Amateur radio call signs of Russia - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

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 24,000 licensed operators in Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

. Call signs

Call Signs

are regulated internationally by the ITU

Itu

Itu is an old and historic municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population in 2009 was 157,384 and the area is 641.68 km². The elevation is 583 m. This place name comes from the Tupi language, meaning big waterfall. Itu is linked with the highway numbered the SP-75 and are flowed...

as well as nationally by The Ministry of Information Technologies and Communications of the Russian Federation. The latter is responsible for providing policy on the allocation of Russia's radio spectrum to support efficient, reliable and responsive wireless telecommunications and broadcasting infrastructure.

In 1991 Russia inherited the largest portion of the former Soviet Union's allocated call signs. The other post-USSR countries which inherited parts of the ITU

Itu

UAA-UZZ call sign block are Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....

, Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...

, and Ukraine

Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...

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 Russia the following call sign blocks for all radio communication, broadcasting or transmission:
Cells left-aligned, table centered>

Call sign block
RAA - RZZ	Russia
UAA - UIZ	Russia

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; Russia is located in ITU Region 1.

Call sign assignments for amateur radio

Russia uses the following 1-letter and 2-letter prefixes in amateur radio call signs for normal operation: R, RA, RK, RN, RU, RV, RW, RX, RZ, and UA. Any of these prefixes can be used in any of the Oblasts. The other prefixes are reserved for special operation.

It uses the numerals 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, and Ø to separate prefixes from suffixes, and to indicate the region the amateur was assigned the call sign.

Russia designates the first letter of the suffix to designate the Oblast

Oblast

Oblast is a type of administrative division in Slavic countries, including some countries of the former Soviet Union. The word "oblast" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "zone", "province", or "region"...

within the region. This means that for most call signs the numeral and first letter of the suffix identifies the operator in one of the 92 Russian Oblasts.

