Radio call letters
KJBSF@slacvm
From: Kevin J. Burnett x3330 <KJBSF@SLACVM>
To: <TEL...@XX.LCS.MIT.EDU>
Subject: Radio call letters
I have noticed that along with the Kxxx and Wxxx call letters used for radio
stations in the US, there are ones used for other countries as well (such as
HCJB radio in Quito, Ecuador). Where would I be able to find out how the
lettering plan works?
Thanks.
K...@ai.ai.mit.edu.uucp
are allocated by some international agency. The United States
has AA through AL, and all of K, N, and W. Canada has C and V.
Mexico has X. Every letter and every number prefix is allocated
except no stations begin with Q.
For broadcast stations, the FCC has ruled that stations East of the
Mississippi begin with W, West of the Mississippi begin with K. (A
very few early stations such as KDKA break this rule.)
...Keith
po...@hoptoad.uucp.uucp
Funny you should mention it. The 'W' and 'K' that starts all United States
radio and television station's call are seperated by the Mississippi river.
East of the river all calls begin with the letter 'W', to the west, 'K' begin
the calls. Of course there are exceptions...
The FCC is looking into deregulating this and any one can have a 'W' or
'K' to start their calls. Also stations that have no connection with an
exisiting station that has a paticular call, can share it. KGO-TV in San
Francisco can give their permission to let an AM or a FM station use the KGO
call. You might see a KGO-FM in LA. (Side Note: KGO-FM is now KLOK-FM, and
KGO-AM is owned by ABC in SF.)
--
Tim Pozar
UUCP po...@hoptoad.UUCP
Fido 125/406
USNail KLOK-FM
77 Maiden Lane
San Francisco CA 94108
terrorist cryptography DES drugs cipher secret decode NSA CIA NRO IRS
coke crack pot LSD russian missile atom nuclear assassinate libyan RSA
marsto...@dartvax.uucp.uucp
In article <870323002...@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>, KJBSF@SLACVM writes:
> To: <TEL...@XX.LCS.MIT.EDU>
> Subject: Radio call letters
> lettering plan works?
can be found in _Broadcasting_Yearbook_ or _Reference_Data_for_Radio_
Engineers_, which should be in the reference section of a large library.
.................David Marston decvax!dartvax!marston
pos...@gpu.utcs.utoronto.uucp
> stations in the US, there are ones used for other countries as well (such as
> HCJB radio in Quito, Ecuador). Where would I be able to find out how the
> lettering plan works?
According to the 1987 _World_Radio_TV_Handbook_, call signs are
registered with International Frequency Registration Board, which
is part of the International Telecommunication Union and is based
in Geneva, Switzerland (ITU, Place des Nations, 1211 Geneva 20,
Switzerland). Browsing through the same book reveals the following
(empirical) information:
Country Call Letter Format (@=letter, #=number)
Argentina L[R-W][@]#[#]
Aruba P4A#[#]
Australia n@@ (n=[1..8] depending on state)
Bolivia CP##[#]
Brazil ZY[H-L]###
Canada C[BFH-K]@[@]
Chile C[A-D]##[#]
China (R) BE@##
Colombia HJ@@
Costa Rica TI@@@
Cuba CM@@
Dominican R. HI@@
Ecuador HC@@#
El Salvador YS@[@]
Guatemala TG@@
Haiti 4V@[@][@]
Honduras HR@[@[#][#]]
Japan JO@@
Korea (R) HL@@
Mexico XE@[@][@]
Neth. Ant. PJ@[#][#]
New Zealand #[X-Z]@
Nicaragua HT@nnn (nnn=frequency in kHz)
Panama HO@[##]
Papua N.G. P2[KT]#[#]
Paraguay ZP#[#]
Peru O[A-C][X-Z]#@
Philippines D[W-Z]@@
Thailand HSK@
Uruguay C[V-X]#[#][#]
Venezuela YV@@
--
--
john j. chew (v3.0) pos...@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu
+1 416 463 5403 (300/1200 bps) pos...@utorgpu.bitnet
{cbosgd,decvax,mnetor,utai,utcsri,{allegra,linus}!utzoo}!utgpu!poslfit
"Script-G for open, sub-delta for durchschnitt"
hal...@pbsvax.dec.com.uucp
letter prefixes is in the front pages of a copy of the "Radio Amateur's
Callbook", which is a telephone-book-like book you can probably find at
your local public library. There are U.S. and foreign versions, but either
will do for this purpose.
The US has all of K, W, N (e.g. the numbers on the sides of airplanes), and
AA-AL. Commercial broadcast stations use only K and W now, but the other
prefix letters are in use for ham, military, and other call signs.
--Dan Halbert, KB1RT