CQ Mumbai, the Amateur Radio group for the Mumbai area conducted their Yearly event CQ Mumbai Eyeball Meet 2014 on Sunday, 14th September 2014. The event received almost 100 registrations and was attended by 88 HAMs and SWLs from Mumbai, Nashik and Pune. IT was a meet over lunch and was conducted in Thane, Mumbai.
The venue (Govindmani Banquet Hall & Wedding Lawns, Gawand Baug, Thane) was kindly provided by OM Rahul Gavand, VU2FXF.
Agenda :
1. Meet & Greet
2. Presentation 1
3. Lunch (Veg/Non-Veg)
4. Presentation 2
5. Informal discussion
6. High tea
After the initial meeting and greeting (seeing so many HAMs and old friends can get really exciting!), the event was kick-started by OM Deepak, VU2CDP, with an excellent presentation on Lakshadweep Dxpedition, loads of information on how and why the Dxpeditions are conducted, nitty gritties, logistics, international support, dealing with Indian regulations and lot of such important information was shared.
This was followed by Lunch. The food was delicious!
In the second half of the event, a brief demonstration on using RTL SDR dongle for Amateur Radio activities was done by OM Mahesh VU2IIA, followed by a presentation by OM Ajay VU2DED and Om Suresh VU2EOJ on using the RTL SDR dongle for receiving the DRM transmissions, a new digital format for HF radio broadcasts. Radio BBC DRM transmissions were successfully received and decoded during this demonstration using the RTL Dongle. OM Ajay also shared some valuable info regarding the digitisation currently happening at Prasar Bharti as well as AIR and current digital transmissions in terrestrial TV and radio broadcasts in India.
This was followed by a talk by OM Ashok Joshi, VU2ASH on homebrewing. He discussed how homebrewing can complement HAM radio, using junked parts for building good quality rigs. Om Ashok also showcased his homebrewed Softrock SDR tranceiver built from a kit along with a power amplifier he designed and built. He emphasised the need for experienced and veteran HAMs to spark homebrewing in the minds of new comers.
and Linear Power Amplifier designed by VU2ASH – Brown PCB (Left)
In the meanwhile, OM Cyril VU2AY and OM Charu VU2UPX showcased some of the homebrew stuff they built.
DDS VFO, Digital Clock, LC meter, Arirhana TRX, HF upconverter for RTL SDR dongle, etc.
OM George VU2GT also shared some updates on Matheran Repeater. A vote of thanks followed by OM Satheesh VU2WSM. The event concluded over cups of hot tea and coffee and some group photos.
