Amateur radio or ham radio call signs are unique identifiers for the 24,000 licensed operators in Russia. Call signs are regulated internationally by the ITU as well as nationally by The Ministry of Information Technologies and Communications of the Russian Federation. The latter is responsible for providing policy on the allocation of Russia's radio spectrum to support efficient, reliable and responsive wireless telecommunications and broadcasting infrastructure.[1]
In 1991 Russia inherited the largest portion of the former Soviet Union's allocated call signs. The other post-USSR countries which inherited parts of the ITU UAA-UZZ call sign block are Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine.
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The International Telecommunication Union has assigned Russia the following call sign blocks for all radio communication, broadcasting or transmission:[2]
| Call sign block | |
|---|---|
| RAA - RZZ | Russia |
| UAA - UIZ | Russia |
While not directly related to call signs, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) further has divided all countries assigned amateur radio prefixes into three regions; Russia is located in ITU Region 1.
Russia uses the following 1-letter and 2-letter prefixes in amateur radio call signs for normal operation: R, RA, RK, RN, RU, RV, RW, RX, RZ, and UA. Any of these prefixes can be used in any of the Oblasts. The other prefixes are reserved for special operation.
It uses the numerals 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, and Ø to separate prefixes from suffixes, and to indicate the region the amateur was assigned the call sign.
Russia designates the first letter of the suffix to designate the Oblast within the region. This means that for most call signs the numeral and first letter of the suffix identifies the operator in one of the 92 Russian Oblasts.
Combinations not listed are used by radio amateurs in the federal subject next to the listed combination immediately preceding it in the sort order; e.g., the 1B combination is used by radio amateurs in Saint Petersburg.
Russia was not a signatory to the 1913 Berlin agreement but received the R block series. Amateur radio was not yet developed enough to be subject to this identification scheme.
In 1927 the International Telecommunication Union Conference in Washington (D.C., USA) established internally agreed upon call sign prefixes - Russia was now in the USSR and the latter was assigned the RAA-RZZ block.
At the 1947 Atlantic City ITU Conference, the USSR was assigned the following call sign blocks:
| Call sign block | 1947 Assignment | Present assignment |
|---|---|---|
| DRA - DTZ | Bielorussian Soviet Socialist Republic | Germany (DR), Korea (DS-DT) |
| EKA - EKZ | Union of Soviet Socialist Republics | Armenia |
| EMA - EOZ | Union of Soviet Socialist Republics | Ukraine (EM - EO) |
| ERA - ERZ | Union of Soviet Socialist Republics | Moldova |
| ESA - ESZ | Estonian SSR | Estonia |
| EUA - EZZ | Union of Soviet Socialist Republics | Belarus (EU-EY), Turkmenistan (EZ) |
| LYA - LYZ | Lithuanian SSR | Lithuania |
| RAA - RZZ | Union of Soviet Socialist Republics | Russia |
| UAA - UQZ | Union of Soviet Socialist Republics | Russia (UA-UI), Uzbekistan (UJ-UM), Kazakhstan (UN-UQ) |
| URA - UTZ | Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic | Ukraine (UR-UZ) |
| UUA - UZZ | Union of Soviet Socialist Republics | Ukraine |
| YLA - YLZ | Latvian SSR | Latvia |
| 4JA - 4LZ | Union of Soviet Socialist Republics | Azerbaijan (4J-4K), Georgia (4L) |
Sakhalin Island has been disputed between Russia/USSR and Japan since the mid-19th century. From 1905 until after World War II, South Sakhalin Island was under Japanese control and was assigned the JP7 call sign prefix for radio purposes. From 1945 until the present the call sign prefix for all of Sahalin Island is UA0, with F as the first letter of the suffix. The Japan-Soviet Joint Declaration of 1956 laid down that Habomai Is. and Shikotan I. should be returnable to Japan, but Russia is still the administrative authority in the Four Northern Islands.[3]
While not strictly a Russian call sign issue, following World War II, Byelorussia inherited the DR-DT block at the Atlantic City Conference from the German D-block.[4] The block was then transferred back to Germany, and the DS-DT block subsequently given to South Korea.