What use is an F-call?

Having a call sign is a personal identity. For some, much thought has gone into the combination of letters, for others, like myself, it was assigned randomly.

The letters that make up your call sign conform to specific requirements. The first part of the call, the prefix is the country and state identifier. In my case, VK6 means Western Australia.

The rest of the call, the suffix, follows rules as well. 

The foundation license has four letters and starts with the letter F, followed by three letters, making up what is often referred to as the F-call.

If you have a standard license, the suffix is three letters, of which the first letter is a H, L, M, N, P or V. The letter R is reserved for Beacons and Repeaters.

The advanced license has either two or three letters and uses the remaining letters.

So with that information you can figure out what license class a station can operate under when you hear a call sign on air.

If you're a holder of an advanced license, you can choose to start your suffix with the letter F, and in doing so, you'll become a member of the F-call club.

A select group of fine fiery individuals fascinated with Amateur Radio, the fun of the hobby, the furthering of their education, and proud to be an Amateur - hi hi!

So, If your prefix starts with the letter F, welcome to the club!

I mused what my callsign might be when I upgrade. 

I think I'll move to New South Wales and have a chat with Fred. He's VK2FSP, that sounds like a nice callsign to have. VK2, F-call Special Person. I'm sure he'll share.

On the other hand, that would require that I move to VK2. Perhaps there are other alternatives!

Your call, wear it with pride - F or otherwise!

I'm Onno VK6FLAB