Mumbai Amateur Radio Society
Encyclopedia
The Mumbai Amateur Radio Society or MARS is an amateur radio
club based in Mumbai
, India
. The club was founded on August 7, 2000 by a group of 25 active hams. Since then it has grown to over two hundred members and is the largest such club in the metropolis. MARS is a registered 80G tax-deductible
non-profit organization
.
The club undertakes several social activities such as providing communication support during the Ganpati Visarjan
, setting up of a quick response teams for communications during emergencies, and monitoring flood situations during the monsoons. The organisation was mobilised during the 2006 Mumbai Train Bombings
, 2005 Maharashtra floods
, 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
and the 2001 Gujarat earthquake
to provide the necessary communication links after established modes of communication were severed.
, providing emergency radio services to civic organisations during calamities and disasters, homebrewing
, amateur radio awareness drives, and contests such as foxhunts
, and JOTA
.
During the Visarjan, MARS sets up several stations at Girgaum Chowpatty, some on the procession trail, and other in the lifeguard towers, lost and found, medical, and on the speedboat providing a vital link between members of the public and various civic authorities. In 2007, MARS opened another unit at Juhu Beach. A total of 40 ham operators were involved during the event in 2007.
The club also conducts annual classes for those interested in becoming an amateur radio operator. Classes are usually conducted during July to September so that amateur enthusiasts can help out during the Visarjan and JOTA.
MARS works closely with the Wireless and Planning and Coordination Wing
(WPC) of the Ministry of Communications, Government of India (which issues amateur radio licences in India) in coordinating licence exams in Mumbai and other activities such as moving base stations during amateur radio events, disasters and other exigencies.
operating at 144.1 MHz, one located near Nana Chowk
in South Mumbai
and the other at Matheran
outside the city limits on the Western Ghats
. The two towers provide line-of-sight coverage to the Mumbai agglomeration
.
The call sign of MARS, VU2ST, was adopted in honour of notable late ham operator Saad Ali.
ese government to provide support during earthquakes.
Another field in which the organisation is working along with other amateur radio groups in India is to shorten the waiting period for receiving the licence. In the 1990s, the waiting period was two years. It has now reduced to eight months.
Amateur radio
Amateur radio is the use of designated radio frequency spectrum for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication...
club based in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The club was founded on August 7, 2000 by a group of 25 active hams. Since then it has grown to over two hundred members and is the largest such club in the metropolis. MARS is a registered 80G tax-deductible
Income tax in India
The government of India imposes an income tax on taxable income of individuals, Hindu Undivided Families , companies, firms, co-operative societies and trusts and any other artificial person. Levy of tax is separate on each of the persons. The levy is governed by the Indian Income Tax Act, 1961...
non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
.
The club undertakes several social activities such as providing communication support during the Ganpati Visarjan
Anant Chaturdashi
Anant Chaturdashi is Hindu religious observance is performed on the fourteenth day of the bright fortnight of Bhadrapad month of Hindu calendar. The principal deity of this observance is Lord Anant, that is Lord Vishnu while the subordinate deities are Shesh and Yamuna. This vowed religious...
, setting up of a quick response teams for communications during emergencies, and monitoring flood situations during the monsoons. The organisation was mobilised during the 2006 Mumbai Train Bombings
11 July 2006 Mumbai train bombings
The 11 July 2006 Mumbai train bombings were a series of seven bomb blasts that took place over a period of 11 minutes on the Suburban Railway in Mumbai, the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the nation's financial capital. The bombs were set off in pressure cookers on trains...
, 2005 Maharashtra floods
2005 Maharashtra floods
The 2005 Maharashtra floods refers to the flooding of many parts of the Indian state of Maharashtra including large areas of the metropolis Mumbai, a city located on the coast of the Arabian Sea, on the western coast of India, in which at least 5,000 people died. It occurred just one month after...
, 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
and the 2001 Gujarat earthquake
2001 Gujarat earthquake
The 2001 Gujarat earthquake occurred on January 26, 2001, India's 52nd Republic Day, at 08:46 AM local time and lasted for over two minutes. The epicentre was about 9 km south-southwest of the village of Chobari in Bhachau Taluka of Kutch District of Gujarat, India...
to provide the necessary communication links after established modes of communication were severed.
