In Note: broadcasting is also the old term for hand sowing. Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video signals (programs) to a number of recipients (listeners or viewers) that belong to a large group. This group may be the public in general, or a relatively large audience within the public... broadcasting, a callsign or call sign (also call letters) is a unique designation for a transmitting station. They can be formally assigned by a government agency, informally adopted by individuals or organizations, or even Cryptography (from Greek kryptós, hidden, and gráphein, to write) is, traditionally, the study of means of converting information from its normal, comprehensible form into an incomprehensible format, rendering it unreadable without secret knowledge — the art of encryption. In the past, cryptography helped ensure secrecy in important communications... cryptographically encoded to disguise a station's identity.

International series

International callsigns are formal, semi-permanent, and issued by a nation's Telecommunication is the extension of communication over a distance. In practice it also recognizes that something may be lost in the process; hence the term telecommunication covers all forms of distance and/or conversion of the original communications, including radio, telegraphy, television, telephony, data communication and computer networking. The elements... telecommunications An agency is a department of a local or national government responsible for the oversight and administration of a specific function, such as a customs agency or a space agency. Examples include Environment Agency of England and Wales and the Environmental Protection Agency. Government agencies in the United States The... agency. They are used for Amateur radio, commonly called ham radio, is a hobby enjoyed by many people throughout the world (as of 2004 about 3 million worldwide, 60,000 in UK, 70,000 in Germany, 5,000 in Norway, 57,000 in Canada, and 700,000 in the USA). A holder of an Amateur... amateur, Broadcast could refer to: Broadcast, an electronica musical group broadcasting, the distribution of audio and video signals Broadcast address, an IP address allowing information to be sent to all machines on a given subnet. This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise... broadcast, commercial, maritime and sometimes Military (from Latin militarius, miles soldier) as an adjective describes anything related to soldiers and warfare, more specifically to do with land forces, the sea forces equivalent being naval. Used as a noun, it is equivalent to Armed force. See also Armed force Martial art Militaria Military history Military rule... military radio use, as well as for Terrestrial television (also known as over-the-air or OTA) is the traditional method of television broadcast signal delivery, by radio waves. Terrestrial television broadcasting dates back to the very beginnings of television as a medium itself with the first long distance public television broadcast from Washington, DC on April... broadcast television.

Each country has a set of alphabetic or numeric The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is an international organization established to standardize and regulate international radio and telecommunications. It was founded as the International Telegraph Union in Paris in May 17, 1865, and is today the worlds oldest international organization. Its main tasks include standardization, allocation of the radio... International Telecommunication Union-designated The ITU allocates callsign prefixes for radio and television stations. These prefixes are agreed upon internationally. A callsign can be any number of letters and digits but each country must only use callsigns that begin with the characters allocated for use in that country. With regard to the second and... prefixes with which their callsigns must begin. For example:

• The The United States of America — also referred to as the United States, the U.S.A., the U.S., America¹, the States, or (archaically) Columbia — is a federal republic of 50 states located primarily in central North America (with the exception of two states: Alaska and Hawaii... United States uses the prefixes: W, K, N, and AAA to ALZ (only W and K are used for broadcast stations).
• Canada is an independent sovereign state in northern North America, the northern-most country in the world, and the second largest in total area. Bordering the United States, its territorial claims extend north into the Arctic Ocean as far as the North Pole. Canada is a federation of ten provinces... Canada uses the prefixes: CF-CK, CY-CZ, VA-VG, VO, VX-VY, XJ-XO
• The United Mexican States or Mexico ( Spanish: Estados Unidos Mexicanos or México; regarding the use of the variant spelling Méjico, see section The name below) is a country located in North America, bordered to the north by the United States of America, to the southeast by... Mexico uses X
• The The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country in western Europe, and a member of the British Commonwealth and European Union. Usually known simply as the United Kingdom, UK or, inaccurately, as Great Britain or Britain, the UK has four constituent parts. Three of these parts... United Kingdom uses the prefixes: G, M, and 2
• The French Republic or France ( French: République française or France) is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents. France is a democracy organised as a... France uses the prefixes: F, TM
• The Federal Republic of Germany ( German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland) is one of the worlds leading industrialised countries, located in the heart of Europe. Due to its central location, Germany has more neighbours than any other European country: these are Denmark in the north, Poland and the Czech Republic in the... Germany uses the prefixes: DA-DR
• Chad (disambiguation). The Republic of Chad (تشاد) is a land-locked nation in central Africa. It borders Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest and Niger to the west. Due to its distance... Chad uses the prefix: TT
• The Italian Republic or Italy ( Italian: Repubblica Italiana or Italia) is a country in southern Europe. It comprises a boot-shaped peninsula and two large islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia, and shares its northern alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia. The independent countries of San... Italy uses the prefix: I

