After a period of inactivity, to our delight, Jim is active again. An excellent home brewer, a prolific writer, in Malayalam as well as in English, he had serialised a Malayalam guide to become a HAM. Settled in Kottayam, he travels a lot in India and abroad. I expect more books from him in the years to come.
Note: Dr K Jayakumar, Emeritus Professor and former Head of the Department of Neurosurgery in Medical College Kottayam, is presently working as Consultant Neurosurgeon in Caritas and Matha hospitals near Kottayam. Though he holds a distinct record of a series of first ranks in his academic life and he is an authority in the faculty of neurosurgery, he is more respected for his humanitarian services and his contributions to Ham Radio.
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Dr. Rohith K. Raj VU2EMR Wynadu
I wish Sri Joseph Mattappally all success in this commendable endeavour. Gateway to Ham Radio is an excellent work of Sri. Joseph Mattappally VU2JIM. The book aims to cater the needs of Short wave listeners (SWLs) and Amateur Radio aspirants preparing for ASOC Examination.
In India, most of the Ham Radio operators have followed the tradition of Guru-Shishya relation during their budding stage. They have a mentor Ham who guided them to become a skilled Ham Radio operator, by introducing them to ‘Short Wave Listening’, Morse code and involving them in building radio and antenna projects. Moreover they constantly insisted their mentees to uphold the best practice in radio communication and social service responsibilities of Amateur Radio.
Today due to several reasons, it is very hard to give one on one attention to budding Hams. Of course, Amateur Radio clubs are taking efforts to prepare them for Amateur Radio license. In this scenario, Gateway to Ham Radio will bridge this gap. The book presents a very good introduction to Ham radio. This book covers basic theory of electronics, radio communication and propagation, rules and regulations etc. In addition to the basic theories, JIM has also prepared a question bank in the frame of ASOC Examination. I wish him all success in this regard.
Note: Dr Rohith K Raj, presently working as Assistant Professor & Head at Department of Electronics Govt. College Mananthavady is an innovative Ham who could win the prestigious URSI International Young Scientists Award from Belgium in 2005. He also won the President’s Honour while a Research Scholar of Cochin University of Science and Technology. He is a known researcher in microwave antennas. He also received the Big Salute award from Govt. of Kerala, for his commendable services during 2018 Kerala floods.
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Sarin Gopalan VU3SGQ Vadakara
Today due to several reasons, I am honoured and glad to be part of the editorial panel of this book. This book is indeed an evolution of the original series of articles published in the magazine, Electronics for Everybody in the mid-1990s. It was a very detailed, well-written and contained sound practical knowledge and advice for amateurs, professionals and home brewers alike. In fact a lot of Ham Radio enthusiasts have benefited from the same.
I remember my childhood days, when I never missed to grab a copy of the magazine from the bookstore just to read ‘Gateway to Ham Radio’. The magazine was in Malayalam and though being a Keralite and it being my mother tongue, I couldn’t learn to read or write Malayalam. So I used to take it to the friendly security guard of our residential area and he used to read it out for me at the children’s park. Mattappally sir has a gift of discussing highly technical topics in very lucid yet amusing ways.
Sir, I want to tell you how much I appreciated your clearly written and thought-provoking articles. I never knew that one day I would be on the editorial panel of the book that I could never wait to read. I would like to congratulate the author and everybody who is reading this book that you have gotten hold of the right book on Ham Radio and that you don’t have to be a genius or a prodigy to digest the contents of this book.
Note: Sarin Gopalan is the founder of a flourishing Software start-up - Nowenable, Vadakara. Even though Software is his profession and electronics is his hob- by, he is an avid reader interested not only in technology but subtle sciences like Astronomy too. It was OM Sarin who developed the first software version of the Call book - Amateur Radio Call book India 2005. He was a coordinator in IIH and it is his expertise that we see through the HFI 2018 Website.
