Students of MCIS, Manipal University wins The Freescale Cup India – 2011

Students of MCIS, Manipal University wins The Freescale Cup India – 2011 making it for 2^nd place    

Engineering students from across the country got an opportunity to put their skills to test when Freescale Semiconductor India, in association with the Centre for Electronic Design and Technology (CEDT) from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.), organized a mini model racing car competition for them on Monday at IISc.

The event saw 70 teams from 35 colleges, each team consisting of three students, competing in the preliminary rounds.

Students were required to assemble an intelligent model racing car using microcontroller (MCU) programming that automatically recognized the specially designed race track and perform optimally under various test conditions during the race at the venue.

The entries were judged on the basis of several parameters, including speed, design and technology

2nd Prize –Team, MCIS from Manipal University (Manipal) – Participants name Shabeer Ali, Sneha Joseph, Rajendra Babu completed in 30.59 seconds winning a cash prize of Rs 50,000

Support

Freescale provided the technical support as well as the model car kits and development tools required to build a model racing car based on the Freescale MCU technology.

The winners

Amit Tank, Atul Jariwala and Vivek Kholia of HORS-BORDS team from the Sardar Vallabhai National Institute of Technology, Surat, won The Freescale Cup India 2011, covering the 30-metre track in 25.68 seconds, taking home a cash prize of Rs.1 lakh.

Third

Vishva, again from the Sardar Vallabhai National Institute of Technology, Surat, bagged the third slot, filling their kitty with a cash prize of Rs. 25,000.

They covered the track in 34.49 seconds.

The fourth and sixth prizes (consolation prizes) were bagged by two teams from B.M.S College of Engineering, Bangalore, winning Rs.10,000 each.

Become an Amateur Radio Operator (HAM) today....and start a new hobby @ MIT...!

                                                                    

What is Amateur Radio?

Amateur radio is a community of people that use radio transmitters and receivers to communicate with other Amateur radio operators. Amateur radio operators are often called ham radio operators or simply "hams" and frequently the public is more familiar with this term than with the legal term Radio Amateur. Amateur (HAM) Radio is truly a hobby but often one that makes a difference especially in emergency or disaster situations. It is an activity of Self Learning, Inter-Communication & Technical Investigation carried on between Amateur Radio Operators. Amateurs talk to local friends over the radio waves using a hand-held transceiver, communicating digitally with packet radio to exchange personal messages or vital information in an emergency, talking to other hams anywhere in the world.

What Hams do with amateur radio?

• Communicating with "very low power" is a challenge that many hams enjoy.
• HF radio - Hams can talk to other hams in literally any part of the globe using HF radios.
• Emergency and other volunteer services - Floods, landslides, earthquakes, Cyclones, Accidents (Rail / Road / Air). when ever `normal' communications go out, hams are ready to use their radios to provide emergency communication services to their communities.
• Technical experimenting. Hams come from all walks of life ranging from technicians to engineers, teachers to scientists, and students to retirees. For many of them the attraction to the hobby is to build their own equipment whether it is just a simple antenna, something as complex as a transmitter, or an interface between their radio and a computer.
• Talk to an astronaut. Yes, it is really possible. Space stations do have ham radio equipment and licensed ham astronauts take the time to make contacts with amateurs on earth. Hams also have satellites where you can bounce a signal to communicate with other hams on earth.
• Satellite communications - Hams operate using their own satellites for world wide communication using Walkie-Talkies.... They are easy to use too.

 How to become Radio Amateur?

Amateur Radio Operators have to qualify in an examination conducted by Ministry of Communications, Government of India and obtain license for operating / possessing a Radio Station. Any individual above the age of 12 is permitted to appear for Amateur Station Operator License Examination and No Educational qualification is prescribed. It takes just two months (say two hours a day training) to become eligible for the examination. One should qualify a simple test conducted in three subjects namely
i) Morse Code (Transmission & Reception) ii) Communication Procedure iii) Basic Electronics.

The Officer-In-Charge, Wireless Monitoring Station, Dept. of Telecommunication under Ministry of Communication, Govt. of India is the authority for conducting these tests in their own town provided there are sufficient number of applicants. The licenses are issued by Wireless Planning & Co-ordination Wing of DOT, Govt. of India after passing the test in any of the following grades:

1. Restricted Grade II -Permitting use of VHF/UHF only (i.e Walkie-Talkies).
2. Grade II - Permitting HF/VHF/UHF frequencies but with limited transmitting power.
3. Grade I- Permitting all amateur frequencies with higher power including latest techniques.
4. Advance Grade- Permitting higher power and advanced techniques including Satellite Communication.

Who issues Amateur Radio License in India?

Every licensed Radio Amateur is given a call sign that is used to identify you and your location of license. Each country that has Amateur Radio status is allocated a range of call signs by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). Amateur Radio License in India are licensed by the Wireless Planning & Coordination wing of Ministry of Communications, Govt. of India and enjoy a far more privileges of radio operation than "CB" radio operators do.

With these privileges come responsibilities and rules for the operation of an amateur radio station. Specifically, there are a few things that hams are not allowed to do: Hams are not allowed to do anything with their radios that makes them money in way. Ham radio is a hobby. Ham radio operator cannot `broadcast' to the public. This means that ham radio transmissions are meant to be received by other ham radio operators. While a short-wave radios will allow you to listen to the ham radio bands, what you will hear is hams talking to other hams and not music or other radio programs of `general' interest.

What is the benefit for the Students by Joining Amateur Hobby?

• He/ She is introduced to the Scientific activity at a very young age and will create an awareness on the importance of Information Technology and Communications in their life.
• He/ She will possess a license from the Ministry of Communications, Government of India and are encouraged to construct their own Transceiver or Purchase or Operate a Amateur Radio Station including Information Technology through Computers.
• He/ She joins the fraternity and interact with other Students, Teachers, Scientists, Doctors, Lawyers, Politicians, Kings and Prime Ministers from all over the World.
• He/ She can take part or share information on the latest developments in various technologies.
• He/ She can win a lot of Awards and Certificates by participating in various events all over the world sitting in their own room.
• He/ She can discuss their views and ideas freely and can educate themselves & others to improve their knowledge on the Subject.
• He/ She will inculcate the communication and leadership skills

If you are looking for HAM radio license, examinations etc away from MIT, please visit Amateur Radio
India for more details.