Ham radio to check if fishermen get weather updates on sea

Ham radio operators will help check whether fishermen along West Bengal coast receive weather updates via radio broadcast in the deep seas, an operator said on Thursday.

A joint inspection for measuring the signal strength of All India Radio broadcast in the deep seas will be held on May 14 and 15 by the Coast Guard, AIR, state fisheries department, fishermen's association and ham radio operators.

"Around a year back, 39 fishermen went missing in the deep sea. The reason was they didn't hear the weather report on radio. We will investigate whether they are receiving these important transmissions," Ambarish Nag Biswas of the West Bengal Radio Club (Amateur Club) said.

Through ham radio one can talk across cities, around the world, or even into space, all without the internet or cell phones. Ham radio operators or hams can swing into action in times of disaster, when regular communications channels fail, and assist disaster management agencies.

Biswas said the hams will also educate the fishermen on using the Very High Frequency (VHF) radio.

"Although every fishing vessel has a VHF Radio, due to lack of knowledge they are not maintained properly," he said.

--IANS

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