Amateur radio call signs of North America

Amateur radio
Amateur radio call signs Amateur radio direction finding Amateur radio emergency communications Amateur radio high bands Amateur radio homebrew Amateur radio operating award Amateur radio station Amateur television Antenna theory Automatic Link Establishment Automatic Packet Reporting System Contesting DX communication DX-pedition Hamfest High speed multimedia High Speed Telegraphy Internet Radio Linking Project OSCAR Packet radio Portable operation (amateur radio) QRP operation QSL card Special event station Skywarn Vintage amateur radio

The amateur radio call signs of North America are allocated to ham radio stations in Barbados, Canada, Mexico and across the United States.

Barbados

Amateur radio call signs have been allocated to 315 licensed operators in Barbados. Call signs are regulated internationally by the ITU.The Telecommunications Unit in the Ministry of Energy and Public Utilities issues call signs in the 8P series for amateur use. Barbadian nationals are identified by the prefix “8P6”, non-nationals are identified by the prefix “8P9”.^[1]

Call signs are assigned on a sequential basis and normally amateurs are not allowed to select one even if available. However, the form in which Barbadians apply for call signs allow for a choice of two-letters from AA to ZZ, to form an 8P6xx, 2x2 call sign.^[2]

Canada

Call signs are used as unique identifiers for the 68,000 amateur radio licensed operators in Canada. The call signs are regulated internationally by the ITU as well as nationally by Industry Canada, which regulates all aspects of amateur radio in the country. It assigns call signs, issues amateur radio licences, conducts exams, allots frequency spectrum, and monitors the radio waves.

The International Telecommunication Union has assigned Canada the call sign blocks CFA-CKZ, CYA-CZZ, VAA-VGZ, VOA-VOZ, VXA-VYZ and XJA-XOZ for all radio communication, broadcasting or transmission.^[3]

Mexico

Call signs are allocated to 60,000 licensed operators in Mexico.

The call signs are regulated internationally by the ITU as well as nationally by the Comision Federal de Telecomunicaciones (Federal Telecommunications Commission, or CoFeTel). The latter is responsible for regulating Mexico's radio spectrum to support efficient, reliable and responsive wireless telecommunications and broadcasting infrastructure.^[4]

United States

In the United States, every amateur radio station is assigned a call sign, which is used to identify the station during transmissions. Amateur station call signs in the US take the format of one or two letters (the prefix), then a numeral (the call district), and finally between one and three letters (the suffix). The number of letters used in the call sign is determined by the operator's license class and the availability of letter combinations.

The format of the callsign is often abbreviated as X-by-X where a number in place of the X indicates the quantity of letters, separated by a single digit of the call district. Currently there are 13 geographically based regions. However, the Federal Communication Commission on longer requires stations to be located in the corresponding numerical district, as it has in the past.

See also

• Amateur radio international operation
• Amateur radio license
• Call signs
• ITU prefix - amateur and experimental stations

References