See main article: This article should be merged with ITU prefix The International Telecommunications Union sets many international standards for radio usage around the world. Among these standards are the first characters of radio station callsigns. All radio and television broadcasters, amateur radio operators, and other users of the radio spectrum are assigned... International Callsign Allocations

Aircraft

Each licensed aircraft is assigned a unique tail number. Tail numbers for non-military aircraft are also in the international call sign series and can be used as a radio call sign. For example, U.S. registered civilian aircraft are assigned a tail number consisting of the letter N followed by some digits and/or letters according to the following standards:

• U.S. registration numbers may not exceed five (5) characters in addition to the standard U.S. registration prefix letter "N".

• These characters may be one (1) to five (5) numbers (eg., N12345), one (1) to four (4) numbers and one (1) suffix letter (ex. - N1234Z), or one (1) to three (3) numbers and two (2) suffix letters (N123AZ).

• To avoid confusion with the numbers one and zero, the letters "I" and "O" may not be used.

• An N-Number may not begin with zero. The first zero in a number must be preceded by at least one of the numbers one (1) through nine (9). For example, N01Z is not valid.

Air Traffic Control Towers (ATCTs) at Schiphol Airport The air traffic control system gives guidance to aircraft, to prevent collisions and manage efficient traffic flow. See also air traffic controller. Air traffic control can be divided into two major subspecialties, terminal control and enroute control. Terminal control involves air traffic... Air traffic control facilities usually identify by location and function, e.g. Boston tower. Scheduled An airline is an organization providing aviation services to passengers and/or cargo. It owns or leases airliners with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for reasons of mutual benefit. Industry overview The scale and scope of airline companies ranges from those... airline flights generally do not use their tail numbers for identification; instead they use an airline code, such as United for United Airlines, followed by the Public transport service numbering is a means of identifying a particular transport service or route. A train service can be identified by the train company, the date and a train number. This should not be confused with the number(s) of the vehicle(s). There are often several train services... flight number. See main article: Most airlines employ a distinctive and internationally recognised call sign that is normally spoken during airband radio transmissions as a prefix to the flight number. The flight number is normally that published in their public timetable and appearing on the arrivals and departure screens in the airport terminals served by... airline call sign.

Amateur radio

Amateur radio, commonly called ham radio, is a hobby enjoyed by many people throughout the world (as of 2004 about 3 million worldwide, 60,000 in UK, 70,000 in Germany, 5,000 in Norway, 57,000 in Canada, and 700,000 in the USA). A holder of an Amateur... Amateur radio callsigns are in the international series and normally consist of a one- or two-character prefix, a number (which sometimes corresponds to a geographic area within the country) and a 1, 2, or 3 character suffix. The number following the prefix is normally a single number (0 to 9). Some prefixes, such as Djibouti's (J2), consist of a letter followed by a number. Hence, in the hypothetical Djibouti callsign, J29DBA, the prefix is J2, the number is 9, and the suffix is DBA.

