Station identification
| Station identification | |
|---|---|
| US rule | Part 97, §97.119 |
| When | At least every 10 minutes during a communication, and at its end |
| Whose call | The station's own assigned call sign |
| Voice | In English; phonetics encouraged |
| Other methods | |
| CW | Allowed on any frequency where CW is authorized; automatic CW IDs no faster than 20 wpm |
| Digital | May be sent in the digital mode in use |
| Images | May be sent in the image mode in use, such as amateur television |
| Repeaters | Identify automatically, by CW or voice |
| Extras | |
| Indicators | Optional self-assigned additions such as /M or /P |
| Special event calls | Own call also required at least once an hour |
Station identification is the transmission of a station's call sign so that anyone listening knows who is transmitting. Every amateur station must identify, and unidentified transmissions are prohibited. In the United States the requirements are set out in section 97.119 of Part 97. Identification is what separates amateur radio from anonymous services, and it makes the hobby self-policing: a station that causes a problem can be identified and contacted.
The basic rule
A US amateur station must transmit its assigned call sign at the end of each communication, and at least every 10 minutes during a communication. A short exchange of a few minutes therefore needs only one identification, at the end; a long ragchew needs one every 10 minutes and one at the close.
Only the station's own call sign is required. Giving the other station's call is customary, as in "K9XYZ, this is W1ABC," but US rules do not require it, except at the end of an international third-party exchange. Unidentified transmissions include short test signals and "kerchunking," keying a repeater without saying anything, so even a brief test should end with a call sign.
How to identify
The call sign must be sent with a mode authorized on the frequency in use, in one of these ways:
- Voice, in English. Use of a standard phonetic alphabet is encouraged, especially when signals are weak.
- CW. An automatic CW identifier, such as a repeater's ID, may send no faster than 20 words per minute.
- Digital modes. When a communication uses a digital mode such as RTTY, PSK31 or FT8, the station may identify in that same mode. Many digital protocols carry the call sign in every transmission.
- Images. A station sending television may identify in the picture.
Some digital voice systems identify radios by a number rather than a call sign. On DMR, for example, the radio's ID number does not satisfy the rule, and operators give their call signs by voice.
Indicators
An indicator is something added to a call sign, separated by a slash or a word meaning slash, such as "W1ABC/M" or "W1ABC mobile." Common self-assigned indicators are /M for mobile, /P for portable, /MM for maritime mobile and a call district number. In the US these are optional. A self-assigned indicator may go before or after the call sign, but it must not conflict with an indicator required by the FCC or with a prefix assigned to another country.
Some indicators are required. A newly upgraded ham who has passed an exam but whose new license has not yet appeared in the FCC database adds a temporary indicator: "AG" after an upgrade to General, or "AE" after an upgrade to Amateur Extra. Hams operating abroad follow the host country's rules, which often call for a local prefix.
Repeaters, nets and special events
Repeaters identify themselves automatically, by CW or a recorded voice, at least every 10 minutes while in use. That ID covers the repeater station only; each user still identifies his or her own transmissions.
During public-service events, nets and emergencies, operators often use tactical call signs such as "Net Control," "Shelter 2" or "Aid Station 4," which describe a job rather than a person and can be handed from one operator to the next. Tactical calls are useful but do not replace the FCC call sign, which must still be given every 10 minutes and at the end of each communication. A net control station typically identifies for the whole net at regular intervals.
A station using a special event call sign must also give its regularly assigned call sign at least once an hour.