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:
Callsign CQ ITU 8TA to 8YZ 22 41 VTA to VWZ 22 41 ATA to AWZ 22 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.Zone 67
Defunct callsigns CR8 – Portuguese India FN8 – French India AC3 – the former monarchy of Sikkim, now a state of India
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. The WPC allots the individual call-signs, or call sign series.
Call-sign Description 2** Callsigns used by early amateur radio operators before 1928. They were later converted to the VU series. (defunct) AT0 AT0A – Antarctic expedition to Dakshin Gangotri in 1983 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. 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 AT7 AT7CD – Bangalore Amateur Radio Club VU2ARC National Disaster Reduction Day AT7LEO – Special Event Station at Tirupathi, Andhra Pradesh AT8 AT8LH – Mahaballipuram Amateur Radio Light House Operation International LightHouse and LightShip Week AT8LHC – Kadalur Point Lighthouse - Kerala - ILLW 2009 on occasion of Centenary Celebrations AT8ESP – 5th Asian Congress of Esperanto Special Event Amateur (Ham) Radio Station, Bangalore AT8WWF – India's First Flora and Fauna Amateur Radio Activity at Bannerhatta National Park ATA Time signal broadcast by the National Physical Laboratory of India at New Delhi Antarctic expeditions ATN Antarctic 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. AU2BSG Special 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) VU0 Special call sign to celebrate the birth centenary of Mahatma Gandhi in 1969 VU2/VU22-VU29 General grade (Previously Grade I and Advanced Grade callsigns) VU3/ VU33-VU39 Restricted grade (Previously Grade II and Grade II restricted callsigns) e.g.:VU3EGH, VU3UNE VU4 Used by stations in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. VU5 Callsigns used by the erstwhile Maharaja of Mysore and Indian Railways HF transmitters in pre-independence India. Callsign used by a 1960 DX-pedition to the Andaman Islands VU6 Special callsign used by a broadcast station in pre-independence India VU7 Used by stations in the Lakshadweep Islands. VW (Marine vessels) CR8 Portuguese India (defunct) AC3 Former monarchy of Sikkim (defunct) FN8 French 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 Amateur radio in India Amateur Station Operator's Certificate Hamfest Celebrations in India
References
External links