About Hamfest India
'HAMFEST' is a festival of HAMs, the largest gathering of Indian HAMs in one place, conducted every year in different cities of India since 1991. The main objective is to create an awareness of HAM RADIO, to strengthen the bond of friendship among HAMs and to share the new technological innovations in the field of communication.
As most of us who have experienced the Hamfest will agree, that truly it has attracted Hams and would be Hams from all parts of the country and enabled them to meet and exchange views about the most exciting homebrewing and technical aspect of the hobby rather than discuss or promote certain individual society or club associated with vested interests. We, the HAMs tribe, can proudly declare that such a huge pan-India festival sans political or religious viruses is a rare nobility.
The basic concept of Hamfest has gone into oblivion with the passage of time. So looking back at the history of Hamfest, many of us remember that it all started in a very small way by a couple of hams like VU2JIM, VU2JLX, and VU2JKV who co-ordinated to form the HI-NET ( Ham Information Net ) in Aug 1991 on 40 mtrs.. The basic idea was to share Ham related information like homebrewing, exchanging technical notes and to help acquire those difficult- to -find components, etc., which lead to the idea of organizing a get together of Hams called the HAMFEST wherein all Hams would come individually irrespective of their club or society and collectively work for the enhancement of HAMs with the spirit of the hobby.
Hence HAMFEST 91 was conceived to be held at Kuttikkanam near Kottayam in Kerala and the thought of a Ham Festival brought in a lot of inputs and support from all hams. Ham Radio Guild offered to completely sponsor the first Hamfest 91. As the years passed by ,the flame of the HAMFEST has moved on from Kuttikkanam 1991 thro’ Alwaye 1992, Salem 1993, Mysore 1994, Bombay 1995, Calcutta 1996, Cochin 1997, Bangalore 1998, Mysore 1999 and in the New Millenium to Hyderabad as Hamfest Y2K, making it a true national event by bringing in Hams / SWLs from all regions together.
We still remember that during our visit to Alwaye Hamfest in 92, we saw at the hombrew exhibits many hams practically winding RF chokes, modulation transformers, etc, etching BFO & VFO pcbs, wiring them on the spot and many needy hams benefited by sharing this kind of homebrewing at a common place, while at the Salem Hamfest in 93 there was a complete hombrew workshop conducted to assemble a HF Tx/Rx .
Lastly we would like to thank the promoters VU2JIM, VU2JLX, VU2JKV and all those individual hams, clubs, institutions and the respective General Conveners associated in conceiving the idea of HINET and HAMFEST making it an individual entity without encumbrances to any society or club.
So let us all hold hands together and take this wonderful Festival of Hams called the HAMFEST around to all regions of India, spreading the wonderful hobby of Ham Radio