Category: Amateur Radio

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Differences between US and UK Amateur Radio license rules and restrictions – part 4: New Ofcom license conditions for 2024 for UK licensees

In my previous posts comparing US Amateur Radio licence conditions with UK licences I looked at output power differences (part 1), geographic restrictions (part 2) and callsign formats (part 3). One area I have been particularly interested in over the past few years is packet radio (previous posts), packet BBSes (previous posts) and APRS usage, both topics until license changes in 2024 were significantly more restricted in the UK compared to US.

I don’t think there are any similar restrictions for any license level to run a packet radio node unattended in the US (see Part 97.219 Message Forwarding Systems. Beacon station are also permitted upto 100w in the US for any licence level), but in the UK up until 2024 with the recent license changes only a Full license holder was allowed to run an unattended station of any kind, which would include a repeater, a beacon, a packet radio mailbox, a BBS, or a packet radio node.

For 2024 in the UK, Foundation and Intermediate licensees can now run an unattended station as a new category of ‘Data Station’, which includes packet stations, but only upto 5w ERP. For upto 25w then a Full license is required.

Previously in the UK, a Notice of Variation (NoV) needed to be applied for to run an unattended data station, similar to repeaters, which if approved would grant a new callsign for the unattended station. This has also been relaxed in the 2024 changes where for up to 5w ERP you can run the station under your own personal callsign.

Full details of these changes are in Ofcom’s ‘Statement: Updating the amateur radio licensing framework’ doc here.

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Programming your Yaesu FT60 HT radio

I jotted down these notes a few years back to refer back to later. The trouble I’ve found with all HT radios is you work through the manual to setup a couple of local repeaters and then months (years!) go by and you can’t remember how you did it last time 🙂

Here’s my notes for setting up memories in your FT60:

To toggle freq VFO/memory mode:

  • bottom left button: V/M

To store current settings to a memory:

Set the current frequency, and for repeaters the offset, PL tone etc and then store all the currently selected settings to a memory:

  • hold bottom right FW
  • flashing mem is an empty slot
  • press bottom right (FW) again, stores in slot
  • switch to memory mode (toggle v/m button)
  • FW 0 selects menus
  • select 28 nm write, press FW to select
  • press FW again to select 1st char, rotate dial to select, up arrow to move to next char
  • if you get to last char it stores automatically, otherwise for less than max chars press ptr to enter to memory

To delete a memory:

  • go to memory mode, select memory
  • hold FW
  • select memory with knob
  • press hm/rv – deletes mem

Toggle memory freq display

In memory mode, press Band – toggles to freq & tune mode

Press again to toggle back to memories

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Differences between US and UK Amateur Radio license rules and restrictions – part 3: Callsigns

Continuing my posts looking at the differences between US and UK amateur radio licenses (part 1, part 2), I’m now taking a look at callsigns.

In the US, callsigns are assigned using the following format (described in FCC doc here):

Technician

For regions 1 through 10:

  • K, N or W prefix + additional letter + region 1 through 10 + 3 letter suffix (aka 2 by 3)
  • Other regions beyond 10 have slight variations in the prefix, such as KH for Hawaii (Region 13)

General

For regions 1 through 10:

  • K, N or W prefix + region 1 through 10 + 3 letter suffix (aka 1 by 3
  • Other regions beyond 10 have slight variations in the prefix, such as KH for Hawaii (Region 13)

Amateur Extra

For regions 1 through 10:

  • K, N or W prefix + region 1 through 10 + 2 letter suffix (aka 1 by 2)
  • 2 letter prefix starting A, N, W or M + region + 1 letter suffix (aka 2 by 1)
  • 2 letter prefix starting A + region + 2 letter suffix (aka 2 by 2)
  • Other regions have slight variations in prefix

UK Licences

For UK licenses there are similar differences between Foundation, Intermediate and Full, but with the addition of a required ‘Regional Secondary Locator’ (RSL) character to indicate the country where you are transmitting from:

Foundation License

Prefix starts:

  • M#3
  • M#6
  • M#7

… where # is the placeholder for the RSL. Interestingly, the UK licenses are issued showing the # where you are expected to substitute your RSL yourself.

RSLs used are:

  • none : England (E is not used for Foundation callsigns)
  • M : Scotland
  • I : Northern Ireland
  • EI : Ireland
  • W : Wales
  • D : Isle of Man
  • U: Guernsey
  • J : Jersey

Intermediate

Prefix starts:

  • 2#0
  • 2#1

RSLs used are (note ALL RSLs are used, including E for England, where this is not used for Foundation and Full):

  • E : England
  • M : Scotland
  • I : Northern Ireland
  • EI : Ireland
  • W : Wales
  • D : Isle of Man (for Douglas, capital of Isle of Man)
  • U: Guernsey
  • J : Jersey

Full

  • M#0
  • M#5
  • G#0 to G#8

RSLs used are:

  • none : England (E is not used for Full callsigns)
  • M : Scotland
  • I : Northern Ireland
  • EI : Ireland
  • W : Wales
  • D : Isle of Man
  • U: Guernsey
  • J : Jersey

Optional callsign suffixes

/A : used to indicate operating from a different address than your normal station location, if the alternative location has an address

/M : operating mobile, e.g. in a car

/P : away from main station location, but NOT at an address that has a postal address, e.g. if camping in a field

  • note that /P does not include operating an HT when mobile which is /M

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