As Newsline went to production we also learned of the death of Ganesh Subramaniam, VU2TS, an influential ham in Bangalore and beyond. Ganesh became a Silent Key on the 2nd of December, reportedly after a brief illness.
In online posts on Facebook and websites, many remembered him as an enthusiastic CW operator who embraced the code from the very start. In an October 2019 interview on the QSO Today podcast, he spoke about his enthusiastic radio beginnings as a shortwave listener, culminating in taking his exam in 1960 at a time when amateur radio operators were few and far between in India. He said he did not receive his licence - a Grade 1 licence - until April of 1965 at the age of 29. He learned he had just become the 350th ham in India.
Always active and enthusiastic, he became the founder and net control operator of the Charminar Net and a life member of the Bangalore Amateur Radio Club. He was also an avid contester and had served for a time as editor of Ham Radio News, the Amateur Radio Society of India's magazine.
Ganesh was 90.
To hear Ganesh tell his story on the QSO Today podcast, visit qsotoday.com and type his name in the search bar.
