Ofcom has moved ahead with Phases 2 and 3 of changes announced earlier that affect amateur radio licensees. These actions follow those made in Phase 1 of February 2024 which adjusted power limits and expanded operating freedoms.

This month, hams with intermediate callsigns have the option to replace their number "2" series call prefixes with an M8 or M9 and can either retain or replace their existing suffix. These are voluntary changes at the moment but in five years, the regulator will change all remaining calls. The regulator is also limiting licence-holders to a single personal callsign and will be revoking all but the one chosen to be kept. Hams are also getting the option to change their callsigns every five years. Other changes, including those affecting special-event stations, can be found by following the link in the text version of this week's newscast script at arnewsline.org