HAM radio services help trace stranded people in flood-hit Kerala By Pradipta Tapadar

Kolkata/New Delhi, Aug 21 (PTI) HAM radio operators are helping in rescue operations in flood-devastated Kerala by tracing stranded people through their last mobile phone location and sharing information with officials as most communication services remain hit in the State.

The HAM or amateur radio operators are licensed to conduct such communications under specific radio frequencies by the Union Ministry of Communications.

Over 300 HAM radio operators are working round the clock in Kerala and are helping the administration in rescue operations, Director of the Hyderabad-based National Institute of Amateur Radio Ram Mohan Suri said.

“Hundreds of HAM operators in Kerala have worked against all odds to rescue people. They are in touch not only with HAM operators in the State but also with their counterparts across the country as people from various parts of the country are also stranded in Kerala,” he told PTI over phone.

Mr. Suri said 1,650 people were rescued based on HAM radio support from the Thiruvananthapuram centre from August 16 to August 19.

“We had received 7,400 wireless messages during that period. Whatever information we are getting we are sharing it with district officials and rescue teams. We are giving them the location. Nearly 22 HAM Radio operators are using VHF (Very High Frequency) and HF (High Frequency) spectrum here,” Thampi, convener of HAM radio in Kerala’s Wayanad district, said.

In places where people are stranded and cannot communicate as their mobile phones are not working, HAM radio operators are tracking the last location of their phone’s signal. Based on it, they are trying to locate the person, another HAM operator said.

“By using this method we have rescued several people who are trapped in various buildings and cannot communicate,” he said.

HAM radio uses radio frequency spectrum to exchange messages with other radio operators. Each one of them are assigned a call sign for identity.

Five labourers of Murshidabad district in West Bengal, were rescued with the help of HAM radio operators, according to Ambarish Nag Biswas, secretary of the West Bengal Amateur Radio Club. The labourers from Murshidabad district were stranded in a three storey under-construction building in the Ernakulam area and could not call for help as their mobiles were out of charge, he said.

Mr. Biswas said the Murshidabad district administration called HAM Radio operators after the family members of the labourers got in touch with them.

“We got in touch with HAM radio operators in Kerala and they tracked their last mobile signals and were later on rescued by the officials. We are now looking into three youths from North Bengal who are still stranded in Kerala,” Mr. Biswas said about the successful operation. PTI PNT SNS ANB ANB ANB TRK TRK TRK 08211603