RMVCC to introduce ham radio training course for students

Kolkata: Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Centenary College (RMVCC) at Rahara in North 24-Parganas has become the first college in the state to introduce a full-fledged ham radio training course for its students.

Chemistry Honours students of UG (undergraduate) first semester will be doing a course that has been titled ASOC (Amateur Station Operator Certificate) that kicked off from Saturday in the college premises. Classes in connection with the amateur or ham radio training will be held every Saturday except holiday for two hours duration and will continue for 13-14 weeks. RMVCC which is affiliated to West Bengal State University has been graded A++ by NAAC.

Pashupati Mondal, Dipak Chakraborty and Ambarish Nag Biswas will be conducting classes in the college every week.

“Natural disasters have become a common affair in many parts of the country. The communication system goes haywire during such a disaster and in such an emergent situation, the ham radio operators are responsible for establishing communication. It helps immensely in relief

and rehabilitation.

The students will surely be motivated to stand by people in such times of crisis when they will learn hands on about how to communicate with amateur radio in such emergency situations,” said Ambarish Nag Biswas, secretary of West Bengal Radio Club.

According to Pashupati Mondal, Principal of Indian Academy of Communication and Disaster Management, once a permanent ham radio station gets set up in the college, the students will be able to establish contact with leading institutions abroad and exchange of academic activities will be much easier.

Secretary of the Academy, Rinku Nag Biswas expressed her hope that more colleges will come forward to have similar courses. Five colleges in the state have already given

proposals evincing interest to have ham radio training.