Forum:Global and regional issues/OGF Amateur Radio
Hi everyone, Two of my biggest pass-times are OGF and Amateur Radio (for fellow hams: VE7NOC) and as such I've long thought of how I could connect these seemingly unrelated hobbies. I'd like to propose the creation of an OGF Amateur Radio System.
Using a standardised global system those interested could have an easy way to implement disaster communication networks, local clubs and their repeaters, and call sign registries. Firstly, just like the real-world International Telecommunications Union (ITU) assigns call sign prefixes to countries I propose establishing an equivalent framework: [National Prefix (eg. perhaps VA for Valonne)]+[Digit]+[1-3 Letter Suffix]. For example, a call sign from Valonne could be VA7GRX or VA2YY. We could keep a list of these prefixes on this post.
On the topic of physical integration on the map, mappers can detail broadcast towers, radio shacks, emergency communications centres, or hilltop repeaters using standard OSM tags. For instance a repeater tower could be tagged with
man_made=mast
communication:amateur_radio=yes
tower:type=communication
ref= Repeater Call Sign or Name
National Amateur Radio Societies (such as Canada's RAC and the UK's RSGB) and their roles in emergencies, disasters and even wars could also be documented into national histories. For the mega-nerds, the possibilty of creating national frequency plans and other regulatory worldbuilding also exists.
I'm putting this out there because I'd like to detail this lore for my own territory and was curious to see if there is other interest in the community. Questions, comments, and concerns are welcome.
Tomikals (talk) 18:15, 15 September 2026 (UTC)
- Cool, don't do Ham radio myself (my father did) but communications systems and radio engineering is also one of my interests. Maybe this is also something to lump under the Assembly of Nations just as the ITU is under the UN nowadays, similarly it could likely predate the AN by many years. I'd be up to putting some standards and such on the wiki for discussion and eventual adoption. I imagine Itarnar would have quite a developed RT community that sprung from civil-military radio usage in its total defence strategy. Qhfreddy (talk) 19:58, 15 September 2026 (UTC)