ARLA/CLUSTER: Reino Unido vai poder utilizar locatores regionais secundários para os indicativos dos clubes

[João Costa > CT1FBF]

Use of RSL in UK callsigns

In an email Ofcom has given guidance on the use of Regional Secondary
Locators in the UK and Crown Dependencies with regard to Club
callsigns

Clause 2(2) of the licence requires the licensee to use an RSL in the
call sign to indicate where the station is currently operating. The
available RSLs are then listed. Clause 2(2) applies to holders of the
Full (Club) licence, as much as to individuals and club stations must
therefore include an RSL in the transmitted call sign. However, Note
(c) to the licence provides an alternative set of RSLs, which holders
of a Full (Club) licence may use, if they wish. This alternative list
includes an RSL for England (‘X’), which the list in Clause 2(2) does
not. It means that a club station can identify itself as operating in
England, while an individual Full or Foundation licensee cannot (for
completeness, I should add that Intermediate licensees must also use
an RSL, including ‘E’ when operating in England).

For example, an individual Full licensee with a main station address
in Swansea but temporarily operating in Inverness, must use the RSL
‘M’ to signify operation in Scotland. Your illustrative call sign
would therefore go from ‘GW3ABC’ (Wales) to ‘GM3ABC’ (Scotland). If
the example given were a Swansea-based club station, the call sign
would go from either ‘GW3ABC’ or ‘GC3ABC’ to either GM3ABC’ or
‘GS3ABC’.

In deciding which RSL to use, the licensee must ensure that the
operation of the station complies with the overriding requirement set
out in Clause 13(1)(a), that the station be clearly identifiable at
all times. Having decided which RSL to use, the licensee must assess
the risk of not being clearly identifiable, were the station suddenly
to switch to an alternative RSL for the same part of the UK.
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An element of confusion regarding this had originally arisen in 2013
following then Ofcom guidance on the matter. At that time Ofcom
considered a GM4*** operate mobile from the Isle of Man would sign
GM4***/M (still keeping their home RSL), see
http://rsgb.org/main/archive/consultation-archive/ofcom-consultations/licence-review-preparation/regional-secondary-locator/