The numbers are sometimes assigned geographically. In the Italian callsign, IK1TZO, IK is the prefix, the number component is 1 and corresponds to the Piedmont is a region of northwestern Italy. It has an area of 25,400 km2 and a population of est. 4.3 million. Its capital is Turin. Piedmont is surrounded on three sides by the Alps mountain range, including the Monviso, where the Po River rises. It borders with France... Piemonte region, and TZO is the suffix. Another example is WB3EBO. WB is the prefix, the number 3 most often indicates that the station is located in State nickname: The First State Other U.S. States Capital Dover Largest city Wilmington Governor Ruth Ann Minner Official languages None Area 6,452 km² (49th)  - Land 5,068 km²  - Water 1,387 km² (21.5%) Population (2000)  - Population 783,600 (45th)  - Density 154... Delaware, State nickname: Old Line State; Free State Other U.S. States Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Governor Robert L. Ehrlich Official languages English Area 32,160 km² (42nd)  - Land 25,338 km²  - Water 6,968 km² (21%) Population (2000)  - Population 5,296,486 (19th)  ... Maryland, State nickname: The Keystone State Other U.S. States Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Governor Ed Rendell Official languages None Area 119,283 km² (33rd)  - Land 116,074 km²  - Water 3,208 km² (2.7%) Population (2000)  - Population 12,281,054 (6th)  - Density 105... Pennsylvania, or the ... District of Columbia. The suffix is EBO. For the district numbers within the United States, see ARRL map (http://www.arrl.org/awards/was/map.gif).

Broadcast callsigns

North America

Broadcast stations in World map showing location of North America A satellite composite image of North America North America is the third largest continent in area and in population after Eurasia and Africa. It is bounded on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the... North America generally use call letters in the international series. There are some common conventions followed in each country. (See the article on All call signs begin with a prefix: letters and number assigned by the International Telecommunications Union. The United States has been assigned the following prefixes: AAA-ALZ, K, N, W. For a complete list, see International Callsign Allocations. Many countries have specific conventions for classifying call signs by transmitter characteristics... North American call sign.)

Australia

In Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is the sixth-largest country in the world, the only one to occupy an entire continent, and the largest in the region of Australasia/ Oceania. It also includes a number of secondary islands, the largest of which is Tasmania, an Australian State. Australia is... Australia, broadcast callsigns begin with a single-digit number indicating the Australia, having a federal system of government, is divided into states and territories. Each of these has a capital city, as listed below. Internal States and Territories Australian Capital Territory (Canberra) New South Wales (Sydney) Victoria (Melbourne) Queensland (Brisbane) South Australia (Adelaide) Western Australia (Perth) Tasmania (Hobart) Northern Territory (Darwin... state or territory, followed by two letters for Mediumwave radio transmissions (sometimes called Medium frequency or MF) are those between the frequencies of 300 kHz and 3000 kHz. In most of the world, mediumwave serves as the most common band for broadcasting. The standard AM broadcast band is 525kHz to 1715kHz in North America, but remains... AM stations and three for FM radio is a broadcast technology invented by Edwin Howard Armstrong that uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity broadcast radio sound. History of FM radio in the US Main article: History of radio, FM radio. In the United States, FM radio stations broadcast at frequencies of 88–108... FM. Some AM stations retain their old callsigns when moving to FM, or just add an extra letter to the end. Australian broadcast stations originally used the prefix VL-, but since Australia has no nearby neighbors, this practice was soon discarded in use.

Television station callsigns begin with two letters usually denoting the station itself, followed by a third letter denoting the state. For example, NBN Television is an Australian commercial television broadcasting company, broadcasting from its main studios in Newcastle, transmitting to the northern half of New South Wales and the south eastern part of Queensland. The station is a Nine Network affilate, owned by SP Telemedia, a subsidary of Washington H. Soul Pattinson... NBN's callsign stands for Newcastle Broadcasting, New South Wales. There are some exceptions:

• The ABC or Australian Broadcasting Corporation is the national, Australia. It is government-funded and provides radio, television and online services throughout metropolitan and regional Australia and overseas via Radio Australia. There is also a chain of ABC Shops selling books, audio and video recordings related to ABC programming. Governance... ABC television stations outside of state capitals add a fourth letter between AB and the state. This is used to denote the area e.g. the Newcastle station is known as ABHN, standing for Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Hunter Valley, New South Wales. State capital stations follow the same rule as commerical stations.
• See: Special Broadcasting Service - Australian government-funded Radio and TV network Said Business School - Oxford Universitys business school. Special Boat Service - a special forces unit of the British Royal Marines. SBS Broadcasting Group (originally Scandinavian, now also operating in various other European countries). Shizuoka Broadcasting System - a Japanese radio... SBS television stations all use SBS in their callsigns, regardless of the state.
• Commercial station Imparja Television uses IMP, even though they are based in Springs that gave the town its names Alice Springs on a large scale map Alice Springs is a large town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Its population of 28,178 (2001 Census) makes it the second-largest settlement in the Territory (the only other towns of significant size are... Alice Springs in the Motto: None Other Australian states and territories Capital Darwin Administrator Ted Egan Chief Minister Clare Martin (ALP) Area 1,420,968 km² (3rd)  - Land 1,349,129 km²  - Water 71,839 km² (5.06%) Population (2002)  - Population 197,700 (8th)  - Density 0.15 /km² (8th) Time... Northern Territory.

Letters and numbers used by Australian stations:

• Radio
  • 1 - Motto: Pro Rege, Lege et Grege (For the Queen, the Law and the People) Other Australian states and territories Capital Canberra Chief Minister Jon Stanhope (ALP) Administrator None Area 2,358 km² (8th)  - Land 2,358 km²  - Water 0 km² (0%) Population (2003)  - Population 308,700 (7th... Australian Capital Territory (new designation)
  • 2 - Motto: Orta Recens Quam Pura Nites (Newly Risen, How Brightly You Shine) Other Australian states and territories Capital Sydney Governor HE Professor Marie Bashir Premier Bob Carr (ALP) Area 809,444 km² (5th)  - Land 800,642 km²  - Water 8,802 km² (1.09%) Population (2002)  - Population 6... New South Wales, the Motto: Pro Rege, Lege et Grege (For the Queen, the Law and the People) Other Australian states and territories Capital Canberra Chief Minister Jon Stanhope (ALP) Administrator None Area 2,358 km² (8th)  - Land 2,358 km²  - Water 0 km² (0%) Population (2003)  - Population 308,700 (7th... Australian Capital Territory and some external territories
  • 3 - Motto: Peace and Prosperity Other Australian states and territories Capital Melbourne Governor HE Mr John Landy Premier Steve Bracks (ALP) Area 237,629 km² (6th)  - Land 227,416 km²  - Water 10,213 km² (4.3%) Population (2004)  - Population 5,000,000 (2nd)  - Density 22 /km² (2nd... Victoria
  • 4 - Motto: Audax at Fidelis (Bold but Faithful) Other Australian states and territories Capital Brisbane Governor HE Ms Quentin Bryce Premier Peter Beattie (ALP) Area 1,852,642 km² (2st)  - Land 1,730,648 km²  - Water 121,994 km² (6.58%) Population (2003)  - Population 3,796,800 (3rd... Queensland
  • 5 - Motto: United for the Common Wealth Other Australian states and territories Capital Adelaide Governor Marjorie Jackson-Nelson Premier Mike Rann (ALP) Area 1,043,514 km² (4th)  - Land 983,482 km²  - Water 60,032 km² (5.75%) Population (2004)  - Population 1,534,300 (5th)  - Density 1... South Australia
  • 6 - Motto: Cygnis Insignis (Distinguished by its swans) (not included on official coat of arms) Other Australian states and territories Capital Perth Governor HE Lieutenant General John Sanderson Premier Dr Geoff Gallop (ALP) Area 2,645,615 km² (1st)  - Land 2,529,875 km²  - Water 115,740 km² (4... Western Australia
  • 7 - Motto: Ubertas et Fidelitas (Fertility and Faithfulness) Other Australian states and territories Capital Hobart Governor William Cox Premier Paul Lennon (ALP) Area 90,758 km² (7th)  - Land 68,401 km²  - Water 22,357 km² (24.63%) Population (2003)  - Population 478,400 (6th)  - Density 6.92 /km... Tasmania
  • 8 - Motto: None Other Australian states and territories Capital Darwin Administrator Ted Egan Chief Minister Clare Martin (ALP) Area 1,420,968 km² (3rd)  - Land 1,349,129 km²  - Water 71,839 km² (5.06%) Population (2002)  - Population 197,700 (8th)  - Density 0.15 /km² (8th) Time... Northern Territory
• Television
  • N - New South Wales
  • Q - Queensland
  • V - Victoria
  • S - South Australia
  • C - For other meanings see Canberra (disambiguation). Canberra (pronounced CAN-bruh , CAN-berra, Can-BER-ra or Can-buh-ruh) is capital city and largest inland city (population 311,000). It is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory, (ACT; population 339,000). Canberra is the 7th most... Canberra and the Australian Capital Territory
  • W - Western Australia
  • D - Central Darwin, circa 1986 Darwin is the capital of the Northern Territory, and is a city of 109,419 people (2001 census) on Australias far north-western coastline. Darwin is reputed to suffer more lightning-strikes than any other inhabited place in the world. It is also home to... Darwin and the Northern Territory
  • T - Tasmania

