In response to calls from Norway’s contesting community, the Norwegian Communication Authority (NCA) recently announced that it would permit the use of 2 × 1 contest call signs for individual radio amateurs. With few exceptions, Norwegian 2 × 1 call signs have been reserved for club stations, which also may use the LN prefix in contests.

The new call signs will use the LC prefix and single-letter suffixes, are available to all radio amateurs with a Norwegian call sign, are issued for contest use only, and must be renewed every 5 years. The new call sign format was used for the first time in April during Norsk Hammeeting 2018, Norway’s biggest ham radio event.

Call signs applied for by several contesters were allocated by random drawing. Norsk Radio Relæ Liga (NRRL), Norway’s national ham radio organization, is administering the call sign program. “We hope the shorter call signs will improve the QSO rates and call sign readability, and reduce the error rates for our contacts,” said Rag Stein-Roar Brobakken, LB3RE, the head of NRRL’s Contest Committee.