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PA Mukundan VU2DRL Ernakulam
It all happened in 1982, when I came across powerful AM radio stations discussing electronics on 40 meter band. Fixing radios was my hobby and being inquisitive, I ensured listening to these conversations in the mornings. It was then the Malayala Manorama carried an article on Amateur Radio authored by Dr Sathish Kuriakose, son of late Dr V K Kuriakose VU2VKK and the contact details of James Kalassery VU2ARL, then Secretary of Kerala Amateur Radio League, were also provided. I met James at his shack on 15th August 1982. As an SWL, it was a thrilling experience to listen to several Indian and DX hams on his Kenwood TS 130 S Transceiver and to say hello to them. I continued listening to even the late night marathon rag chew by James, Anand VU2RYL, Narain VU2NYR, Kumar VU2MKS, Shenoy VU2VAS, Naseer VU2NNN etc. and I got my license in 1984.
1980s was the Golden Era of Amateur Radio in Kerala. Lot of fruitful activities by KARL and quality technical discussions by renowned Hams like Guhan VU2TG, Jayaram VU2JN, Neel VU2LN, Nath VU2PRV, Raj VU2HY, Chak VU2TTC, Babu VU2VKG etc. were really a boon to SWLs.
As KARL members Mathew VU2MMA and I were readily available to support James in the Second Amateur Radio Conference held at Kochi, on 10-12 September 1982. I met Joseph Mattappally VU2JIM (an SWL then) first at this conference venue.
The number of ARL sishyas or stalwarts grew with friends viz. George VU2PRW, Kuruvilla VU2POS, Gopal VU2QKZ, Sethu VU3DRL, late Jayan VU2JNX, late Achari VU2KCX, Jude VU2DRJ and Surendran VU3CID. Suresh VU2SUO joined us in 1990. We all were associated with the activities under the banner of KARL and SPAR, be it JOTA, Rally, Sabarimala service, Field days, National Games, Awareness Meets, ASOC Examinations or Amateur Radio Publications and what not! Late OM Narain VU2NYR and Shenoy VU2VAS too expertly mentored us and they even joined the Sabarimala and Rally communication Networks in spite of adverse operating conditions. We all were having a close knit friendship and we could share our woes, happiness and even trivia!
The experience we gained helped us immensely when we continued the activities under the banner of our new club Ham Radio Guild VU2HRG, formed in 1991. During 1991-2001, plethora of activities organised in Kerala by HRG under the leadership of Mathew VU2MMA & Suresh VU2SUO viz. correspondence course for SWLs, series of awareness meets named WIRELESS – an exposition to Ham Radio (1993-2000), Eastern and Popular Rally Communication Networks, the Trans India Contests, to name a few. I remember with gratitude the help extended by fellow Hams Guhan VU2TG, Ganesh VU2TS, Dr Kurian VU2PP, Raj VU2ZAP, Sahar VU2SDN, Moni VU2HSM, Jayan VU2JKR, Girish VU2KGB, late Ajith VU2AJM, Santhosh VU2SEP, Thampi VU2FAR, Manoj VU2CPL, Anil VU2AVE, Jayadev VU2NNC, Hari Sankar VU3NSH, Jayachandran VU3 BWB, and Babu VU2BBA. Jim VU2JIM was always with us participating in our activities and in 1992 HRG conferred the first HAM OF THE YEAR award on him in view of his dedication and commitment to the wonderful hobby.
Jim continued to be instrumental in getting Hamfests organised regularly and he brought back the event to Kerala (Kochi) in 1997. He took us into confidence and announced the name of OM Suresh VU2SUO as General Convener of the Kochi Hamfest. Moreover, Jim single handedly organised the Radio Pilgrimage for the delegates enabling them to visit prominent tourist spots in Kerala.
All these went through my mind when Jim told me about the proposed publication of Gateway to Ham Radio. Jim used to email me his interesting travelogues regularly while he was in Chicago and I am an admirer of his style of story presentation. He has proved his flair to write in the website of Indian Thoughts too. I am honoured by associating with the back end support for this publication. This guide, being a storehouse of essential data, will definitely be of immense help to Amateur Radio aspirants.
