Call signs in India

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.[1][2]

Defunct callsigns

Call signs
The generic QSL card created by ARSI for amateur radio operators in India

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-sign Description
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
ATN Antarctic expeditions[14]
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.[6]
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 General grade (Previously Grade I and Advanced Grade callsigns)
VU3 Restricted grade (Previously Grade II and Grade II restricted callsigns)

e.g.:VU3EGH

VU4 Special 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[14]
  • Callsign used by a 1960 DX-pedition to the Andaman Islands[15]
VU6 Special callsign used by a broadcast station in pre-independence India
VU7 Special callsign used by a DX-pedition in the Lakshadweep Islands in 2007
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

References
  1. Zone 67
  2. "Zone 38".
  3. ITU Zone 41 Map (Map). International Telecommunication Union. Retrieved 2008-07-23.
  4. CQ Zone 22 Map (Map). International Telecommunication Union. Retrieved 2008-07-23.
  5. "RF-man's Radio Site- Callsigns". www.geocities.com. Archived from the original on 23 March 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  6. "Special callsigns for Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose anniversary". Government of India letter "L-14011/640/ 2007-AMT" dated 2007-09-19". Southmate Amateur Radio Club. Archived from the original on 2013-04-15. Retrieved 2008-07-23.
  7. "AT6MM Callsign Page".
  8. "AT7CD Callsign Page".
  9. "AT7LEO Callsign Page".
  10. "AT8LH Callsign Page".
  11. "AT8LHC Callsign Page".
  12. "AT8ESP Callsign Page".
  13. "AT8WFF Callsign Page".
  14. "ITU Callsigns - India". www.users.waitrose.com. Archived from the original on 2005-02-28. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  15. "Andaman Islands - VU2ANI/VU5".
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