Free licences for new countries
Open Signal has barely any users outside the UK and Europe. This is the attempt to change that: the first operators in a handful of countries get the full transmit licence, free. Applications are read by a person, not approved by a script.
Where the offer is open
There are no open regions at the moment. The receive-only version of Open Signal is free to everyone regardless, and the paid transmit licence is £15 a year or £45 for life. New regions are added from time to time — this page is where they will appear.
What you actually get
The full licence. The same one that costs £45 for life on the store — not a trial, not a reduced build, and it does not expire. If you are given one you are on exactly the same footing as somebody who paid.
The receive-only version has always been free for everyone, everywhere, and it stays that way. If your country is not listed you have lost nothing: download it, decode pictures, and the transmit licence is there when you want it.
How eligibility is decided
By the prefix of your callsign, which your national licensing authority issued to you. A callsign beginning ZS is South African, one beginning VU is Indian, and that is not something a VPN can change — which is precisely why it is the test rather than your IP address.
It also means the offer follows you. Operating portable or abroad makes no difference: your own callsign is what qualifies you.
The list of prefixes is not exhaustive. If yours is not recognised the claim is passed to a person rather than refused — you will hear back by email.
What exactly is free?
The full transmit licence — the same one that otherwise costs £45 for life. It is not a trial, not a cut-down build and it does not expire. That includes support: a free licence is still a licence, so you are answered first on the helpdesk like anyone else holding one. The receive-only version of Open Signal is free for everyone, everywhere, and always has been; this offer is about the transmit side.
How do you decide which country I am in?
By your callsign's prefix, which is issued by your national licensing authority. We do not decide it from your IP address, so a VPN makes no difference either way — and if you are travelling or operating away from home, your own callsign still qualifies you.
Why only some countries?
Open Signal has almost no users outside the UK and Europe, and a licence that is a modest sum here is a much bigger ask elsewhere. Opening a limited number of free licences in a few places is a way of getting the software onto the air in those countries rather than waiting for it to happen on its own.
What happens after I apply?
A person reads it. There is no automatic approval and no instant download — applications are looked at by hand, and if yours is successful you will get an email telling you your callsign has been set up for transmit. If it is not, the receive-only version still costs nothing.
How long does it take?
It depends how many applications are waiting, because one person reads all of them. It is days rather than minutes. You do not need to do anything in the meantime, and applying twice does not make it faster.
What should I put in the box about my station?
Whatever helps somebody decide. What rig and antenna you run, whether there is any SSTV activity where you are, what you would use it for. It is the part that is actually read — a blank one is not disqualifying, but a couple of honest sentences do more than anything else on the form.
Can I apply more than once?
One application per callsign while it is open or granted. If yours is turned down you are welcome to apply again later.
My prefix was not recognised — what now?
The list of prefixes is not exhaustive, so an unrecognised one is passed to a person to look at rather than refused outright. If your callsign qualifies you will hear back by email.
What if my country is not on the list?
Nothing changes for you today — the receive-only version stays free, and the paid licence is £15 a year or £45 for life. Regions get added over time, so it is worth checking back.
Receiving is free wherever you are
Whether or not your country is on the list, the receive-only version costs nothing and needs no account. Download it, decode pictures off the air, and add transmit whenever you want to.