Since 2 March 2009 the Wireless Institute of Australia (WIA) has managed all amateur callsigns on the ACMA’s behalf. Persons wishing to be allocated a callsign must first contact the WIA to be issued a recommendation.
The WIA may be contacted via their website www.wia.org.au
- Callsign structure
- Restrictions on the issuing of deceased amateur's callsigns
- Special events callsigns
Callsign structure
Callsigns are a unique combination of letters and numbers allocated to a radiocommunications user to identify a station. Callsigns must be used for all on-air communications including testing. Callsigns allocated to amateur stations conform with ITU Radio Regulations (see Table 1 for callsign construction). Table 2 contains information about the callsign templates allocated to the amateur licensing options.
Table 1 - Amateur callsign construction
| VK |
Prefix allocated for amateurs in Australia |
|---|---|
|
$ |
State Indicator - number 0-9 - indicates State or Territory in which the station is operating. |
|
aa, aaa or aaaa |
Suffix of two, three or four letters - the first letter in the three or four group indicates the licence type of the amateur station transmitting. For example, VK$Taa - 'T' signifies that the amateur transmitting this callsign holds an Advanced licence. See Table 2 for details. |
Note: State indicators ($) are used to indicate a station's licensed location. When an amateur moves interstate to live, he or she will be issued a new callsign to indicate the new State or Territory of residence.
Table 2 - Callsign templates allocated to the amateur licensing options
|
Licensing option |
Callsign templates |
|---|---|
|
Advanced |
VK$aa, VK$Aaa, VK$Baa, VK$Caa, VK$Daa, VK$Eaa, VK$Faa, VK$Gaa, VK$Iaa, VK$Jaa, VK$Kaa, VK$Oaa, VK$Saa, VK$Taa, VK$Uaa, VK$Waa, VK$Xaa, VK$Yaa, VK$Zaa, VK$RAN, VK2RAS, VK$WIA-WIZ (WIA), VK$GGA-GGZ (Guides Aust), VK$SAA-SDZ (Scouts Assoc.), VK$IYA - IYZ (International years) |
|
Standard |
VK$Haa, VK$Laa, VK$Maa, VK$Naa, VK$Paa, VK$Vaa |
|
Foundation |
VK$Faaa |
|
Repeater |
VK$Raa, |
|
Beacon |
VK$RSa, VK$RTa |
Restrictions on the issuing of deceased amateur's callsigns
Arrangements are in place to preclude the 'callsign' associated with a recently deceased amateur's licence from being routinely re-issued for a period of two years following the expiry of the licence.
The two year reservation period of a deceased amateur's callsign cannot commence until the licence period has elapsed. This has the result that, if a licensee renewed a licence for a period of five years, and died shortly after doing so, the callsign may not be re-allocated for up to seven years.
Partners, next of kin, or executors of a deceased amateur's estate, may write to the WIA requesting that the callsign associated with a deceased amateur's licence be released prior to the end of the reservation period. Any such approach could request the release of the callsign, or it may nominate a particular person (e.g. a family member or a friend of the deceased amateur) to whom the callsign could be issued.
Once the two year reservation period has elapsed, and the deceased amateur's callsign is available for re-issue, it may be allocated to the next amateur seeking a callsign.
More information on this matter may be obtained from the WIA at www.wia.org.au
Special events callsigns
Callsigns other than those normally allocated to an amateur station may be allocated by the ACMA on occasions of international, national, State or local significance. The event must be of broad interest to the amateur or wider community.
Amateurs wishing to be allocated a special event callsign should contact the WIA at www.wia.org.au
Aside from the permission given to all amateurs to use the AX prefix on every Australia Day, Anzac Day and ITU Day, special event callsigns will not be issued for recurrent events unless it is a particularly significant event such as the 25th, 50th or 75th anniversary etc.
Other than any general permission given to amateurs to use the AX prefix for an event such as for the Sydney 2000 Olympics, or any broad permission given to use the VI prefix for a significant State or local anniversary, special event callsigns will generally only be issued by the WIA where the amateur station concerned is actually participating in the event.
The callsign may employ special prefixes (AX or VI) and/or special suffixes. The ACMA may authorise the use of callsigns with suffixes comprising two or more characters (letters and/or digits). All special callsigns will include the appropriate State indicator.
A short term licence will be issued for the period of the event or celebration.
Allocation of the AX prefix
This prefix is only available for occasions of special national or international significance, such as the Sydney 2000 Olympics. Occasions warranting the use of the 'AX' prefix will be determined by the ACMA in consultation with the WIA.
Australia Day (26 January) ANZAC Day (25 April) and World Telecommunication Day (17 May) of each year have been pre-determined as occasions where the AX prefix may be used (see Section 8 (1A) of the Radiocommunications Licence Conditions (Amateur Licence) Determination No.1 of 1997).
Under such circumstances:
- the 'AX' prefix, which will be made available to all amateurs, may be used in lieu of the normal 'VK' prefix;
- allocation of the prefix will be restricted to the duration of the occasion;
- the allocation of specific 'AX' prefix callsigns for individual particular events, where the callsign does not comply with usual amateur callsign construction (AX$aa, AX$aaa or AX$aaaa (where $ is the State indicator)) cannot be guaranteed.
Allocation of the VI prefix
This prefix is only available for occasions of special State or local significance during such times when this prefix is not required by the ACMA for use by other services. Occasions warranting such use will be determined by the WIA in consultation with the applicant.
- Use of the 'VI' prefix would usually involve 'VI' being substituted for the normal 'VK' prefix. The allocation of specific 'VI' prefix callsigns for individual particular events, where the callsign does not comply with usual amateur callsign construction (VI$aa, VI$aaa or VI$aaaa (where $ is the State indicator)) cannot be guaranteed.
Requests for the allocation of the 'VI' prefix will only be accepted from clubs, organisations or amateur groups.
Requests for special event callsigns will not be accepted for the purposes of:
- gaining an advantage in on-air competitions; or
- for use during Islands on the Air (IOTA) competitions, DX expeditions, or fox hunts and the like; or
- annual events.
Use of the IYA - IYZ suffix group
The IYA - IYZ suffix group will continue to be reserved for use by groups wishing to commemorate United Nations' declared years, for example, International Year of the Child ('IYC').
