Confirmation has been received by the Hongkong Amateur Radio Transmitting
Society from the Hongkong Government Office of the Telecommunications
Authority that amateurs here will be allowed to use several prefixes to
commemorate the transfer of sovereignty over the territory from the United
Kingdom to the People's Republic of China on 1 July 1997.
At the request of HARTS, Hongkong amateurs will be allowed to change the
numeral in their callsign to "96" in 1996, "97" in 1997 & "98" in 1998.
Amateurs began to use these new prefixes on 10 September 1996, starting
with a contact between VS96BG & VR96GO.
HARTS will announce later the details of a new award to be offered to
amateurs for contacting stations using these special prefixes.
All Hongkong amateurs have held licenses with callsigns using the prefix
VR2 for several years now, although those previously holding VS6 calls are
allowed to continue to use the VS prefix before 1 July 1997. The VRA-VRZ
block allocated by the ITU to the UK will be transferred to the PRC at that
time & will be used by the Hongkong Special Administrative Region of the
PRC after that date.
The only other use of that block by amateurs at present is in Pitcairn
Island, where VR6 calls are still in use. At present, we do not know what
prefix will be used there after 1 July 1997.
73, VS96BrettGraham vr2bg@harts.org.hk
President, HARTS
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