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2025 saw a number of fairly significant life changes and that was mirrored at least in my amateur radio activities by changing the UK callsign I had held for 20 years across the licensing grades! Whilst I'd been able to select a suffix (RZD) as a foundation licensee in 2005 which I kept through intermediate and full licence levels I'd never been entirely happy with it, it didn't get across well on a noisy band and I'd always hankered after a G8 call as that was the era I first got interested in radio (late 1970's / early 1980's) and remembered magazines at the time mentioning newly licensed 'Jaight's'!
I'd asked Ofcom before about making a change but it was a big no-no until the rules changed in 2025 and older callsigns could be reallocated so I applied. I'd previously held the French callsign F4VPJ which was easy to get across and to be heard. Unfortunately G4VPJ was already allocated but G8VPJ was available and as of October 2025 it is now my permanent callsign!
In a small way it commemorates my time in France as well as my original interest in radio in the early 1980's (see how many of the radios I have are of that era!) and as a bonus I can find no historical record of it being previously issued or used so just maybe it was meant for me being of the right era as well. Soon after I was also able to secure a good condition 'low mileage' Yaesu FT 102 of the same era so life is good
The list of options! It was probably a one horse race but it was worth looking at the alternatives!
Perhaps it should be time to have another crack at learning morse code with the new callsign?!
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