Call signs in India explained

Call signs in India are unique identifiers for telecommunications and broadcasting in India. The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology regulates call signs nationally, and the International Telecommunication Union regulates call signs internationally.

Call sign blocks

The International Telecommunication Union has assigned India the following call signs:

CallsignCQITU
8TA to 8YZ2241
VTA to VWZ2241
ATA to AWZ22 41

Note: The Andaman and Nicobar Islands come under ITU Zone 49 and CQ Zone 26.

In addition to the above, the base of Maitri and the abandoned station of Dakshin Gangotri, also use the Indian callsigns but come under ITU Zone 67 and CQ Zone 38 respectively.[1] [2]

Defunct callsigns

Call signs

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has divided all countries into three regions; India is located in ITU Region 3. These regions are further divided into two competing zones, the ITU and the CQ. Mainland India and the Lakshadweep Islands come under ITU Zone 41 and CQ Zone 22, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands under ITU Zone 49 and CQ Zone 26. The ITU has assigned to India call-sign blocks 8TA to 8YZ, VTA to VWZ, and ATA to AWZ.[3] [4] The WPC allots the individual call-signs, or call sign series.

Call-signDescription
2**Callsigns used by early amateur radio operators before 1928. They were later converted to the VU series.[5] (defunct)
AT0
AT*JCB AT0JCB to AT9JCB  - Special callsign allotted to mark the birth centenary of radio scientist Jagadish Chandra Bose in November/December 2007. See also AU*JCB.[6]
AT3
  • AT3D  - Special callsign for an Antarctic expedition for a 1994-1996 expedition to Antarctica.
  • AT3ANT  - Special callsign for the 3rd and 5th Antarctic Activity Week.
AT6
  • AT6MM  - Mahamastabhishekha Celebrations 2006 Special Event Amateur Radio Station[7]
AT7
  • AT7CD  - Bangalore Amateur Radio Club VU2ARC National Disaster Reduction Day[8]
  • AT7LEO  - Special Event Station at Tirupathi, Andhra Pradesh[9]
AT8
  • AT8LH  - Mahaballipuram Amateur Radio Light House Operation International LightHouse and LightShip Week[10]
  • AT8LHC  - Kadalur Point Lighthouse - Kerala - ILLW 2009 on occasion of Centenary Celebrations [11]
  • AT8ESP  - 5th Asian Congress of Esperanto Special Event Amateur (Ham) Radio Station, Bangalore[12]
  • AT8WWF  - India's First Flora and Fauna Amateur Radio Activity at Bannerhatta National Park[13]
ATA
ATNAntarctic expeditions
AU*JSB AU0JCB to AU9JCB  - Special callsign allotted to mark the birth centenary of radio scientist Jagadish Chandra Bose in November/December 2007. See also AT*JCB.
AU2BSGSpecial Call Sign allotted for India's Second Scout Camp on the AIR (SCOTA) during 22–25 May 2015 at VU2HEN, Calvary Mount, Idukki, Kerala State, India.
VT(Aircraft)
VU0Special call sign to celebrate the birth centenary of Mahatma Gandhi in 1969
VU2General grade (Previously Grade I and Advanced Grade callsigns)
VU3Restricted grade (Previously Grade II and Grade II restricted callsigns)e.g.:VU3EGH, VU3UNE
VU4Special callsign used for an Andaman and Nicobar Islands DX-pedition in 2004
VU5
  • Callsigns used by the erstwhile Maharaja of Mysore and Indian Railways HF transmitters in pre-independence India.
  • Callsign used by the Lakshadweep Islands
  • Callsign used by a 1960 DX-pedition to the Andaman Islands[15]
VU6Special callsign used by a broadcast station in pre-independence India
VU7Special callsign used by a DX-pedition in the Lakshadweep Islands in 2007
VW(Marine vessels)
CR8Portuguese India (defunct)
AC3Former monarchy of Sikkim (defunct)
FN8French India (defunct)

Assignments for amateur radio

Amateur radio or ham radio is practised by more than 16,000 licensed users. The first amateur radio operator was licensed in 1921, and by the mid-1930s, there were around 20 amateur radio operators in India. Amateur radio operators have played an important part in the Indian independence movement with the establishment of pro-independence radio stations in the 1940s, which were illegal. The Wireless and Planning and Coordination Wing (WPC), a division of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, regulates amateur radio in India. The WPC assigns call signs, issues amateur radio licences, conducts exams, allots frequency spectrum, and monitors the radio waves.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://www4.plala.or.jp/nomrax/ITU/zone67.htm Zone 67
  2. Web site: Zone 38.
  3. International Telecommunication Union . ITU Zone 41 Map . 2008-07-23.
  4. International Telecommunication Union . CQ Zone 22 Map . 2008-07-23.
  5. Web site: RF-man's Radio Site- Callsigns . www.geocities.com . 12 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080323154543/http://www.geocities.com/rf-man/ukcalls.html . 23 March 2008 . dead.
  6. Web site: Special callsigns for Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose anniversary. Southmate Amateur Radio Club. Government of India letter "L-14011/640/ 2007-AMT" dated 2007-09-19". 2008-07-23. dead. https://archive.today/20130415232335/http://www.southgatearc.org/news/november2007/bose_anniversary.htm. 2013-04-15.
  7. Web site: AT6MM Callsign Page .
  8. Web site: AT7CD Callsign Page .
  9. Web site: AT7LEO Callsign Page .
  10. Web site: AT8LH Callsign Page .
  11. Web site: AT8LHC Callsign Page .
  12. Web site: AT8ESP Callsign Page.
  13. Web site: AT8WFF Callsign Page.
  14. Web site: ITU Callsigns - India. . www.users.waitrose.com. 2005-02-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20050228231651/http://www.users.waitrose.com/~bdxc/lists/itu/ind.html . May 4, 2023.
  15. Web site: Andaman Islands - VU2ANI/VU5.