Europe/Asia

In Europe and much of Asia, callsigns are normally not used for broadcast stations. Official language Japanese Capital Tokyo Largest City Tokyo Emperor Akihito Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 60th 377,835 km² 0.8% Population  - Total ( 2004)  - Density Ranked 10th 127,333,002 337/km² GDP  - Total (PPP, 2005)  - Total (nominal)  ... Japan, South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK; Korean: Daehan Minguk (Hangul: 대한 민국; Hanja: 大韓民國)), is a country in East Asia, covering the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. To the north, the Republic of Korea borders North Korea, with which it formed a... South Korea and The Republic of China ( Traditional Chinese: 中華民國; Simplified Chinese: 中华民国; Wade-Giles: Chung-hua Min-kuo, Tongyong Pinyin: JhongHuá MínGuó, Hanyu Pinyin: Zhōnghuá Mínguó) is a multiparty democratic state that is composed of the... Taiwan are exceptions to this general rule. Other countries have yet other formats for assigning callsigns to domestic services.

Military callsigns

In wartime, monitoring an adversaries communications can be a valuable form of intellegence. Consistant call signs can aid in this monitoring, so in wartime, military units often employ Police units in the United States tend to use a tactical designator (or tactical callsign) consisting of a letter of the police phonetic alphabet followed by one or two numbers. For example, Mary One might identify the head of a citys homicide division. Police and fire department radio systems... tactical callsigns and sometime change them at regular intervals. In peacetime, some military stations will use fixed call signs in the international series.

US Army

The The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. As of fiscal year 2002 (FY02), it consisted of 480,000 soldiers on active duty and 555,000 in reserve (350,000 in the Army National Guard (ARNG) and 205... United States Army uses fixed callsigns which begin with W, such as WAR, used by U.S. Army Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are concentrated. The term headquarters is used especially with military organizations and large companies. Categories: Stub ... Headquarters.

