New FCC ID format could make searching IDs difficult

Starting tomorrow, May 1^st, 2013, the FCC will begin issuing new grantee codes as five character codes. Existing 3 character codes will still be valid, but new codes as of tomorrow will be in the 5 character format.  An earlier post describes why the change to the 5 character system. See FCC running out of Grantee codes.

Now that grantee codes could be both 3 character and 5 character, for those who use the Equipment Authorization Database search to lookup FCC IDs, it could be difficult at first getting use to the new system. How do you know if it’s a 3 character code or a 5 character code just by looking at the ID?

Example;

FCC ID: 2AA567SAMPL

FCC ID: G777SAMPLE500

Here’s a tip.

3 or 5 character grantee code? To tell;

1. if it starts with a number, it’s a 5 character code

2. if it starts with a letter, it’s a 3 character code.

The use of 1 and 0 is excluded, to avoid confusion with the letters i and o.

I don’t know if this visual would work the same for you, but what I do is picture a telephone keypad, it kind of looks like a # symbol with the number 5 in the middle;

 

 

# = Number so 5 starts with number. Silly, but it works for me.

So for the example above; 2AA56 is the 5 character code (starts with a #) and G77 is the 3 character code (starts with a letter).

REF:

Released: 04/09/2013. OFFICE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY TO BEGIN ISSUING FIVE-CHARACTER GRANTEE CODES FOR CERTIFIED RADIOFREQUENCY EQUIPMENT. (DA No. 13-669)

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-13-669A1.pdf