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Getting a call sign (old ham returning to hobby)? (1 reply and 3 comments)
were you a member of the RSGB? as they may be able to advise / help?
the problem you have is you need them to access records from before they were digitised? and likely before you needed a RSGB candidate number
may be worth calling ofcom, explaining the issue and asking if the copy of your RAE C&G certificate is all they need, along with your address the last time you were active on the air
worst case you can retake the exams, foundation (gives you 25w all bands except a couple like 5mhz/60m) should be easy for you, then intermediate (gives you 100w all bands except a couple like 5mhz/60m) is not a major step up from foundation, and they would likely be a good refresher for you as well
73
peter M0PWX
(not Pete M0PSX who runs essexham and this site)
Thanks Peter. Do you think I need to retake the exams even though I have my re-issued pass certificates?
RSGB already went back through their records for me and didn't find anything.
Thanks for the suggestion of calling Ofcom. I will give them a buzz. If they can answer my questions it will save uncertainty. I will be ready to give them my old address.
What do you think about the possibility they will issue "reserved" call signs, last accessed in 2016, so out of date already since 2021? Do you know anyone who got one of these? I guess they are inflexible as they are tied to government.
If you can prove you held a callsign (typically from one of the old RSGB Callsign books) Ofcom would likely reissue it. If you can't prove it, it could be a struggle, but it's worth a call to Ofcom. With a valid C&G certificate you shouldn't need to sit the exams again.
Thanks Pete. I will call them tomorrow.
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Hi everyone,
Thanks for letting me on the forum. I am trying to get a call sign.
I paid £50 to get a copy of my C&G pass for the full RAE (from 1994 December, awarded in January 1995). From speaking to the guy on the phone, they have all your details there online and are just milking people for the £50.
I downloaded the Ofcom paper form to apply for a call sign. There is a place to put my RSGB candidate number, which I don't know and RSGB say they don't know. I only have the C&G qualification. Must I have it, or is the form badly written and the C&G copy enough?
I have no proof that I ever used my old call sign, which was a G7. I downloaded a freedom of information request list of available signs dating back to January of this year (most recent one). My old sign is listed as reserved and the last record update for it was in 2016.
They say they wait a couple of years for call signs to "age out" and become available, but it seems like they wait longer, or perhaps they just keep a stock of how many they expect are needed and "age out" more as they are used up.
From experience, do they actually allow you to take a "reserved" call sign, even if you can't prove it was you in the past? or are you strictly limited to what they say is no available?
What are the prefixes I can request here in England in 2024 for a full license? M0, or anything more?
Cheers,
Neil