On air · Callsign VU2RBI Hyderabad, India · vu2rbi@gmail.com
Women in amateur radio · YL

A voice for every woman on the air.

In the late 1970s I was one of very few YL — young lady — operators in India. Four decades on, the work I am proudest of is making sure no girl ever believes this world is not for her.

A gathering of YL (women) amateur radio operators with Bharathi Devulapalli
The real barrier

It isn’t aptitude. It’s perception.

Few even know it exists

Many young women have never heard of amateur radio, or assume it is a men’s technical hobby. You cannot choose what you have never been shown.

The engineering myth

People imagine you need an engineering degree to take part. You don’t — you need curiosity, a willingness to listen, and someone to extend the first invitation.

Then, the first contact

Once a woman sits at the rig and speaks to someone on the other side of the world, the barriers simply vanish. My job is to make that first contact warm and within reach.

“Once a woman makes that first contact, the ‘barriers’ vanish. The challenge is simply making that first invitation welcoming.”

— Bharathi Devulapalli, VU2RBI
Mentorship

From “do I belong here?” to leading the net.

I have seen so many girls arrive at NIAR shy, hesitant, unsure whether they belong in a technical space. One comes to mind — she started knowing nothing about radio theory. Within months she was not just passing her exams; she was building her own antennas and leading operations during drills. Watching that shift from uncertainty to absolute confidence is exactly why I do this. She didn’t only learn to operate a radio — she learned that she could master any technology she set her mind to.

Bharathi mentoring young women operators at the microphone
The next decade

From encouraging participation to expecting it.

I want amateur radio woven into STEM education for girls — and YLs seen not as guests in the hobby, but as leaders: designing our equipment, leading emergency-communication networks, and bridging radio, coding and IT.

In school
Radio taught in STEM

Introduced to girls alongside coding and electronics.

On the air
YLs leading nets

Running emergency-communication teams, not just joining them.

At the bench
Designing the gear

Building and improving the equipment, not only operating it.

You’re invited · ALARA net

Meet us on the air — the daily ALARA YL net.

One of my favourite YL activities is our ALARA net, which has run without a break since the corona days of 2021. Every YL is warmly invited to check in — it is a friendly place to find your voice on the air, meet other women operators, and simply enjoy the hobby together. Connect to the ALARA conference on EchoLink and say hello.

When
6:00 PM IST

1230 GMT, the same time each session.

YLs
Monday–Saturday

Every YL operator is welcome, six days a week.

OMs
Saturdays only

Our OM (gentlemen) friends join us once a week.

Where
ALARA on EchoLink

Connect to the ALARA conference to check in.

New to radio?
Start here — become a ham ▸
Curious to talk?
Come and say hello ▸