A Call Sign is defined by Merriam-Webster as a combination of identifying letters, letters and numbers, or words assigned to an operator, office, activity, vehicle, or station for use in communication (as in the address of a message sent by radio).
For amateur radio call signs in the Philippines, it is assigned and regulated by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).
To obtain a Call Sign, individuals must pass an NTC Examination and apply for a license.
Call Signs are assigned based on NTC Office Order No. 108-12-2012 and NTC Office Order No. 183-12-2016, as follows:
A Call sign is composed of three parts:
- prefix
- amateur radio district number
- suffix
Prefix:
The prefixes 4F, DU, DV, DW, DX, DY and DZ are sub-allocated to amateur radio service as follows:
| DU, 4F or 4E | – Extra Class (Class A) |
| DV or 4I | – General Class (Class B) |
| DW or 4G | – Technician Class (Class C) |
| DY or 4H | – Foundation Class (Class D) |
| DX or DZ | – Club Station, DXpedition and Special Events |
Amateur Radio District Number:
It is a number representing the amateur district in which the amateur radio station is located. In the case of a CHARL member with station location in Bohol applies for a license, the NTC Region 7 Office will assign a district number of “7”.
Suffix:
The suffix shall be a minimum of two (2) characters and a maximum of three (3) characters. The suffixes AA to ZZZ are allocated in every district and assigned to a radio station.
For Example:
“DV7BFO”
DV – prefix, 7 – amateur radio district, BFO – suffix
“DX7BC”
DX – prefix, 7 – amateur radio district, BC – suffix