Special call sign designator list / descriptions

Nicky, I have never seen a printed list of 'letter' abbreviations following the 'fraction-bar character'. I was first licensed in 1964 and the U.S. Regulations of 1963 that I studied had the following rule: 12.82 Transmissions of call signs. Paragraph (a)(1) The operator of an amateur station shall transmit the call sign of the station or stations (or may transmit the generally accepted identification of the network) being called or communicated with, or shall identify appropriately any other purpose of a transmission, followed by the authorized call sign of the station transmitting: (2) The required identification shall be transmitted on the frequency or frequencies being employed at the time and, in accordance with the type of emission authorized thereon, shall be by either telegraphy using the International Morse Code, or telephony. (b) In addition to complying with the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section, an operator of an amateur station operated as a portable or mobile station using radiotelegraphy shall transmit immediately after the call sign of such station, the fraction-bar character (DN) followed by the number of the amateur call sign area in which the portable or mobile amateur station is then being operated. (c) When telephony is used, the call sign of the station shall be preceded by the words "this is" or the word "from" instead of the letters "de," followed by an announcement of the geographical location in which the portable or mobile station is being operated. *(e) (1) Mobile operations aboard a vessel. (i) When using telegraphy the amateur operator shall transmit immediately after the call sign of the station the fraction-bar (DN) followd by the designator "MM" to idicate that the station is being operated as a mobile station aboard a vessel. (ii) When using telephony the call sign of the station shal be prceded by the words "this is," or the word "from" followed by the words "Maritime Mobile," to indicated that the station is being operated as a mobile station aborad a vessel. (2) Mobile operations aboard aircraft using telegraphy use the fraction-bar (DN) and the designator "AM", and when using telephony use the words "Aeronautical mobile".*

Under the old rules whenever a licensee permanently moved to a new call sign zone, they had to inform the FCC. They were subsequently issued a new call sign for the new zone. I can not remember the exact year that the regulations changed when a licensee no longer had to change their call sign when they moved to a new call sign zone, but when that happened the requirements of giving your call sign and the portable or mobile designator following your call sign to indicated you were operating outside your zone was no longer required. Those of us who were licensed under the old rules, got into the habit of signing that we were portable or mobile outside of our call sign zone and some of us still do this even though it is not required. Most of us who still do this as a courtesy to the stations we make contact with so they know we are not in our 'home' zone.

The current Code of Federal Regulations, Title 47, Part 97, Rule 97.119 Station Identification, states in paragraph (c), One or more indicators may be included with the call sign. Each indicator must be separated from the call sign by the slant mark (/) or by any suitable word that denotes the slant mark. If an indicator is selfassigned, it must be included before, after, or both before and after, the call sign. No self-assigned indicator may conflict with any other indicator specified by the FCC Rules or with any prefix assigned to another country. There are other indicators listed in this rule.

Best Regards K4RFE Larry

Here is a resource I found on the web giving recommendations about self assigned indicators:

http://w3beinformed.org/id45.html