Call signs in the United Kingdom

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Call signs in United Kingdom include a three letter country code, and a series of letters and numbers. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Call signs are regulated internationally by the ITU as well as nationally in the UK by the Office of Communications (Ofcom). [4] It regulates amateur radio in the country as an independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries, with responsibilities across television, radio, telecommunications and wireless communications services. It assigns call signs, issues amateur radio licences, allots frequency spectrum, and monitors the radio waves. Ofcom is no longer responsible for setting and conducting amateur radio exams, which are now run by the Radio Society of Great Britain on their behalf. [5]

The Radio Society of Great Britain [6] (RSGB) is the United Kingdom's recognised national society for amateur radio operators. The society's former patron was Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and it represents the interests of the UK's licensed radio amateurs.

Call sign blocks for telecommunication

The International Telecommunication Union has assigned the United Kingdom the following call sign blocks for all radio communication, broadcasting or transmission: [7]

Call sign blockPrincipal use
GAA–GZZdomestic
MAA–MZZdomestic
VPA–VQZOceanic islands, Antarctica
VSA–VSZ
ZBA–ZJZ Gibraltar, Middle East, south Atlantic
ZNA–ZOZ
ZQA–ZQZ
2AA–2ZZdomestic

While not directly related to call signs, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) further has divided all countries assigned amateur radio prefixes into three regions; the United Kingdom is located in ITU Region 1.

Assignments

These are callsigns of BBC Regional transmitters in the years prior to World War II.

Country prefixCall signLocation
GBRG5XX 2 Droitwich
GBRG5SC Westerglen
GBRG5NO Newcastle upon Tyne
GBRG2EH Edinburgh
GBRG5PY Plymouth
GBRG5SX Swansea
GBRG5GB Droitwich
GBRG2BD Redmoss
GBRG5NO Stagshaw
GBRG2BE Lisnagarvey
GBRG2LO 1London
GBRG2LS Leeds
GBRG5PY Plymouth
GBRG5WA 3 Washford
GBRG2LO 1 Brookmans Park
GBRG6BM Clevedon
GBRG2ZY Moorside Edge
GBRG6FL Sheffield
GBRG6BM Bournemouth
GBRG2DE Dundee
GBRG5SC Glasgow
GBRG6KH Kingston upon Hull
GBRG6ST Stoke on Trent
GBRG5NG Nottingham
GBRG5IT Birmingham
GBRG6LV Liverpool

Call sign assignments for amateur radio

Amateur radio or ham radio call signs are unique identifiers for the 75,000 licensed operators. [8] Ofcom allots the individual call signs to the amateurs it licences. Call signs are the property of Ofcom even when assigned. [9]

Prefixes + letters in suffixLicence class
M3 + 3 LettersFoundation Licence
M6 + 3 LettersFoundation Licence
M7 + 3 LettersFoundation Licence
2E0 + 2 or 3 LettersIntermediate Licence
2E1 + 2 or 3 LettersIntermediate Licence
G1 + 3 lettersFull Licence
G2 + 2 or 3 lettersFull Licence
G3 + 2 or 3 lettersFull Licence
G4 + 2 or 3 lettersFull Licence
G5 + 2 or 3 lettersFull Licence
G6 + 2 or 3 lettersFull Licence
G7 + 2 or 3 lettersFull Licence
G8 + 2 or 3 lettersFull Licence
G0 + 3 lettersFull Licence
M0 + 3 lettersFull Licence
M1 + 3 lettersFull Licence
M5 + 2 or 3 lettersFull Licence
G + 1 number + 1 letterContest callsign
M + 1 number + 1 letterContest callsign

Callsigns in the G9 series are commercial licences, issued for experimental purposes and these may not be used on the amateur bands (except in the case of a contest callsign).

A callsign without a Regional Secondary Locator (RSL) can be used throughout the United Kingdom and Crown Dependencies. In the case of callsigns starting with G or M licensees may optionally add an RSL according to the following table: [10] as the 2nd character of the callsign to indicate which region they are operating from. For callsigns starting with 2 the use of an RSL is mandatory.

