Unauthorized/Illegal Amateur Call from A5

Hi Bernie,

Good Morning ....

I am happy to let you know that I finally got around to talk to the person in the Spectrum & Technology Division of the BICMA (Bhutan InfoComm and Media Authority) the Regulatory Authority of the Royal Government of Bhutan who oversees all matters related to Ham/Amateur Radio operations from Bhutan. As I had anticipated, the person confirms to me that the Authority has NOT ISSUED the CallSign A50A to any one in recent times, nor ever before. Thus, he thinks that it is an illegal and unauthorized operation, without their knowledge or permission. So, in my understanding, if the call has been on the air from Bhutan .... it should be considered UNAUTHORIZED and ILLEGAL….. and if any QSO’s were issued using the Call A50A, they should be null and void. May be it is wise to inform your Members/readers - perhaps even through the ARRL.

Unauthorized amateur radio call from Bhutan (A5)

Further, for your information, according to the official records of the BICMA, I am informed that the only Calls issued so far with the prefix A50 are the following:

A50DT            GovTech, Thimphu - a technology agency established by the Royal Government of Bhutan

A50JNEC       A technical institute run by the Royal Government, Deothang

A50CST          A technical institute of the Royal Government, Phuentsholing

A50CST2        A technical institute of the Royal Government, Phuentsholing

It is possible that an inexperienced amateur from one of the above QTH could be sending out calls without using the full CallSign .... I have requested the person In-Charge at the BICMA to call up each of the above QTH and remind the operators of the proper protocol when they come on air using A5 CallSigns. 

For your information and record, in addition to the above, the following unique Calls were issued by the Royal Government of Bhutan, in appreciation of their contribution to the development of amateur/Ham radio in Bhutan:

A51A          Yasuo Miyazawa (ZORO), Japan .... since silent key

A51B          Dr. Glenn Johnson, USA

I hope this helps.

Thank You very much for contacting me with the information.

73!

Yeshey Dorji

A51AA

The Last of the Mohicans

No, the following image is not that of a Mohican - let alone that of the last of them. It is that of a Moth, that I believe, is called Trichopterigia cf. decorate.

Still alive and kicking - even beyond two months of its specified lifespan!

So?? Why is it so important that it deserves a post on my Blog?

It is important because it is the ABSOLUTE LAST MOTH that I photographed for the year 2025 – it was acquired at the Pangrizampa Bazam, Dechencholing, on 3rd of December, 2025 at 9:38 AM.

Really?? Still, why is that newsworthy?

It is newsworthy because, according to Lepidopterology, the Moth should have been long DEAD! According to the science, the Moth season at Thimphu’s elevations usually begins around April and ends by September.

The fact that the Moth was still alive - even after two months of its date of expiry - goes to validate an important life-lesson that I learnt in the jungles of Yongkala, some 10-15 years back:

That there are rules and there are laws – but as rigid as they are – they are not without EXCEPTIONS! That there are always exceptions …. and those exceptions help keep the most draconian of laws and rules honest, and humane.

……………………………

BACKGROUND:

It was during one early morning of April some 10-15 years back. I was chasing one of Bhutan’s prettiest Pheasants – called the Satyr Tragopan  (Tragopan satyra). But I found myself involuntarily confined inside my tent – by the wayside of a forest in Yongkala – a bird rich habitat in the East of the country. I was waiting for the torrential rain to pass - so that I may drive over to a particular spot in Sengore – some distance away from where I was camped.

I was waiting for the rain to pass because I believed that if it rained in Yongkala, it would surely be raining in Sengore as well – just 15-20 minutes’ drive away from where I was tented.

When, finally, the rain stopped and the sky started to clear, I began driving towards Sengore – only to find, to my surprise, that the place was bone dry and the skies were sparkling blue in the morning sun. Apparently, it did not rain a drizzle in the area!

That day I learnt a very important life-lesson:

!! DO NOT BE PRESUMPTUOUS !!

Thanks to the lesson I learnt that soggy morning in Sengore more than a decade back - that nature does not always follow a set course of pattern or behavior – this year I was able to photograph a beautiful Moth – two months outside its season! Had I believed in the absoluteness of the accepted rules, or laws, I would be dearer by one beautiful Moth!

Flawed History

Dear Mr. Bose,

Greetings from Bhutan …. It is my hope that you are keeping good health. I am well.

I write to let you know that, on page 30 of your book “Coinage of Bhutan 2025” of which you kindly sent me a copy, I notice a misquote by Mr. Nicholas G Rhodes which you reproduced in your book. This is concerning the matter relating to a pencil rubbing of the obverse of a coin die erroneously credited to Thimzop (Thimphu Dzongpoen) Alu Dorji. While it is correct that the die is currently in possession of Mr. Kuenga Tshering, it is not true that the die belonged to Thimzop Alu Dorji. It belonged to the 54th Druk Desi Kitshelpa Dorji Namgyel. Why I can say this with certainty is that Mr. Kuenga Tshering is the husband of the great, great granddaughter of Druk Desi Kitshelpa Dorji Namgyel. And, as you rightly point out, the coin die is currently in his/his wife's possession.

The Centre for Bhutan Studies (CBS) was in error when they informed Mr. Rhodes that the die had belonged to Thimzop Alu Dorji. When I met Mr. Kuenga Tshering and took the following photographs of the die under reference, he told me that he had actually gone over to the CBS to let them know that they had misinformed Mr. Rhodes. Unfortunately, by then it was too late - the CBS had already released their bi-annual Journal of Bhutan Studies containing Rhode's article with the flawed account of the coin die. Thus, you may wish to make the corrections in your subsequent issues of the book, if you happen to plan one.

Hammer die of 54th Druk Desi Kitshelpa Dorji Namgyel

Another problem: While it is correct that Kitshelpa Dorji Namgyal served as Druk Desi, it is incorrect that he was the first cousin of Druk Desi/Trongsa Poenlop Jigme Namgyel – in truth he was his half-brother. He was fathered by Pila Gonpo Wangyal - Jigme Namgyel's father - during his short stay in Trongsa on his way back from Gangtey Goenpa. The name of the mother of Desi Kitshelpa Dorji Namgyel was Chechemo - from the House of Boemji Choeje in Trongsa.

In closing, Thank You for acknowledging me a number of times in your book. Coming from a person of your standing and knowledge – it is a great honor for me.

Bye and take care

Yeshey

cc: 1.  Wolfgang Bertsch

      2.  Kris Van den Cruyce

NOTE: To the British, our Druk Desi was know as Deb Raja.