Note: OM Mukund VU2DRL is a vibrant power house, who has effectively contributed to the growth of Ham Radio in Kerala. As Hon. Secretary of K A R L and Director (Admn.) of Ham Radio Guild he was instrumental in organising many Ham events like ‘Wireless’ (an exposition to Ham Radio 1993-2000), JOTAs, Field Days, Rallies and communication networks like that at Sabarimala.
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James Kalassery VU2ARL Ernakulam
By the time I got my licence in 1978, I had realised that Amateur Radio was very little known in Cochin and Kerala, which prompted me to do something about it, together with my friends. That was how Kerala Amateur Radio League was born.
My Amateur Radio story began when I accidentally stumbled upon a British book on Amateur Radio in the British Council Library in Trivandrum, where I was a daily visitor.
There was a small slip of paper attached to the book, on which was written “Hams in Trivandrum: VU2JN, VU2PKK, VU2TF”. Nothing more!
I had read that Amateur Radio stations operating on AM could be heard on 40 meter band. This prompted me to SWL. The closest and only radio in the vicinity was a Sony 2-in-1 with my college hostel mate Chandrasekhar, an ardent music lover, from Malaysia. He gave me permission to listen on his radio in the mornings, sacrificing his music listening. Eventually, I got my own AM radio with a large dial spread and started listening almost all the time.
Though I had the call signs of the local hams, and was hearing them, I had no clue as to how to get in touch with them. However, one day as I was listening to a QSO between OM Vasan VU2NS and OM Ponnusamy VU2APS, I heard him narrating his Salem (Tamil Nadu) address. Immediately I wrote to him. OM Ponnusamy VU2APS replied to my letter directing me to meet Prof Jayaram VU2JN at his residence on any Sunday morning. The nearest Sunday morning 8 AM, I was there. There I met my Ham Radio Guru, Prof Jayaram VU2JN, who told me and taught me a lot more about Ham Radio and gave me practice sessions for Morse Code. I was a regular visitor to Prof Jayaram’s shack until I left Trivandrum about a year later.
One year had passed between the first reading of the British book and meeting Prof Jayaram VU2JN. If that book was not there in the British Council Library, probably it would have taken me many more years to know about Amateur Radio. If the book I read had some more information about the local hams and procedures, I would have met Prof. Jayaram VU2JN, at least a year earlier. That is the power of books and guides of this type in the promotion of a hobby like ours.
VU2JIM Joseph Mattappally’s book is the right combination for Amateur Radio. While the general information about Amateur Radio motivates the reader to develop an interest in it, the technical and procedural information takes the reader closer to the goal – the Ham licence. OM Jim has taken considerable effort to present this in the optimal order and covers almost everything an aspiring SWL will want to know about Amateur Radio, in his simple style of writing, comprehensible to all readers. This is also a stand-alone book, in the sense that, if a reader follows the book in its logical order, he would end up taking the ASOC exam by the time he finishes reading it.
With Mukund VU2DRL, Mathew VU2MMA, Jim VU2JIM, Kuruvilla VU2POS, Shenoy VU2VAS, Suresh VU2SUO and many more – guided by Elmers like Guhan VU2TG, Neel VU2LN, Prof Jayaram VU2JN and Hari VU2TH, we have done our best to promote our hobby. Our efforts have seen good results – we now have thousands of Hams in Kerala.
OM Jim now adds yet another feather to our cap, by publishing this book, which, again, will bring a lot more like-minded people into Ham Radio. Thank you, Jim.
Note: James Kalassery VU2ARL, is a voracious reader, prolific writer and a model organiser with a flair for reaching the impossible and risking with a definite goal. He will ever continue to be one among the founders of Ham Radio in Kerala. Not only that he initiated KARL and SPAR but also has organised many Communication Networks and National-State level conferences. Zero Beat monthly, which continued for more than a decade itself was enough to inspire many thousands into this hobby. In 2010, OM James was also the Editor of “Communicator”, the journal of Rotarians of Amateur Radio (ROAR), a global Fellowship of Hams in Rotary.
