quick_offline_ham_search

Quick Offline Ham Search

On my linux computer, I keep a csv file of the ISED ham database for when I need to quickly look up someone. Here are a few tricks to make the process really quick.

Setup

Instead of using my browser to download the file from ISED (http://apc-cap.ic.gc.ca/datafiles/amateur_delim.zip), I run this script, which:

Downloads the zip file to my ~/Ham folder
Renames the file I want to csv
Deletes all the files I don't want

ised.sh

#!/bin/bash
 
DIR=$HOME"/Ham"
 
echo "Downloading Amateur Archive from ISED website:"
wget --report-speed=bits http://apc-cap.ic.gc.ca/datafiles/amateur_delim.zip -P $DIR 
echo
 
echo "Unzipping archive:"
cd $DIR
unzip amateur_delim.zip
 
echo "Renaming amateur_delim.txt to amateur_delim.csv"
mv amateur_delim.txt amateur_delim.csv
chmod 644 amateur_delim.csv
 
echo "Deleting amateur_delim.zip, lisezmoi_amat_delim.txt, and readme_amat_delim.txt"
rm amateur_delim.zip lisezmoi_amat_delim.txt readme_amat_delim.txt
echo
echo
 
echo "Done.  Note that the customer separator is:   ;"
echo

To look up the file, I added this line to my alias:

alias hamsearch='cat /home/ptruchon/Ham/amateur_delim.csv |grep -i '

Usage

To update my local file, I only have to type this into the terminal:

ised.sh

To look up something, I only have to type this into the terminal

hamsearch [Search Term]

Examples

You can search for a callsign:

hamsearch ve7aaa

VE7AAA;Arthur Ellwood;Abrahamson;760 OXFORD PLACE;CAMPBELL RIVER;BC;V9W7Y7;A;;C;D;;;;;;;

Or search for any strings in that file. Use '' if there's more than one word.

hamsearch 'vancouver general'

VA7LGH;Ernest;Mix;436 CARDIFF WAY;PORT MOODY;BC;V3H3T1;A;B;;D;;Vancouver Coastal Health Amateur Radio Group;c/o VCH Emergency Management - Vancouver General Hospital;855 West 12th Avenue, JPPS1, Room 1769;VANCOUVER;BC;V5Z1M9
VA7PRH;Ernest;Mix;436 CARDIFF WAY;PORT MOODY;BC;V3H3T1;A;B;;D;;Vancouver Coastal Health Amateur Radio Group;c/o VCH Emergency Management - Vancouver General Hospital;855 West 12th Avenue, JPPS1, Room 1769;VANCOUVER;BC;V5Z1M9
VA7RHS;Ernest;Mix;436 CARDIFF WAY;PORT MOODY;BC;V3H3T1;A;B;;D;;Vancouver Coastal Health Amateur Radio Group;c/o VCH Emergency Management - Vancouver General Hospital;855 West 12th Avenue, JPPS1, Room 1769;VANCOUVER;BC;V5Z1M9
VA7SGH;Ernest;Mix;436 CARDIFF WAY;PORT MOODY;BC;V3H3T1;A;B;;D;;Vancouver Coastal Health Amateur Radio Group;c/o VCH Emergency Management - Vancouver General Hospital;855 West 12th Avenue, JPPS1, Room 1769;VANCOUVER;BC;V5Z1M9
VA7SMH;Ernest;Mix;436 CARDIFF WAY;PORT MOODY;BC;V3H3T1;A;B;;D;;Vancouver Coastal Health Amateur Radio Group;c/o VCH Emergency Management - Vancouver General Hospital;855 West 12th Avenue, JPPS1, Room 1769;VANCOUVER;BC;V5Z1M9
VA7VCH;Ernest;Mix;436 CARDIFF WAY;PORT MOODY;BC;V3H3T1;A;B;;D;;Vancouver Coastal Health Amateur Radio Group;c/o VCH Emergency Management - Vancouver General Hospital;855 West 12th Avenue, JPPS1, Room 1769;VANCOUVER;BC;V5Z1M9
VA7VCS;Ernest;Mix;436 CARDIFF WAY;PORT MOODY;BC;V3H3T1;A;B;;D;;Vancouver Coastal Health Amateur Radio Group;c/o VCH Emergency Management - Vancouver General Hospital;855 West 12th Avenue, JPPS1, Room 1769;VANCOUVER;BC;V5Z1M9
VA7VGH;Ernest;Mix;436 CARDIFF WAY;PORT MOODY;BC;V3H3T1;A;B;;D;;Vancouver Coastal Health Amateur Radio Group;c/o VCH Emergency Management - Vancouver General Hospital;855 West 12th Avenue, JPPS1, Room 1769;VANCOUVER;BC;V5Z1M9

Sun Coast Amateur Radio Club Society - blog:2026-05-01

quick_offline_ham_search

Quick Offline Ham Search

Setup

Usage

Examples

Sun Coast Amateur
Radio Club Society - blog:2026-05-01