Ham Radio Commutes and Secures West Bengal

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Ham Radio has proven to be the only effective mode of communication for election polling and security personnel during the recent Assembly elections in West Bengal.

Many voting stations are so remote, that local mobile operator cell towers cannot provide an effective communication link.

Armed with solar-powered batteries and ham radio handsets, a team of licensed ham radio operators were agents of last mile connectivity between North 24 Parganas district control room at Barasat and those on the field.

“This is the first time that ham radio operators are being used in the election process to provide connectivity. We are very proud and are doing it free of cost as a service to the nation”
— Ambarish Nag Biswas VU2JFA of West Bengal Radio Club (amateur club)

The group have set-up their equipment and infrastructure in 47 polling premises, each manned by a licensed amateur ham radio operator.

Full Story -  
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/ham-radio-is-the-answer-for-poor-network-during-polls-in-wb/articleshow/51979176.cms

Live Audio on DMR Brandmeister

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Hose line is a developing online streaming platform for the HAM radio Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) Brandmeister network. 

All Brandmeister Talk Groups are streamed on-demand and active participants will show up on the dashboard automatically. The Talk Groups are created on the fly, due to the decentralised nature of the Brandmeister network.

In order to use Hoseline, you need at least:
A supported browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox) or, a supported phone or tablet (iPhone 5/6, iPad, Android 5)
A fast internet connection (at least 100 kbit/s)

Terms and condition apply to using the service, however check out the website below for more information.

HoseLine - http://hose.brandmeister.network/

Romania Hams Get 5 MHz Allocation

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The Romanian telecomms regulator ANCOM has granted Romanian Radio / Ham amateur operators access to 5 MHz on a scheduled testing basis, starting from 8 Apr 2016 for approximately 12 months.

Operators are to be limited to the 3 kHz-wide 5363.5 - 5366.5 kHz slot, CW, PSK, RTTY and WSJT modes (with possibly other digimodes to follow) being permitted. 

Maximum  power allowed is 15W e.i.r.p. With operation only permitted to local operators who register for the testing program.

More information - http://www.hamradio.ro/Comunicate/2004201601