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Preface
Joseph Mattappally VU2JIM (Author)
It is with Amateur Radio that I spent most of my life; I enjoyed it. The driving force was certainly my passion for electronics and social life. I learnt that there is discipline in it, patriotism in it, love for humanity and Nature in it and an unending quest for answers also are in it. It is ‘rag chew’; it is experiments and innovation; it is personality polishing and growing more global; it is also relentless service to the society and thus the Nation.
I would have never thought of this book, if I had a vague idea on where I ended up. It all began from my plan to reproduce a PDF copy of my regular posts in ‘Electronics for Everybody’ (‘95 to ‘98) on home brewing techniques and essential radio theories, under the title, ‘Gateway to Ham Radio’. The encouragement that I received from Shri. B Soman Nair, then Chief Editor of this magazine, was commendable. Shri Jayachandran VU3BWB and Shri Madhu A65DE happily helped me with their collection of old copies of the magazine to begin with. Time and space were shrinking fast and so I had to fully restructure the old articles to fit into the trends of the emerging Smart Age.
Without James Kalassery VU2ARL, Founder Secretary of Kerala Amateur Radio League (KARL), I would not have come to Ham Radio. It was from an article written by Dr Sathish Kuriakose, published in Malayala Manorama in 1982 that I first heard about Amateur Radio. It had the contact address of James VU2ARL. Late Abraham VU2AHM (Pala) and late Guhan Menon VU2TG (Kottayam) were my first and nearest gateways those days. I got my 2nd Grade license (VU3JQY) in 1984 and 1st Grade in 1987 (VU2JIM). Without James, this book also would not have had so beautiful a structure too. I still can’t believe that he spared almost a month on beautifying this book.
This Book is an expression of my gratitude to Ham Radio, for all that I have profusely received from it. With a Big Salute and a heart full of respect, I dedicate this book to each and every Ham who has contributed to the growth of this unique way of life.
I was an English (lit.) P G student in St. Thomas College Pala, when I met Shri Ramachandra Plappally from Alappuzha, my hostel mate, who gave me the initial training in electronics, during our study breaks. Week end treats were the fees. Shri Ramachandran, who later retired as Senior Manager from central office, Bank of Baroda, is still my guide and mentor. I have lavishly utilised his knowledge data base. Amateur Radio was an extension of my deep quest to find more answers.
As is natural to all accomplishments, this book also needed the efforts of many people. Special applause goes to every luminary in the Editorial Board: Vaidyanath VU2PRV, Dr. K Jayakumar VU2JKR, Dr Rohith K Raj VU2EMR, Sarin Gopalan VU3SGQ, James Kalassery VU2ARL and P A Mukundan VU2DRL who gracefully helped me at various areas. I owe to Girish VU2KGB also for all the encouragements and guidelines. It will be quite unfair, if I don’t mention Mathew VU2MMA also, who voluntarily came forward to help me in proof reading. Mr Abin Jose Tom, CEO of Webandcrafts, Infopark Koratty, who took up the responsibility of publishing the first edition of this book also deserves a big thanks.
Some of the photos shared in this book owes to OM Hari Sankar VU3NSH. OM J S Galagali VU2 EVU and OM pratap VU2 POP also have contributed to this book. Thank you all. Every effort has been made to give credit where it is due. If I have omitted anybody inadvertently, kindly bring the matter to my notice, so that I can include the details in the future editions. Also, because of oversight, if any one of you find anything questionable or unclear in this book please do not hesitate to drop your comments to me.
Joseph Mattappally VU2JIM (Author)
H-33, Shivadhara Apartments, Thaltej P O, Ahmedabad, Gujarat -380 059/
Vrindavan Complex, Koorali P O, Kottayam, Kerala - 686 522
(Mob: +91 9495875338, Email: jmattappally@gmail.com)
Releasing Ceremony
Event Photos
(Thanks Jayce, VU3BWB for the pictures)
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