How to Change Your Callsign (Account)

Best practice when your call sign changes:

If you use Winlink Express

  1. Refresh yourself with the help file topics about setup and configuration.
  2. If you use Winlink Express, leave the old account settings intact, and set up an entirely new account by clicking the pull-down in the upper left corner of the main screen and choose "add call sign". Complete the form and choose 'Update' to register your new account. That's all you need to do with Winlink Express!

    If you've supported the system by registering your software, your old registration key will not be recognized with your new call. Write to [email protected], and ask to have your contribution for the old key transferred to a new key for the new call. We do this at no charge. Or, if you're feeling generous, register your software again using the new callsign at arsfi.org. You'll get an immediate and automatic reply containing a new key. And we will appreciate your additional contribution to keep Winlink on-air and online.

If you use AirMail or another client program

  1. Refresh yourself with the help file topics about setup and configuration of the client program you're using. You are starting fresh with the new call sign.
  2. Enter the setup screen/form and change your callsign from the old to the new one. Remove the old password and leave it blank. Make any other necessary changes. Click save. If you have difficulty with this in certain client programs, delete the .ini file in the program's install directory, restart the program, and start this step again.
  3. Compose a short message and address it to '[email protected]'. Make a connection using telnet or radio and send the message. Sending to this address also delivers the same message to your '[email protected]' address (you can't send a message to your own callsign account address directly from within the system). This creates a new account with your new call. Wait a minute, then connect again and retrieve the message you sent (a good test) plus an automatic message sent from the system containing your new password for the new call. Go back to the setup screen/form and enter it. The password is needed for all subsequent connections.

As was possible in the past, setting up forwarding on your old callsign account to your new one is no longer possible for US and many other countries. The system now validates callsigns on login and if voided or cancelled by your licensing authority it will not let you use your old callsign and password to gain access to your old account.

August, 2021

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