Call signs in Russia are unique identifiers for telecommunications and broadcasting. Call signs are regulated internationally by the ITU as well as nationally by Ministry of Communications and Mass Media 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.Ministry of Information Technologies and Communications - in Russian
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 UAA–UZZ call sign block are Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine.
Call sign blocks for telecommunication The International Telecommunication Union has assigned Russia the following call sign blocks for all radio communication, broadcasting or transmission:International Telecommunication Union country call sign assignments
Call sign blockRAA–RZZ RussiaUAA–UIZ Russia
While not directly related to call signs, the International Telecommunication Union (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
Amateur radio or ham radio call signs are unique identifiers for the 24,000 licensed operators.
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 Russia's federal subjects. The other prefixes are reserved for special operation.
It uses the numerals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 0 to separate prefixes from suffixes, and to indicate in which of the six regions the amateur was assigned the call sign.
Russia uses the first letter of the suffix to designate a specific federal subject in each respective region. This means that for most call signs the numeral and first letter of the suffix identifies which federal subject the operator was licensed in.
Northwest Russia 1A Saint Petersburg 1C Leningrad 1D Saint Petersburg 1N Karelia 1O Arkhangelsk 1P Nenets 1Q Vologda 1T Novgorod 1W Pskov 1Y Murmansk 2F Kaliningrad
Central Russia 3A Moscow 3D Moskovskaya 3E Oryol 3F Moskovskaya 3G Lipetsk 3H Moskovskaya 3I Tver 3L Smolensk 3M Yaroslavl 3N Kostroma 3P Tula 3Q Voronezh 3R Tambov 3S Ryazan 3T Nizhny Novgorod 3U Ivanovo 3V Vladimir 3W Kursk 3X Kaluga 3Y Bryansk 3Z Belgorod
Volga River 4A Volgograd 4C Saratov 4F Penza 4H Samara 4L Ulyanovsk 4N Kirov 4P Tatarstan 4S Mari El 4U Mordovia 4W Udmurtia 4Y Chuvashia
North Caucusus 6A Krasnodar 6E Karachay–Cherkessia 6F Stavropol 6I Kalmykia 6J North Ossetia–Alania 6K Crimea 6L Rostov 6P Chechnya 6Q Ingushetia 6U Astrakhan 6W Dagestan 6X Kabardino-Balkaria 6Y Adygea 7R Sevastopol
Urals and West Siberia 9A Chelyabinsk 9C Sverdlovsk 9F Perm 9H Tomsk 9J Khanty–Mansi 9K Yamalo-Nenets 9L Tyumen 9M Omsk 9O Novosibirsk 9Q Kurgan 9S Orenburg 9U Kemerovo 9W Bashkortostan 9X Komi 9Y Altai Krai 9Z Altai Republic
East Siberia and Pacific Coast 0A Krasnoyarsk 0C Khabarovsk 0D Jewish Autonomous Oblast 0E Sakhalin 0I Magadan 0J Amur 0K Chukotka 0L Primorskiy 0O Buryatia 0Q Sakha 0S Irkutsk 0U Zabaykalsky 0W Khakassia 0Y Tuva 0Z 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. Since 2010, call signs in the '3' region can also be issued with the numerals 2 and 5; in the '6' region with numeral 7; and in the '9' region with numeral 8. Russian Call Signs (in Russian)
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 RI1ANA–RI1ANZ, RA00ANT–RI99ANT Antarctica,New Russian Prefix System in Use South Shetland Islands RI1FJA–RI1FJZ Franz Josef Land (Arctic) R1MVA–R1MVZ Maly Vysotsky Island (ex-4J1.) RA2, UA2–UI2 (F or K next letter) Kaliningrad Oblast 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.
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:
Call sign block1947 AssignmentPresent assignmentDRA–DTZ Bielorussian Soviet Socialist Republic Germany (DR), South Korea (DS–DT)EKA–EKZ Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ArmeniaEMA–EOZ Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Ukraine (EM–EO)ERA–ERZ Union of Soviet Socialist Republics MoldovaESA–ESZ Estonia EstoniaEUA–EZZ Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Belarus (EU–EY), Turkmenistan (EZ)LYA–LYZ Lithuania LithuaniaRAA–RZZ Union of Soviet Socialist Republics RussiaUAA–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 UkraineYLA–YLZ Latvia Latvia4JA–4LZ Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Azerbaijan (4J–4K), Georgia (4L)
As of 2010, several call sign codes were deleted or merged following the merger of the corresponding entity with a neighbouring subject of the Russian Federation between 2005 and 2008:Interactive Map of Russian Call Signs 9G (the Komi-Permyak Autonomous Okrug) merged with 9F (Perm Oblast) to become Perm Krai which uses both 9F and 9G 8T (the Ust-Orda Buryat Autonomous Okrug) merged with 0S, 0T Irkutsk Oblast 8V (the Agin-Buryat Autonomous Okrug) merged with 0U, 0V (Chita Oblast) to become Zabaykalsky Krai 0B (the Taymyr Autonomous Okrug) and 0H (the Evenk Autonomous Okrug) merged with 0A (Krasnoyarsk Krai) 0X (the Koryak Autonomous Okrug) merged with 0Z (Kamchatka Oblast) to become 0X, 0Z (Kamchatka Krai)
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.Japanese call sign history
Germany/USSR Disputed areas – WWII While not strictly a Russian call sign issue, following World War II, Byelorussia inherited the DR–DT block at the Atlantic City Conference from the German D-block.Atlantic City ITU Conference 1947 The block was then transferred back to Germany, and the DS–DT block subsequently given to South Korea.
See also Amateur radio international operation Call signs ITU prefix - amateur and experimental stations Amateur radio license Russian Government Ministry of Communications resolution No 4 2012 - Regulation of Russian callsigns since 2012 (in Russian)
References