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To keep pace with the emerging world standard and to reduce the grievances of Indian Ham Radio Operators as well as aspiring radio enthusiasts, we need to build up an opinion poll to change the Indian W.T. (A.S.) Rules 1978. We need your valuable opinion regarding the present status of the Indian Amateur Radio Service Rules and your suggestion/s to reduce the grievances faced by the licensed hams
as well as those going for an ASOC licence.

DECENTRALISE LICENCING
Ham Radio Licensing should be decentralized.
The Wireless Monitoring Stations (where the ASOC examination is conducted) should be empowered to issue licence just after the declaration of the ASOC examination result. The licence should be provisional, subject to cancellation if an adverse report is received from the security agencies.

Do you Support this view?
Yes No

ALLOW MOBILE VHF OPERATION
Commercial licencees are allowed to operate mobile stations, without individual security clearances, and without any restriction in operational areas. In such cases, the Licensee company and the Director/Owner only are cleared by security agencies, and yet ANY employee of the company-driver included- is entitled to operate mobile stations. Radio amateurs, who have to qualify in an examination and who are cleared individually by security agencies, are denied permission to use their handheld equipment outside the licensed addresses. Most of the radio amateurs use hand-held sets on VHF/UHF; it is illogical to insist that these be used as base stations.This is an anomaly which needs to be rectified by the government

ALLOW MOBILE H.F. OPERATION
The licencee should be allowed to operate HF mobile within 200 km from the specified location. The need for permission from WPC should be there only in case if a licencee wants to operate mobile throughout the country. In so far as operation on HF are concerned, it should be noted that the mobile antennae are far more inefficient than an antenna at a fixed location. As such the range of HF transmissions by an amateur will be far too restricted when operating his system as mobile.

Do you Support this view?

LIFT UNDECLARED EMBARGO
Government of India do not seem to realize that no anti-social element ever approaches them for a licence.Can the authority prevent any anti-social in entering the cybercafes and send an e-mail to his accomplices located at a distant corner of the world? Is it necessary for an anti-social to possess a sophisticated wireless set when he can do it more reliably from a cybercafe? The concerned authority has been constantly denying ham radio licences to the law abiding Indian citizens living in the North Eastern region of India. But can the proliferation of Internet and e-mail system be stopped in this space-age in those regions? In fact wireless equipment seized from many captured anti-socials itself proves that they don't require a ham radio operator's help to possess a wireless set! Now the authority gives the reason that an wireless set possessed by a ham radio operator can be snatched away by an anti-social! There are many instances where anti-socials have been snatching weapons from the police forces itself. There many instances where anti-socials have been using vehicles to kidnap innocent people and using knives to stab their victims. Does it mean that the production of weapons be banned! Police men be devoid of weapons or citizens be banned from plying their cars! Then why this discrimination only against the innocent ham radio operators?It seems to be a matter of sheer disbelief which is not at all good for the health of a nation and national integration. This can further alienate the people living in those remote areas.
A law abiding citizen with a technical bend should not be allowed to suffer just because of his proximity to some presumably hostile nations.

Do you Support this view on lifting the undeclared embargo?

SPECTRUM NEED
As regards to frequency spectrum availability, the Indian amateurs have miles to go. The following additional bands should be released to the Indian hams.

3700-3890 kHz
7100-7300 kHz
or
6900-7000 kHz &
7100-7200 kHz
10100-10150 kHz
50.00-50.20 MHz
430-434 MHz
Do you think that the additional requirement is justified?

MAKE PROVISION FOR LIFETIME LICENCE
Make provision for issuing lifetime licence. A person holding lower grade(s) licence for seven years or more, should be allowed to apply for a life-time licence of a higher grade by paying prescribed fees. This will also reduce the workload at WPC.

Do you Support this view?