Experiences of Dx-pedition to Andaman and Nicobar Islands
by the Team of NIAR for Amateur radio communication

Continued..

All the occupants of the rooms rushed out and gathered in the lawns of the hotel building. Immediately, after the tremors, my team members from their shack rushed to my hotel and joined me and by God's grace we were all safe. After about half an hour, I went back to the radio shack and checked for the antenna on the rooftop, which was disturbed by the tremors and was to be re-erected.

There was no power and the hotel management put on the generator. Immediately, I went on air and contacted hams from Thailand (HS0ZAA, Mr.John) and main land of India (VU2 UU, Mr. Shanker from Chennai; VU2MYL, Mrs. Rama from Hyderabad) who have confirmed the tremors in their locations as well. I could guess the magnitude of the damage due to the earthquake and decided to suspend the dx-pedition operations and started emergency communication with the main land (VU) and other people from then onwards by turning the antenna beam to main land.

The telephone lines went out of order and within a few hours, we have come to know the extent of damage in Port Blair through local people. While the news of death and devastation caused by the tsunami/earthquake in other parts of India was quickly transmitted around the world, the situation in Andaman and Nicobar Islands was not known. I went on broadcasting information about the situation to anyone who could hear my signals. Simultaneously, I have sent my team members to the office of the Chief Secretary, Government of Andaman & Nicobar Islands expressing our willingness to extend our support for establishing emergency communication for the help of administration.

Nicobar after the tsunami. Rammohan vu2myh is operating the station assisted by vu2dvo

The Deputy Commissioner (DC) requested for our services on 27th December and we immediately established a radio station in control room of DC's Office on 27th itself and operated by me and VU3RSB.

On the request of DC, two of our team members (VU2MYH & VU2DVO) proceeded to Car Nicobar Island in the morning of 28th December in a military aircraft and established communication between Port Blair and Nicobar.

Bharathi VU2RBI and Sarath VU3RSB operating the emergency communication link from the Deputy Commissioner's office in Portblair, Andaman Islands.

We were to handle hundreds and hundreds of messages each day from main land and the affected areas due to the collapsed communication infrastructure and ours was the only link for thousands of Indians and other country people who were worried about their friends and families in the Islands. Also, our station in the control room became the centre of messages between Port Blair & Nicobar Island. Survivors in Car Nicobar were communicating with their relatives in Port Blair through our stations. Other hams of the country located in the main land have helped us in relaying the messages whenever there was skip between our stations in the Islands. When telephone lines were restored on Tuesday, the 28th December, the information received on radio about the survivors from Car Nicobar was conveyed to their anxious relatives on the main land that they were alive. We have also helped about 15 foreign tourists including several from US to send news to their families.

The aftermath of the tsunami

On the request of DC, one of our team members (VU2 JOS) was sent to Hudbay Island along with other Government officials for relief activity.

The common man was totally happy in utilizing our service and the magnitude of their satisfaction on
receiving the information about the welfare of their kith and kin is beyond one's imagination. We were not dare enough to sleep inside the hotel rooms during nighttime and were sleeping in the open air in the lawns of the hotel. Tremors continued all along the six days of my stay after the tsunami and even afterwards.

Mr. Charles Harpole, K4VUD of USA and Mr.Henry from Sweden both visited our shack during dx-pedition. Also Mr. Charles observed our handling of emergency traffic on 26th of December and left for Thailand on 27th of December..

I have continued emergency communication till the forenoon of 1st of January 2005 the day of my return to Delhi. However, my team members are continuing in Port Blair, Nicobar and Hudbay Islands and few more have joined from NIAR on 2nd January 2005 for proceeding to other Islands which have no other means of communication.

Just one of the many thousands of buildings destroyed

Though we went to Andaman & Nicobar Islands for dx-pedition, the circumstances have led us for conducting emergency communication, which was a shear coincidence. The representatives of different media agencies including Associated Press, Washington Post, Zee News, etc. have witnessed our service to the society in the need of the hour through amateur radio and acknowledged the same. I am also thankful to them in spreading the awareness amongst the public about amateur radio communication. The potential of amateur radio communication in bringing people together is thus established once again.

I am proud of my team who has extended all the support for the operations during the period of my stay in Port Blair. I left Port Blair with heavy heart for the departed souls.

The following stations are operating in Andaman & Nicobar Islands as of 7.1.2004:

Station Call sign - Location
VU2 LIC DC's office, Port Blair
VU2LFA APWD office, Port Blair
VU3RSB Nehru Yuvak Kendra, Port Blair
VU2MYH Port Office, Nicobar Islands
VU2DVU Port Office, Nicobar Islands
VU2DSV DC's office, Nicobar Islands
VU2MCK DC's office, Nicobar Islands
VU2JOS Hudbay Islands
VU2CPV & Others Cambel Bay islands
VU3VCC Naval Base, Cambel Bay

The following stations on the mainland are assisting the above stations in Islands:

VU2RBI New Delhi, (she was in Port Blair from 1.12.2004 to 1.1.2005)
VU2HFR Kolkata, VU2PEB Kerala, VU2HIT Mumbai, VU2MUE Delhi, VU2DBP Delhi

I am thankful to Government of India for permitting me to conduct the dx-pedition, particularly, the authorities of Ministry of Information and Technology and the National Institute of Amateur Radio for sponsoring the dx-pedition. I am also thankful to fellow hams worldwide that have made the dx-pedition successful through their individual efforts and those who helped in conducting emergency traffic.


Mrs. D. Bharathi Prasad, VU2RBI
Chief Coordinator, NIAR, New Delhi.

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