OFCOM Amateur Radio License

Off Topic
1

Hi all,

as there is strong British community here on the forum, let me please ask couple questions regarding the UK licensing.

In 2014 we were making a DXPedition to the Jersey island and for that purpose we applied for three UK licences:

M0ILB - my personal license
M0IKL - personal license of a buddy OK1DOL
M0ICD - club license (M0ILB, M0IKL as founding members)

Somewhen in 2015 there seemed to be a license conditions update and I received an updated license document for M0ILB, but we never received the updated documents for M0IKL or M0ICD.

To the questions:

  • Do I understand it correctly that UK amateur radio license is lifetime?
  • I heard that OFCOM has to be notified periodicaly that the licensee’s details are still valid, is that true?
  • What is the best way to obtaing the missing updated licences? E-mail? Phone call? Online portal?

I am just asking to take the best way as communicating with OFCOM was really bad - 1 month turnaround time for e-mail seemed to be a standard… :frowning:

Thanks for an advice!

Marek

2

Register (if you haven’t already) and you can then revalidate your licence online.

  1. Yes the licence is for life (subject to revalidation as above, I think every 5 yrs).
  2. As above.
  3. Through this website. There is an online chat facility.

Good luck!

3

For life and apparently after life given Ofcom’s practice of not recycling anyone’s highest level callsign!

Paul
M/W6PNG

1 Like
4

Yep every 5 years have to renew on line mines due next year.

Karl

5

Apart from allowing family members to re-activate call signs of their deceased relatives. I do know of one case where a friend of mine who was killed in a road accident, left his call sign in his will to one of his best mates and Ofcom accepted that.

2 Likes
6

in a response to a freedom of information action, Ofcom admitted that apart from a trial run a few years ago they have NOT as yet taken any action on licences that have not been re-validated.

As there is no longer a licence fee paid in the UK, who pays for such actions?

It is still best to re-validate your callsigns though Marek.

Once you login at the ofcom site given by Andy, above, with your email and password, you can view your licence details and then download it as a PDF file and print it out.

It could be that if the other two calls are not only in your name that OK1DOL is getting the reminders - have you checked with him? Also check that your and his email addresses are current in the system.

When I have communicated with Ofcom via email, responses have been in a matter of hours, not a week, so you must have been unlucky!

73 Ed. (G8GLM)

7

Thank you all for your responses.

Two more questions:

  1. If I remember correctly, the online portal worked only for normal licences, but not for reciprocal. Did that change?

  2. I do not have any password for the online portal, should I register new account from scratch? Then what?

Marek

8

Hi Marek,

The Ofcom web site seems to indicate that you are right, and applications for reciprocal licences are still paper-based. It also says that a reciprocal licence issued in this way is “usually” valid indefinitely … i.e. it does not need to be renewed.

Why not contact Ofcom direct and ask them? Their telephone number is +44 207 981 3131 and ask for the amateur radio licensing department.

Their email address is spectrum.licensing (at) ofcom.org.uk

Good luck,
73 de Walt (G3NYY)