Table of call sign allocations (numeral and first letter of suffix)
Northwest Russia		Central Russia		Volga River		North Caucusus		Urals & West Siberia		East Siberia & Far East
1A 1C 1D 1N 1O 1P 1Q 1T 1W 1Y 2F	Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea... Leningrad Leningrad Oblast Leningrad Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . It was established on August 1, 1927, although it was not until 1946 that the oblast's borders had been mostly settled in their present position... Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea... Karelia Republic of Karelia The Republic of Karelia is a federal subject of Russia .-Geography:The republic is located in the northwestern part of Russia, taking intervening position between the basins of White and Baltic seas... Arkhangelsk Arkhangelsk Oblast Arkhangelsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . It includes the Arctic archipelagos of Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya, as well as the Solovetsky Islands in the White Sea.... Nenets Nenets Autonomous Okrug Nenets Autonomous Okrug is a federal subject of Russia .It has an area of 176,700 km2 and population of 42,628 as of the preliminary results of the 2010 Census , 21,296 of whom live in Naryan-Mar, the administrative center.-Geography and ecology:The arctic ecology of this... Vologda Vologda Oblast Vologda Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is Vologda. The largest city is Cherepovets.Vologda Oblast is rich in historic monuments, such as the magnificent Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, Ferapontov Convent , medieval towns of Velikiy Ustyug and Belozersk, baroque... Novgorod Novgorod Oblast Novgorod Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , located between Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Its administrative center is the city of Veliky Novgorod. Some of the oldest Russian cities, including Veliky Novgorod and Staraya Russa, are located there... Pskov Pskov Oblast Pskov Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Pskov Oblast borders the countries of Estonia and Latvia, as well as Belarus. It is the westernmost federal subject of contiguous Russia . Its major cities are the administrative center Pskov and Velikiye Luki . Area: 55,300 km²... Murmansk Murmansk Oblast Murmansk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , located in the northwestern part of Russia. Its administrative center is the city of Murmansk.-Geography:... Kaliningrad Kaliningrad Oblast Kaliningrad Oblast is a federal subject of Russia situated on the Baltic coast. It has a population of The oblast forms the westernmost part of the Russian Federation, but it has no land connection to the rest of Russia. Since its creation it has been an exclave of the Russian SFSR and then the...	3A 3D 3E 3F 3G 3H 3I 3L 3M 3N 3P 3Q 3R 3S 3T 3U 3V 3W 3X 3Y 3Z	Moscow Moscow Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent... Moskovskaya Oryol Oryol Oblast Oryol Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Oryol. Population: -Geography:It is located in the southwestern part of the Central Federal District, in the Mid-Russian Highlands. Kaluga and Tula Oblasts border it in the north, Bryansk Oblast is located to... Moscow Moscow Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent... Lipetsk Lipetsk Oblast Lipetsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia which was formed on January 6, 1954. Its administrative center is the city of Lipetsk... Moscow Moscow Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent... Tver Tver Oblast Tver Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Tver. From 1935 to 1990, it was named Kalinin Oblast after Mikhail Kalinin. Population: Tver Oblast is an area of lakes, such as Seliger and Brosno... Smolensk Smolensk Oblast Smolensk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its area is . Population: -Geography:The administrative center of Smolensk Oblast is the city of Smolensk. Other ancient towns include Vyazma and Dorogobuzh.... Yaroslavl Yaroslavl Oblast Yaroslavl Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , which is located in the Central Federal District, surrounded by Tver, Moscow, Ivanovo, Vladimir, Kostroma, and Vologda Oblasts. This geographic location affords the oblast the advantages of proximity to Moscow and St. Petersburg... Kostroma Kostroma Oblast Kostroma Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Kostroma.Major historic towns include Kostroma, Sharya, Nerekhta, Galich, Soligalich, and Makaryev. Textile industries have been developed there since the early 18th century... Tula Tula Oblast Tula Oblast is a federal subject of Russia with its present borders formed on September 26, 1937. Its administrative center is the city of Tula. The oblast has an area of and a population of 1,553,874... Voronezh Voronezh Oblast Voronezh Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . It was established on June 13, 1934.-Main rivers:DonVoronezhBityugKhopyor-Economy:... Tambov Tambov Oblast Tambov Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Tambov. Population: down from 1,178,443 recorded by the 2002 Census.Tambov Oblast is situated in forest steppe.-Birth rate:... Ryazan Ryazan Oblast Ryazan Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Ryazan, which is the oblast's largest city. Population: -Geography:... Nizhny Novgorod Nizhny Novgorod Oblast Nizhny Novgorod Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Nizhny Novgorod. Population: The oblast is crossed by the Volga River. Apart from Nizhny Novgorod's metropolitan area, the biggest city is Arzamas... Ivanovo Ivanovo Oblast Ivanovo Oblast is a federal subject of Russia .Its three largest cities are Ivanovo , Kineshma, and Shuya.The principal center of tourism is Plyos. The Volga River flows through the northern part of the oblast.... Vladimir Vladimir Oblast Vladimir Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Vladimir, which is located east of Moscow... Kursk Kursk Oblast Kursk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Kursk.-Geography:The oblast occupies the southern slopes of the middle-Russian plateau, and its average elevation is from 177 to 225 meters . The surface is hilly, and intersected by ravines... Kaluga Kaluga Oblast Kaluga Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Kaluga.-Geography:Kaluga Oblast is located in the central part of the East European Plain. The Smolensk Highland lays in the western and north-western part of the oblast, while the Central Russian Highland -... Bryansk Bryansk Oblast Bryansk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Bryansk. Population: 1,278,087 .-History:... Belgorod Belgorod Oblast Belgorod Oblast is a federal subjects of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Belgorod. Population: 1,532,670 .-History:...	4A 4C 4F 4H 4L 4N 4P 4S 4U 4W 4Y	Volgograd Volgograd Oblast Volgograd Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Volgograd. Population: -Geography:Area: 113,900 km²;Borders length: 2221,9 km².... Saratov Saratov Oblast Saratov Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , located in the Volga Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Saratov. Population: -Demographics:Population:... Penza Penza Oblast -External links:* *... Samara Samara Oblast Samara Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Samara. Population: In 1936–1990, it was known as Kuybyshev Oblast , after the Soviet name of Samara .