Resources

Where to go next

The official sources you must check, plus the organisations, books, software and communities that are actually worth your time.

Official — India

These are authoritative. Everything else on this page, including our own material, is not.

DoT — ASOC service page →
Eligibility, documents, fees, process and the current application links.
Telecommunications (Amateur Services) Rules, 2024 →
The current rules: categories, eligibility, examination, fees, operating conditions.
Saral Sanchar →
The government portal for ASOC applications and related WPC licensing services.
Wireless Planning & Coordination Wing →
The authority responsible for spectrum management and amateur licensing in India.
Department of Telecommunications →
Policy, regulation and notifications.

ITU →
International Telecommunication Union — sets the global regulatory framework and the Q code standard.
IARU →
International Amateur Radio Union — the federation of national societies, and the source of band plans.
IARU Region 3 →
The region India belongs to, covering Asia and Oceania.
ARRL →
The US national association. Their technical publications are excellent regardless of where you are.

QRZ.com →
Callsign database and a large active community. Look up any callsign you hear.
eHam.net →
Equipment reviews and long-running technical discussion. Read reviews before buying anything.
AMSAT →
Amateur satellites — genuinely achievable with modest equipment and a good next step after licensing.
WSPRnet →
See real propagation data from low-power beacons worldwide. Makes the theory concrete.

ARRL Handbook →
The comprehensive technical reference. Not exam-shaped, but the book you keep for twenty years.
ARRL Antenna Book →
Everything about antennas, in far more depth than any exam requires.

GQRX / SDR# →
Software-defined radio receivers. A cheap RTL-SDR dongle plus this software lets you listen and learn legally before you are licensed.
WSJT-X →
FT8 and other weak-signal digital modes. Worth knowing about even before you can transmit.
Fldigi →
Multi-mode digital software, including CW decoding for checking your own sending.