Amateur radio clubs to set up temporary stations on St. Mary’s island from January 26

It is for Amateur Radio Society of India’s (ARSI) two-day national field day contest which begins from January 27, event on January 26 is called island on air

A view of St. Mary’s Island in Udupi. | Photo Credit: file photo

A collaborative team of three amateur radio clubs from Mangaluru and Udupi will set up temporary radio stations on St. Mary’s island, off Malpe in Udupi district, to participate in the Amateur Radio Society of India’s (ARSI) two-day national field day contest which begins on Saturday.

Mangaluru Amateur Radio Club (MARC) has collaborated with the National Institute of Technology - Karnataka’s System for Emergency Assistance, Response, and Communication Hub (SEARCH) and NIT-K’s Amateur Radio Club Station (VU2REC) and Manipal Institute of Technology’s Ham Club (VU2MHC) for the purpose (contest), a release from MARC said.

The collective team will commence setting up of temporary radio stations on the island on Friday. The stations will operate continuously until the afternoon of Sunday.

Tourists and visitors, and emergency relief providing personnel can avail the opportunity to witness and understand the set-up, through demonstrations that will be conducted on the site during the two days, it said.

According to Lester Mahesh, Secretary, MARC, the event on Friday is called island on air. It means activating an island for Ham radio activities. “The event is happening after six years,” he told The Hindu. The national field day contest of the ARSI will be held on Saturday and Sunday on the island.

“This exercise, where stations are operated by a team of operators, amid a location where no readymade facilities such as power or shelter is available serves as a significant exercise for the amateur radio operator and other emergency relief volunteers to familiarise, train and renew their ability to set up and operate an emergency communication set-up at short notice and with minimal support facilities,” the release quoted SEARCH team coordinator U. Pruthviraj, Associate Professor and in- charge of Transdisciplinary Research and Development at the NIT-K.

“Amateur radio is often a sought-after resource in providing emergency communication during disasters and natural calamities when all other forms of communication may fail. Amateur Radio operators volunteer their stations and services, along with their immense people’s network world-wide during such scenarios,” it quoted K. V. Gangadharan, Custodian of NIT-K’s Amateur Radio Facility, and also Dean (Planning and Development) at NIT-K.

“This exercise is also a connection point for ham radio operators globally, resembling a contest that brings together enthusiasts from all corners of the world. It will also provide us the valuable opportunity to study and understand radio wave propagation along the sea, which is considered very advantageous,” said MARC president Vishnumurthy.

MARC was founded in 1976 by U. Varadaraya Nayak and B. Mahabala Hegde. The club engages in various activities, including amateur radio homebrew, awareness campaigns, and communication support during natural disasters. MARC members actively participate in worldwide contests.

SEARCH is a control and command centre in a portable container cabin set up inside the NITK campus in Surathkal. SEARCH presents a pioneering step towards emergency response capabilities for Dakshina Kannada’s coastal areas.