Activities
MARS conducts several activities such as communication support during the Ganpati VisarjanAnant Chaturdashi
Anant Chaturdashi is Hindu religious observance is performed on the fourteenth day of the bright fortnight of Bhadrapad month of Hindu calendar. The principal deity of this observance is Lord Anant, that is Lord Vishnu while the subordinate deities are Shesh and Yamuna. This vowed religious...
, providing emergency radio services to civic organisations during calamities and disasters, homebrewing
Amateur radio homebrew
-History:In the early years of amateur radio, long before factory-built gear was easily available, most hams built their own transmitting and receiving equipment, a process that came to be known as "homebrewing." In the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, hams handcrafted reasonable-quality vacuum tube-based...
, amateur radio awareness drives, and contests such as foxhunts
Amateur Radio Direction Finding
Amateur radio direction finding is an amateur racing sport that combines radio direction finding with the map and compass skills of orienteering...
, and JOTA
Jota
Jota may refer to:*the name of J, the tenth letter of the Spanish alphabet and Portuguese alphabet*Jota , a type of Spanish music and dance*Jota, a bean-sauerkraut soup of Slovenian/Croatian origin*Laverda Jota, a motorcycle...
.
During the Visarjan, MARS sets up several stations at Girgaum Chowpatty, some on the procession trail, and other in the lifeguard towers, lost and found, medical, and on the speedboat providing a vital link between members of the public and various civic authorities. In 2007, MARS opened another unit at Juhu Beach. A total of 40 ham operators were involved during the event in 2007.
The club also conducts annual classes for those interested in becoming an amateur radio operator. Classes are usually conducted during July to September so that amateur enthusiasts can help out during the Visarjan and JOTA.
MARS works closely with the Wireless and Planning and Coordination Wing
Wireless and Planning and Coordination Wing
The Wireless Planning and Coordination Wing is a branch of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology of the Government of India. The department is responsible for issuing amateur radio licenses and allotting the frequency spectrum and monitoring the frequency spectrum...
(WPC) of the Ministry of Communications, Government of India (which issues amateur radio licences in India) in coordinating licence exams in Mumbai and other activities such as moving base stations during amateur radio events, disasters and other exigencies.
Club repeaters
MARS has set up two repeater towersAmateur radio repeater
An amateur radio repeater is an electronic device that receives a weak or low-level amateur radio signal and retransmits it at a higher level or higher power, so that the signal can cover longer distances without degradation...
operating at 144.1 MHz, one located near Nana Chowk
Nana Chowk
Nana Chowk is a neighbourhood in Mumbai. It is named after the philanthropist Jagannath Sunkersett also known as "Nana". The area lies in the Grant Road area.It's a nodal point where 6 roads converge to create a rather busy and yet laid back public square...
in South Mumbai
South Mumbai
South Mumbai , sometimes incorrectly referred to by English Media as "SoBo" , the southern-most precinct of the city of Mumbai, India, comprises the city's main business localities and its adjoining areas...
and the other at Matheran
Matheran
- Getting to Matheran :Matheran is located about 100 km from Mumbai, 120 km from Pune. and 320 km from Surat. It lies on the busy Mumbai-Pune rail link and the nearest train station is at Neral, approximately 11 km from Matheran. From Neral, one can either rent a taxi to the...
outside the city limits on the Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
. The two towers provide line-of-sight coverage to the Mumbai agglomeration
Mumbai metropolitan area
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region /Mumbai Metropolitan Area is the metropolitan area consisting of the metropolis of Mumbai and its satellite towns. Developing over a period of about 20 years, it consists of seven municipal corporations and fifteen smaller municipal councils...
.
The call sign of MARS, VU2ST, was adopted in honour of notable late ham operator Saad Ali.
Future plans
MARS plans to try and persuade the Maharashtra government to introduce HAM radio as a subject in school syllabus in the city. This is on the lines of the JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese government to provide support during earthquakes.
Another field in which the organisation is working along with other amateur radio groups in India is to shorten the waiting period for receiving the licence. In the 1990s, the waiting period was two years. It has now reduced to eight months.