City Police Stations Prepare to Add Amateur Radio

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In West Bengal, India, law enforcement officials in one city are adding amateur radio shacks to police stations. Now they are busy getting volunteers trained and licensed to use them. 

Two months of ham radio training began in late April for civic volunteers who assist at the 26 police stations throughout the city of Barrackpore. The sessions are being conducted by Srayan Mondal, VU3ZHF, Pashupati Mondal, VU3ODQ, Dipak Chakraborty, VU2TLW and Jayanta Baidya, VU2TFR -- all members of the West Bengal Radio Club.

The training is designed to prepare the volunteers for the exam leading to the ham radio certificate from the Ministry of Telecommunications. Radio shacks are expected to be set up at each of the 26 police stations and the police central office.

The police commissioner told local media that adding wireless communication to the various modes used by law enforcement will be especially helpful for disaster response.

Record Number of Licence Test-Takers in Bangladesh

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A record number of candidates showed up to take Bangladesh's amateur radio exam on Friday, 9th May 2025, a total estimated at more than 900 participants. The Amateur Radio Society of Bangladesh said on its website that "this remarkable figure represents the highest number of participants ever recorded for an amateur radio exam in Bangladesh's history."

Weeks of preparation had gone into preparing candidates for the exam by offering online seminars as well as in-person training and workshops. There was also a field day as well as classes in basic electronics and antenna-building.  The amateur radio society said there was great support from the Bangladesh Vespa Community, a community-service group of motorised-scooter enthusiasts - many of whom also took the exam, which was organised by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission.

It was not yet known how many of the candidates were successful in getting their licence.

Promote Your Club’s 2025 ARRL Field Day With Posters

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Promote Your Club’s 2025 ARRL Field Day With Posters

2025 ARRL Field Day will be here before you know it! We’re just 7 weeks away from ham radio’s biggest event, held each year on the 4th full weekend of June (28 – 29 for 2025). The theme of “Radio Connects” highlights the many ways amateur radio makes connections.   

As radio amateurs, we know the excitement of the weekend: it's part get-together, part emergency communications exercise, part operating event. It is also amateur radio’s time to shine and welcome the public to learn about and experience this wonderful hobby.   

A major aspect of any successful ARRL Field Day operation is the publicity and outreach: How can the public learn about the event if they don’t know it is happening? The ARRL Public Relations and Outreach Committee recently held a publicity workshop for public information volunteers. One of the tools presented is the 2025 ARRL Field Day Poster. It can be posted around your area (think libraries, bulletin boards, community centers, etc.) with your event information filled in on it.    

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