Call signs
| Call signs | |
|---|---|
| Issued by | The national regulator (the FCC in the US) |
| Structure | Prefix, a digit, and a suffix |
| US prefixes | K, N, W, and AA through AL |
| US call districts | 0 to 9, by region |
| Examples | |
| Sequential (Technician) | KD8ABC |
| Vanity (General and above) | W5XYZ, N4ABC |
| Extra-only "1×2" | K3AB, W7XY |
A call sign is the unique identifier every licensed amateur station is assigned. Hams use it to identify on the air (US rules require it at least every ten minutes during a contact and at the end), to log contacts, to exchange QSL cards and to find each other in online databases. Most hams come to think of their call sign as a second name.
How a call sign is built
A call sign has a prefix that shows the country, a digit, and a suffix of one to three letters.
The International Telecommunication Union allocates prefix blocks to each country. The United States holds K, N, W and AA through AL; Canada has VA through VG, VO and VY; the United Kingdom has G, M and 2; Germany has DA through DR; Japan has JA through JS. Hearing a prefix tells you at once where a station is licensed.
In the US the digit shows the call district where the license was first issued: 1 for New England, 2 for New York and New Jersey, 3 for Pennsylvania to Delaware, 4 for the Southeast, 5 for the South Central states, 6 for California, 7 for the Northwest and Mountain West, 8 for Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia, 9 for the Upper Midwest, and 0 for the Plains and Rockies. Because hams keep their call signs when they move, the digit is a clue, not a guarantee.
Formats in the US
Call signs are described by the number of letters before and after the digit:
| Format | Example | Who can hold it |
|---|---|---|
| 2×3 | KD8ABC, WA3ABC | Any class; the format new licensees are normally issued |
| 1×3 | N4ABC, W2ABC | General and above |
| 2×2 with a K, N or W prefix | KB6AB, WA1AB | Advanced and Amateur Extra |
| 2×2 with an A prefix | AC9AB, AJ2XY | Amateur Extra only |
| 1×2 and 2×1 | K3AB, AB6A | Amateur Extra only |
New licensees receive the next available sequential call sign for their region and class. Anyone may later apply for a vanity call sign, choosing from the formats their class allows, perhaps their initials or a call once held by a family member. Vanity applications go through the FCC and are granted after a short waiting period if nobody else has applied for the same one.
Special call signs
- Special event call signs such as K3K or W9A are issued for short periods to mark events and anniversaries.
- Club call signs belong to clubs rather than individuals and are often used for Field Day stations.
- Portable and mobile identifiers are added when operating away from home, for example "W2ABC portable 7" or "W2ABC/MM" (maritime mobile). When operating abroad, most countries put the local prefix before the call, as in "F/W2ABC" for a US ham in France. Canada and the US are the exception: a visitor adds the prefix after the call, so a US ham in Ontario signs "W2ABC/VE3".
Using your call sign
On voice, spell it with the phonetic alphabet when conditions are poor or when giving it for the first time. On CW and digital modes, it is sent as plain characters. Online, your call sign is your login for logging services, Parks on the Air, and the QRZ.com database, where most hams keep a profile page.