1.4GHz radio variability in FIRST & SDSS Stripe 82

The three epochs are spaced seven years apart and have an overlapping area of 60deg^2^. We uncover 89 variable sources down to the millijansky level, 75 of which are newly identified, and we find no evidence for transient phenomena.

This new sample of variable sources allows us to infer an upper limit to the mean characteristic timescale of active galactic nucleus radio variability of 14yr. We find that only 1% of extragalactic sources have fractional variability f_var_>3, while 44% of Galactic sources vary by this much. The variable sample contains a larger fraction of quasars than a comparable non-variable control sample, though the majority of the variable sources appear to be extended galaxies in the optical.