US Air Force

Fixed callsigns for the Seal of the Air Force. The United States Air Force (USAF) is the aviation branch of the United States armed forces. The mission of the USAF is to defend the United States and protect its interests through air and space power. It was created as a separate branch on September... United States Air Force stations begin with A, such as AIR, used by USAF Headquarters. The USAF also uses semi-fixed identifiers consisting of a name followed by a two or three digit number. The name is assigned to a unit on a semi-permanent basis; they change only when the U.S. Department of Defense goes to For the technology conference/hacker convention, see DEF CON. Defense Condition is a measure of the activation and readiness level of the United States armed forces. DEF CON is the acronym of DEFense CONdition. These defense conditions describe progressive postures for use between the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the... DEFCON 3. For example, JAMBO 51 would be assigned to a particular The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range strategic bomber flown by the United States Air Force since 1955, replacing the Convair B-36. Although built for the role of Cold War-era nuclear deterrent, its conventional capabilities are these days the more important role in USAF operations, where... B-52 aircrew of the 5th Bomb Wing, while NODAK 1 would be an The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a modern multi-role jet fighter aircraft built in the United States and used by dozens of countries all over the world. History The F-16 was developed by General Dynamics. In 1993 General Dynamics sold its aircraft manufacturing business to the Lockheed Corporation... F-16 fighter with the North Dakota Air National Guard. The most recognizable callsign of this type is This article is about the aircraft. For the movie, see Air Force One (movie). Air Force One is the air traffic control callsign of any U.S. Air Force aircraft carrying the President of the United States. Since 1990, the presidential fleet has consisted of two specifically_configured, highly customized Boeing... Air Force One, used when any plane is carrying the Seal of the President of the United States, official impression The President of the United States is the head of state of the United States. Under the U.S. Constitution, the President is also the chief executive of the federal government and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. Because... U.S. President, or Marine One, used to identify any A helicopter is an aircraft which is lifted and propelled by one or more large horizontal rotors (propellers). Helicopters are classified as rotary-wing aircraft to distinguish them from conventional fixed-wing aircraft. The word helicopter is derived from the Greek words helix (spiral) and pteron (wing). The engine-driven... helicopter doing the same thing. Individaul military pilot or other flight officer usually adopt a personal An aviator call sign or callsign is a nickname given to a military pilot or other flight officer. This call sign is a substitute for the officers given name, and is used on name tags, planes, and radio conversations. The etymology for an aviators call sign is varied... aviator call sign.

US Navy/Coast Guard

The The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. The U.S. Navy consists of slightly fewer than 300 ships and over 4,000 operational aircraft. It has over a half million men and women on active or ready reserve duty... United States Navy and Coast Guard shield The United States Coast Guard is the coast guard of the United States. One of the seven uniformed services of the United States, and the smallest armed service of the United States, it has a broad and important role in homeland security, law enforcement, search-and-rescue... United States Coast Guard use a mixture of tactical callsigns and international callsigns beginning with the letter N. For example, the carrier USS John F. Kennedy has the callsign NJFK.

See also

• Most airlines employ a distinctive and internationally recognised call sign that is normally spoken during airband radio transmissions as a prefix to the flight number. The flight number is normally that published in their public timetable and appearing on the arrivals and departure screens in the airport terminals served by... Airline call sign
• An aviator call sign or callsign is a nickname given to a military pilot or other flight officer. This call sign is a substitute for the officers given name, and is used on name tags, planes, and radio conversations. The etymology for an aviators call sign is varied... Aviator call sign
• Cosmonaut call sign
• This article should be merged with ITU prefix The International Telecommunications Union sets many international standards for radio usage around the world. Among these standards are the first characters of radio station callsigns. All radio and television broadcasters, amateur radio operators, and other users of the radio spectrum are assigned... International Callsign Allocations
• A Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) is a series of nine digits which are transmitted over the radio path in order to uniquely identify ship stations, ship earth stations, coast stations, coast earth stations, and group calls. These identities are formed in such a way that the identity or part... Maritime Mobile Service Identity
• A pseudonym is a fictitious name used by an individual as an alternative to their legal name (whereas an allonym is the name of another actual person assumed by one person in authorship of a work of art; e.g., when ghostwriting a book or play, or in parody, or... pseudonym

External links

• United States Callsign Policies (http://earlyradiohistory.us/recap.htm)
• Amateur Call Prefixes (http://www.ac6v.com/prefixes.htm)