From this week's ARRL Letter (available at http://www.arrl.org/):
NEW PREFIXES FOR NEW UK HAMS
Don't think it's the latest DXpedition when the new M-prefix call signs
start showing up on the bands this spring. The United Kingdom is running out
of the familiar G-series call signs the government there has issued since
the 1920s for most UK stations. The Radiocommunications Agency will begin
issuing the M-series calls starting April 1 to all new full licenses (both
Class A and B). The first call sign, M0AAA, has already been awarded to the
Reading and District Amateur Radio Club (on behalf of the Reading Novices
Amateur Aerial Association). RADARC reports it will use the club-station
version of the call, MX0AAA, beginning April 1 and offer a special QSL card
to mark the occasion.
RADARC says the UK's Radiocommunications Agency will follow the same prefix
pattern it's used for the G-series calls over the years: MW stations will be
in Wales, MM will be Scotland, MI for Northern Ireland, etc. Existing G
stations are not affected by the move to the new call sign block.
Peter Swynford, G0PUB, of RADARC explains that the RA in the United Kingdom
issues four classes of "licence": A Class A Full Licence holder may operate
all amateur HF and VHF bands with a maximum of 400 W, while a Class B Full
Licence station may operate all bands above 50 MHz with a maximum of 400 W.
A Class A Novice Licence holder has limited access to the HF and VHF bands
with 3 W, while a Class B Novice License station has limited access to VHF
bands only with 3 W. Novice station prefixes (issued since 1992) have call
signs in the 2-series. So, an English Novice call might be 2E1AAA while a
Scottish Novice call might be 2M1AAA.
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