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Saturday, April 20, 2013

The importance of amateur radio callsign prefix

What is 9m2, 9m6, and 9m8 means? That is the callsign prefix that being assigned to Malaysia. In amateur radio, the international telecommunication union and international amateur radio union taking charge for this prefix together with the local authority.

9m2 means west malaysia, 9m6 is for sabah, 9m8 is for sarawak, 9m0 for spratly islands. If you are applying for apparatus assignment anywhere in west malaysia, you will be automatically assigned 9m2 as prefix. However, the authority sometime making their mistakes by issuing other prefix. For example, issuing 9w6 to someone who live in west malaysia.

As amateur radio, we need to aware that amateur radio is also self dicipline and self regulatory hobby. They are no regulator who will watch us 24 hours a day and charge us if we make any mistakes. Unless we have been reported by someone.

The authority has already released their documents on the callsign guidelines. Everyone in the world will know that 9w6 is assigned for sabah. If we have been issued with 9w2 while we are living in sabah, that would be a mistake. If a 9w2 holder operating from his home in sabah, how he has to tell amateur radio from other country? Portable on base station? This mistake will be a laughing stock to the world. 9w2 holder but living in sabah. Same goes to 9w8 who lives in west malaysia.

The prefix for amateur radio callsign is important. To show your country, your region or area, to show you classes. This is why every country has its own prefix. We cannot use 9m2 while operating in brunei, we must apply for reciprocal callsign first. After that, we must follow local rules for brunei.
If 9m2pju travelling to sabah for a holiday, he can operating as 9m2pju/6 or 9m2pju portable 6. Means 9m2pju portable operation in 6 area.

They authority may make mistakes, but we as amateur radio must know the prefix that has been assigned to our geographical area. Like it or not, thats our last choice. The suffix means nothing, prefix is important to show your area in your country. Take a look on indonesian amateur radio region code, yb0, yc0, yg0, ye0, yd0,yf0 is for jakarta. Not for karimun island or medan.

callsign is not for identifying for station when talking on the radio only, callsign also will be use for cw transmission, digital transmission, aprs operation, echolink node, beacon and repeater station.
The authentical of amateur radio depends on our dicipline. If we are making fool of our hobby, others will look amateur radio is a foolish hobby.

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