Amateur radio call signs of Great Britain

Amateur radio or ham radio

Amateur radio

Amateur radio is the use of designated radio frequency spectrum for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication...

call signs

Call Signs

Call Signs is the third studio album by Melbourne electronica band Black Cab, released in 2009.The album evokes the atmosphere of the former totalitarian state of East Germany, set to a soundtrack of post-punk and atmospheric electronics. In an interview, the band explained the album's sound was...

are unique identifiers for the 60,000 licensed operators in Great Britain

Great Britain

Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

. Call signs

Call Signs

are regulated internationally by the ITU

Itu

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as well as nationally by Britain's 'The Office of Communication', known as Ofcom. It regulates amateur radio in the country as an independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries, with responsibilities across television, radio, telecommunications and wireless communications services. It assigns call signs, issues amateur radio licences, conducts exams, allots frequency spectrum, and monitors the radio waves.

The Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) is the United Kingdom's recognised national society for amateur radio operators. The society's patron is Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and it represents the interests of the UK’s licenced radio amateurs.

Call sign blocks for telecommunication

The International Telecommunication Union

International Telecommunication Union

The International Telecommunication Union is the specialized agency of the United Nations which is responsible for information and communication technologies...

has assigned Great Britain the following call sign blocks for all radio communication, broadcasting or transmission:
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Call sign block	Principal use
GAA - GZZ	domestic
MAA - MZZ	domestic
VPA - VQZ	Oceanic islands, Antarctica
VSA - VSZ
ZBA - ZJZ	Gibraltar Gibraltar Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region... , Middle East Middle East The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East... , south Atlantic
ZNA - ZOZ
ZQA - ZQZ
2AA - 2ZZ	domestic

While not directly related to call signs, the International Telecommunication Union

International Telecommunication Union

The International Telecommunication Union is the specialized agency of the United Nations which is responsible for information and communication technologies...

(ITU) further has divided all countries assigned amateur radio prefixes into three regions; Great Britain is located in ITU Region 1.

Call sign assignments for amateur radio

Ofcom allots the individual call signs to the amateurs it licences. Call signs are the property of Ofcom even when assigned.
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Prefixes + letters in suffix	Licence class
M3 + 3 Letters	Foundation Licence
M6 + 3 Letters	Foundation Licence
2EØ + 3 Letters	Intermediate Licence
2E1 + 3 Letters	Intermediate Licence
G1 + 3 letters	Full Licence
G2 + 2 letters	Full Licence
G2 + 3 letters	Full Licence
G3 + 2 letters	Full Licence
G3 + 3 letters	Full Licence
G4 + 2 letters	Full Licence
G4 + 3 letters	Full Licence
G5 + 2 letters	Full Licence
G6 + 2 letters	Full Licence
G6 + 3 letters	Full Licence
G7 + 3 letters	Full Licence
G8 + 2 letters	Full Licence
G8 + 3 letters	Full Licence
GØ + 3 letters	Full Licence
MØ + 3 letters	Full Licence
M1 + 3 letters	Full Licence
M5 + 3 letters	Full Licence

Regional two-letter prefixes are assigned according to the following table:

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Region	G-prefix	M-prefix	Intermediate lic.	G-club prefix	M-club prefix	Special event
England	G	M	2E	GX	MX	GB
Guernsey	GU	MU	2U	GP	MP	GB
Isle of Man	GD	MD	2D	GT	MT	GB
Jersey	GJ	MJ	2J	GH	MH	GB
Northern Ireland	GI	MI	2I	GN	MN	GB
Scotland	GM	MM	2M	GS	MS	GB
Wales	GW	MW	2W	GC	MC	GB

Overseas call sign assignments

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Prefix	DXCC Entity
VP2E	Anguilla Anguilla Anguilla is a British overseas territory and overseas territory of the European Union in the Caribbean. It is one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, lying east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and directly north of Saint Martin...
VP2M	Montserrat Montserrat Montserrat is a British overseas territory located in the Leeward Islands, part of the chain of islands called the Lesser Antilles in the West Indies. This island measures approximately long and wide, giving of coastline...
VP2V	British Virgin Islands British Virgin Islands The Virgin Islands, often called the British Virgin Islands , is a British overseas territory and overseas territory of the European Union, located in the Caribbean to the east of Puerto Rico. The islands make up part of the Virgin Islands archipelago, the remaining islands constituting the U.S...
VP5	Turks & Caicos
VP6	Pitcairn Island
VR6	Pitcairn Island (prior to 1 May 1998)
VP6D	Ducie Island Ducie Island Ducie Island is an uninhabited atoll in the Pitcairn Islands. It lies east of Pitcairn and has a total area of , which includes the lagoon. It is long, measured northeast to southwest, and about wide. The island is composed of four islets: Acadia, Pandora, Westward and Edwards.Despite its... (Pitcairn group)
VP8/F	Falkland Islands Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
VP8/G	South Georgia Island
VP8/O	South Orkney Islands South Orkney Islands The South Orkney Islands are a group of islands in the Southern Ocean, about north-east of the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. They have a total area of about ....
VP8/SA	South Sandwich Island
VP8/SH	South Shetland Islands South Shetland Islands The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands, lying about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, with a total area of . By the Antarctic Treaty of 1959, the Islands' sovereignty is neither recognized nor disputed by the signatories and they are free for use by any signatory for...
VP8	Antarctica
VP9	Bermuda Bermuda Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
VQ9	Chagos (Indian Ocean)
ZB, ZG	Gibraltar Gibraltar Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
ZC4	UK Sovereign Base Areas Sovereign Base Areas The Sovereign Base Areas are military bases located on territory in which the United Kingdom is sovereign, but which are separated from the ordinary British territory.... on Cyprus Cyprus Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
ZD7	St Helena
ZD8	Ascension Island Ascension Island Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island in the equatorial waters of the South Atlantic Ocean, around from the coast of Africa and from the coast of South America, which is roughly midway between the horn of South America and Africa...
ZD9	Tristan Da Cunha Tristan da Cunha Tristan da Cunha is a remote volcanic group of islands in the south Atlantic Ocean and the main island of that group. It is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, lying from the nearest land, South Africa, and from South America...
ZF	Cayman Islands Cayman Islands The Cayman Islands is a British Overseas Territory and overseas territory of the European Union located in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman, located south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica...

Special event call signs

Ofcom reserves the right to issue temporary special event call signs to licenced amateurs holding a full licence.

Special event call signs are issued with a 'GB' prefix. Ofcom also allows numerals in special event call sign suffixes; for instance GB75RD was a special event sign for the 75th anniversary of the Reading and District Amateur radio club.

Reciprocal agreements

Holders of licences in countries signed up to CEPT TR 61-01 operate with their home call sign prefixed with an M/. Holders of licences in countries signed up to CEPT TR 61-02 can operate for 3 months before needing a Great Britain call sign as issued by Ofcom.

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