Map showing regional indicators. UK amateur radio regional locators.svg
Map showing regional indicators.
RegionRegional
Secondary Locator		G-prefix RSL optionalM-prefix RSL optional2-prefix RSL MandatoryG-club prefix RSL optionalM-club prefix RSL optionalSpecial event
EnglandE, XGEME2EGXMXGB
GuernseyU, PGUMU2UGPMPGB
Isle of ManD, TGDMD2DGTMTGB
JerseyJ, HGJMJ2JGHMHGB
Northern IrelandI, NGIMI2IGNMNGB
ScotlandM, SGMMM2MGSMSGB
WalesW, CGWMW2WGCMCGB

Overseas call sign assignments

Prefix [11] DXCC Entity
VP2E Anguilla
VP2M Montserrat
VP2V British Virgin Islands
VP5 Turks & Caicos
VP6 Pitcairn Island
VR6Pitcairn Island (prior to 1 May 1998)
VP6D Ducie Island (Pitcairn group)
VP8/F Falkland Islands
VP8/G South Georgia Island
VP8/O South Orkney Islands
VP8/SA South Sandwich Island
VP8/SH South Shetland Islands
VP8 Antarctica
VP9 Bermuda
VQ9 Chagos (Indian Ocean)
ZB, ZG Gibraltar
ZC4UK Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus
ZD7 St Helena
ZD8 Ascension Island
ZD9 Tristan Da Cunha
ZF Cayman Islands

Special event call signs

Ofcom reserves the right to issue temporary special event call signs to licensed amateurs holding a full licence. [12]

Special event call signs are issued with a 'GB' prefix, but others like GQ, GO, GR, MQ, GA, MO, and 2O have been issued in special cases. Ofcom also allows numerals in special event call sign suffixes. For instance GB75RD was a special event sign for the 75th anniversary of the Reading and District Amateur radio club. [13] More recently Ofcom have agreed to what was a very special arrangement for the use of the Special Event Station call sign Gx100RSGB during 2013 to mark the 100th anniversary of the RSGB (where "x" is replaced by the secondary location identifier, M, W, I, D, U, and J, etc. (but never with B) to form the typical 'GB' prefix for other special events.)

Exceptionally, call signs taking the form 'GB3xx' are usually allocated to repeaters whilst beacons usually take the 'GB3xxx' form.

The GR prefix has now been allocated, as of 2017, as a special event prefix alongside "GB", as the callsign GR2HQ has been in use under a Notice of Variation (NoV) since 2011. The prefix GR has now been allocated in the special event callsign range rather than an NoV. For reference, GR2HQ is the UK multiplier station in the Headquarters section (country-on-country national societies head-to-head section) of the annual IARU HF Championship Contest. [14]

To celebrate the wedding of HRH Prince Harry and Miss Meghan Markle, the RSGB agreed with Ofcom an NoV to authorise the temporary use of the Regional Secondary Locator 'R' after the call sign prefix. Successful applicants were able to use the RSL between 19–21 May 2018.

Reciprocal agreements

Holders of licences in countries signed up to CEPT TR 61-01 [15] must operate with their home call sign prefixed with an M/, they may optionally use an RSL (e.g. ME/, MI/, MM/ etc.). Holders of licences in countries signed up to CEPT T/R 61-01 [16] can operate for 3 months before needing a licence issued by Ofcom.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Hepburn, William. "Call signs". Dx Info Centre. Dx Info Centre. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  2. ↑ "International Call Sign Series". ARRL.org. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  3. ↑ "Callsign database by QRZ". QRZ.com. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  4. ↑ Ofcom – Office of Communications
  5. ↑ "Ofcom Licensing services". Archived from the original on 12 May 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  6. ↑ Radio Society of Great Britain
  7. ↑ International Telecommunication Union country call sign assignments Archived 6 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ↑ Number of UK licensed amateurs
  9. ↑ "Transfer of amateur radio call signs" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 July 2008. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  10. ↑ "Amateur Terms" (PDF). OFCOM. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 April 2025.
  11. ↑ "AC6V call sign information". Archived from the original on 27 June 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  12. ↑ "Applying for a Special Event Station". Archived from the original on 13 March 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  13. ↑ "GB75RD". QRZ.COM.
  14. ↑ "IARU HF Championship Contest rules". ARRL.org.
  15. ↑ "Recommendation T/R 61-01". docdb.cept.org. 18 October 2024. Archived from the original on 1 April 2025. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  16. ↑ "Recommendation T/R 61-02". docdb.cept.org. Archived from the original on 22 March 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
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