Amateur radio or ham radio call signs are unique identifiers for more than 2,500 licensed operators in the western Pacific. Call signs are regulated internationally by the ITU as well as nationally by island national entities, some of which are independent countries and others are under colonial administration. For the purposes of this article, Australia, its dependencies and New Zealand are excluded. Also not included are Oceanic Indonesian areas of Irian Jaya and the Maluku Islands.
Since callsign allocation from the International Telegraph Union is administered by national political authorities and international mandates, it is a story of colonial transition within the 20th Century.
Contents |
The International Telecommunication Union has assigned countries in the Oceania the following call sign blocks for all radio communication, broadcasting or transmission:[1]
| Call sign block | Melanesia | Apprx. # hams[2] |
|---|---|---|
| 3DN - 3DZ | Fiji (Conway Reef, Rotuma) | 384 |
| FK | New Caledonia (France) | 266 |
| P2A - P2Z | Papua New Guinea | 230 |
| H4A - H4Z | Solomon Islands | 91 |
| YJA - YJZ | Vanuatu | 121 |
| Call sign block | Micronesia | Apprx. # hams[2] |
|---|---|---|
| V6A - V6Z | Federated States of Micronesia | 192 |
| AH2, KH2, NH2, WH2 | Guam (USA) | |
| T2A - T3Z | Kiribati | 174 |
| V7A - V7Z | Marshall Islands | 118 |
| C2A - C2Z | Nauru | 41 |
| AHØ, KHØ, NHØ, WHØ | Northern Mariana Islands (USA) | 121 |
| T8A - T8Z | Palau | 201 |
| AH9, KH9, NH9, WH9 | Wake Island (USA) |
| Call sign block | Polynesia | Apprx. # hams[2] |
|---|---|---|
| AH8, KH8, NH8, WH8 | American Samoa (USA) | |
| CEØ(A, E, F, Y), XQØY, XRØ(Y, Z) | Easter Island (Chile) | |
| FO | French Polynesia (France) | 400 |
| AH6, KH6, NH6, WH6 | Hawaii (USA) | |
| VP6 | Pitcairn Islands (UK) | 37 |
| 5WA - 5WZ | Samoa | 113 |
| A3A - A3Z | Tonga | 179 |
| T2A - T2Z | Tuvalu | 48 |
While not directly related to call signs, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) further has divided all countries assigned amateur radio prefixes into three regions; countries and territories in Oceania are located in ITU Region 3. They cover CQ Zones 27, 28, 31, 32 and 12.
The conference held in 1927 assigned call prefixes mainly to colonial powers.[3] The only modern Oceanic nation mentioned was an Anglo-French condominium lasting from 1906 until 1980, when the New Hebrides gained their independence as Vanuatu. New Hebrides was assigned YHA-YHZ.
The 1947 Atlantic City ITU Conference reallocated call sign blocks some developing island nations.[4] This time New Hebrides was assigned YJA-YJZ. All other islands were assigned call prefixes according to their colonial or protectorate status.
Since 1947 and the various independence movements, new call signs were assigned by the ITU or a new host country. This is particularly true of Japanese territories occupied by the United States following WWII.
| Call sign block | Deleted entity | Changed to | New prefix |
|---|---|---|---|
| KR6 KR8, JR6, KA6 | Okinawa (US military) | Japan | JR6RAA-JR6ZZZ, JS6 |
| KAØ | Iwo Jima (US military) | Japan | JD1 |
| KC6 | Eastern Carolines | Micronesia | V6 |
| KC6 | Western Carolines | Palau | T8 |
| JZ0 7J1 PK5 | Netherlands New Guinea | Irian Jaya (Indonesia) | YB9 |
| VR6 | Pitcairn Islands | Pitcairn Islands | VP6 |
| KA#, KB6, KC#, KG | USA Islands | standard US prefix | KH# |