National Institute of Amateur Radio

How to be a HAM
 Any individual above the age of 12 can became a ham in India after qualifying in Amateur Station
Operators Certificate examination.
 The Officer-In-Charge, Wireless Monitoring Station, Dept. of Telecommunication under Ministry of
Communication & Information Technology, Govt. of India is the authority for conducting the
examination in their own town provided there are sufficient number of applicants.
 There are 2 grades of licences:
 1. Restricted Grade - Permitting use of Medium power. (1 hour exam)
 2. General Grade - Permitting use of Higher power. (2 hour exam)
 The syllabus consists of Basic Electronics and Communication Procedure and the exam is of
objective type.
 To qualify in General Grade one must qualify in Morse Code at 8 words per minute.
 It takes just a few weeks training to become eligible for the examination.
 Basic knowledge can be obtained by purchasing study manuals, books on Morse Code from NIAR.
There are many ways to go about preparing for and taking your ham radio license test.
 Self-study - Collect the study material and try to learn it yourself. Lot of information is available on
internet now a days.
 Local clubs - For those that like a structured approach, many clubs organize classes to prepare
people for their ham radio license test.
 The exam fee is Rs. 100 per grade.
 The licence fee for 20 years is Rs.1000/- and Rs.2000/- for life time.