-Demographics:Population:... Ulyanovsk Ulyanovsk Oblast Ulyanovsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the Volga Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Ulyanovsk... Kirov Kirov Oblast Kirov Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Kirov. Population: -History:In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Vyatka remained a place of exile for opponents of the tsarist regime, including many prominent revolutionary figures.In 1920, a number of... Tatarstan Mari El Mordovia Udmurtia Chuvashia	6A 6E 6F 6I 6J 6L 6P 6Q 6U 6W 6X 6Y	Krasnodar Krasnodar Krai -External links:* *... Karachay-Cherkessia Karachay-Cherkessia The Karachay-Cherkess Republic , or Karachay-Cherkessia is a federal subject of Russia . Population: -Geography:Area: Borders:*internal: Krasnodar Krai , Kabardino-Balkar Republic , Stavropol Krai .... Stavropol Stavropol Krai Stavropol Krai is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Stavropol. Population: -Geography:Stavropol Krai encompasses the central part of the Fore-Caucasus and most of the northern slopes of Caucasus Major... Kalmykia North Ossetia-Alania North Ossetia-Alania The Republic of North Ossetia–Alania is a federal subject of Russia . Its population according to the 2010 Census was 712,877.-Name:... Rostov Rostov Oblast Rostov Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , located in the Southern Federal District. Rostov Oblast has an area of and a population of making it the sixth most populous federal subject in Russia... Chechnya Chechnya The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny... Ingushetia Astrakhan Astrakhan Oblast Astrakhan Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Astrakhan.-Demographics:Population: Ethnic groups... Dagestan Kabardino-Balkaria Kabardino-Balkaria The Kabardino-Balkar Republic , or Kabardino-Balkaria , is a federal subject of Russia located in the North Caucasus. Population: -Geography:The republic is situated in the North Caucasus mountains, with plains in the northern part.... Adygea	9A 9C 9F 9H 9J 9K 9L 9M 9O 9Q 9S 9U 9W 9X 9Y 9Z	Chelyabinsk Chelyabinsk Oblast -External links:*... Sverdlovsk Sverdlovsk Oblast Sverdlovsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia located in the Urals Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Yekaterinburg formerly known as Sverdlovsk. Population: -Geography:... Perm Perm Krai Perm Krai is a federal subject of Russia that came into existence on December 1, 2005 as a result of the 2004 referendum on the merger of Perm Oblast and Komi-Permyak Autonomous Okrug. The city of Perm became the administrative center of the new federal subject... Tomsk Tomsk Oblast Tomsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . It lies in the southeastern West Siberian Plain, in the southwest of the Siberian Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Tomsk. Population:... Khanty-Mansi Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug Khanty–Mansi Autonomous Okrug , also known as Yugra, is a federal subject of Russia . Population: The people native to the region are the Khanty and the Mansi, known collectively as Ob Ugric people... Yamalo-Nenets Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug , is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the town of Salekhard. Population: -Geography and natural history:... Tyumen Tyumen Oblast Tyumen Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Tyumen. The oblast has administrative jurisdiction over two autonomous okrugs—Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. Tyumen is the largest city, with over half a million inhabitants... Omsk Omsk Oblast Omsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , located in southwestern Siberia. The oblast has an area of and a population of with the majority, 1.15 million, living in Omsk, the administrative center.... Novosibirsk Novosibirsk Oblast Novosibirsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia located in southwestern Siberia. Its administrative and economic center is the city of Novosibirsk. Population: -Overview:... Kurgan Kurgan Oblast Kurgan Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Kurgan. Population: -History:The oblast was formed on February 6, 1943, just when the Soviet Army decisively defeated Hitler's forces near Stalingrad... Orenburg Orenburg Oblast Orenburg Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Orenburg. From 1938 to 1957, it bore the name Chkalov Oblast in honor of Valery Chkalov... Kemerovo Kemerovo Oblast Kemerovo Oblast , also known as Kuzbass after the Kuznetsk Basin, is a federal subject of Russia , located in southwestern Siberia, where the West Siberian Plain meets the South Siberian mountains... Bashkortostan Bashkortostan The Republic of Bashkortostan , also known as Bashkiria is a federal subject of Russia . It is located between the Volga River and the Ural Mountains. Its capital is the city of Ufa... Komi Komi Republic The Komi Republic is a federal subject of Russia .-Geography:The republic is situated to the west of the Ural mountains, in the north-east of the East European Plain... Altai Krai Altai Krai Altai Krai is a federal subject of Russia . It borders with, clockwise from the south, Kazakhstan, Novosibirsk and Kemerovo Oblasts, and the Altai Republic. The krai's administrative center is the city of Barnaul... Altai Republic Altai Republic Altai Republic is a federal subject of Russia . Its capital is the town of Gorno-Altaysk. The area of the republic is . Population: -Geography:...	0A 0C 0D 0E 0I 0J 0K 0L 0O 0Q 0S 0U 0W 0Y 0Z	Krasnoyarsk Krasnoyarsk Krai Krasnoyarsk Krai is a federal subject of Russia . It is the second largest federal subject after the Sakha Republic, and Russia's largest krai, occupying an area of , which is 13% of the country's total territory. The administrative center of the krai is the city of Krasnoyarsk... Khabarovsk Khabarovsk Krai Khabarovsk Krai is a federal subject of Russia , located in the Russian Far East. It lies mostly in the basin of the lower Amur River, but also occupies a vast mountainous area along the coastline of the Sea of Okhotsk, an arm of the Pacific Ocean. The administrative center of the krai is the... Jewish Jewish Autonomous Oblast The Jewish Autonomous Oblast is a federal subject of Russia situated in the Russian Far East, bordering Khabarovsk Krai and Amur Oblast of Russia and Heilongjiang province of China. Its administrative center is the town of Birobidzhan.... Sakhalin Sakhalin Oblast Sakhalin Oblast is a federal subject of Russia comprising the island of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.The oblast has an area of 87,100 km² and a population of 546,695... Magadan Magadan Oblast Magadan Oblast is a federal subject of Russia in the Far Eastern Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Magadan.... Amur Amur Oblast Amur Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , situated about east of Moscow on the banks of the Amur and Zeya Rivers. It shares its border with the Sakha Republic in the north, Khabarovsk Krai and the Jewish Autonomous Oblast in the east, People's Republic of China in the south, and Zabaykalsky... Chukotka Chukotka Autonomous Okrug Chukotka Autonomous Okrug , or Chukotka , is a federal subject of Russia located in the Russian Far East.Chukotka has a population of 53,824 according to the 2002 Census, and a surface area of . The principal town and the administrative center is Anadyr... Primorskiy Buryatia Sakha Irkutsk Irkutsk Oblast Irkutsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , located in southeastern Siberia in the basins of Angara River, Lena, and Nizhnyaya Tunguska Rivers. The administrative center is the city of Irkutsk. Population: -History:... Zabaykalsky Khakassia Tuva Kamchatka

Combinations not listed are used by radio amateurs in the federal subject next to the listed combination immediately preceding it in the sort order; e.g., the 1B combination is used by radio amateurs in Saint Petersburg.

Special call signs

The second letter in a suffix: W, X, Y, Z - Club stations
U1-4, 6, 9-0 World War II veterans
U1MIR-U9MIR cosmonauts
R1ANA-R1ANZ Antarctica
R1FJA-R1FJZ Franz Josef Land (Arctic)
R1MVA-R1MVZ Maly Visotski Island (ex-4J1.)
R3ARES - Russian amateur radio emergency service H.Q (RARES), Moscow.
RE0RAS - RARES, Regional service. Central Siberia, Krasnoyarsk.
R3ARC - H.Q. Rescue service of Russian Red Cross. Moscow.
R3RRC - "Russian Robinson Club" H.Q. Lipetsk city (R3G area).
R3SRR - Russian Amateur Radio Union H.Q. Moscow.
R3VHF - VHF Committee of Russian Amateur Radio Union.
RS0ISS - Cosmonauts on the International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...

.

History of call sign allocation

Russia was not a signatory to the 1913 Berlin agreement but received the R block series. Amateur radio was not yet developed enough to be subject to this identification scheme.

In 1927 the International Telecommunication Union Conference in Washington (D.C., USA) established internally agreed upon call sign prefixes - Russia was now in the USSR and the latter was assigned the RAA-RZZ block.

At the 1947 Atlantic City ITU Conference, the USSR was assigned the following call sign blocks:
Cells left-aligned, table centered>

Call sign block	1947 Assignment	Present assignment
DRA - DTZ	Bielorussian Soviet Socialist Republic	Germany (DR), Korea (DS-DT)
EKA - EKZ	Union of Soviet Socialist Republics	Armenia
EMA - EOZ	Union of Soviet Socialist Republics	Ukraine (EM - EO)
ERA - ERZ	Union of Soviet Socialist Republics	Moldova
ESA - ESZ	Estonian SSR	Estonia
EUA - EZZ	Union of Soviet Socialist Republics	Belarus (EU-EY), Turkmenistan (EZ)
LYA - LYZ	Lithuanian SSR	Lithuania
RAA - RZZ	Union of Soviet Socialist Republics	Russia
UAA - UQZ	Union of Soviet Socialist Republics	Russia (UA-UI), Uzbekistan (UJ-UM), Kazakhstan (UN-UQ)
URA - UTZ	Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic	Ukraine (UR-UZ)
UUA - UZZ	Union of Soviet Socialist Republics	Ukraine
YLA - YLZ	Latvian SSR	Latvia
4JA - 4LZ	Union of Soviet Socialist Republics	Azerbaijan (4J-4K), Georgia (4L)

Japan/USSR Disputed areas - WWII

Sakhalin Island has been disputed between Russia/USSR and Japan since the mid-19th century. From 1905 until after World War II, South Sakhalin Island was under Japanese control and was assigned the JP7 call sign prefix for radio purposes. From 1945 until the present the call sign prefix for all of Sahalin Island is UA0, with F as the first letter of the suffix. The Japan-Soviet Joint Declaration of 1956 laid down that Habomai Is. and Shikotan I. should be returnable to Japan, but Russia is still the administrative authority in the Four Northern Islands.

Germany/USSR Disputed areas - WWII

While not strictly a Russian call sign issue, following World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...