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Sequential Versus Vanity Callsigns
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Callsigns are normally issued in a sequential callsign system by
the FCC, for each license class. Once issued a callsign, you can
choose to keep it...or apply for a vanity callsign, after submitting
the required forms. There is no fee for a U.S. ham radio callsign,
sequential or vanity.
Holders of sequential ham radio callsigns keep them for the 10 year
term...if they apply for a new callsign, it's the next sequential one
issued, unless they apply for a vanity callsign instead.
There is a POSSIBILITY that effective in early, 2017...holders of
Vanity Callsigns will be REQUIRED to keep these for the full ten (10)
year license term. Several Extra Class Amateur Radio Operators have
apparently been grabbing up all the 2x1 and 1x2 callsigns, to "prevent
the No-Code Extras" from obtaining them. Apparently, one such ham had
never had a radio, but had 18 callsigns in 16 months.
When applying for a vanity callsign, you'll be required to list
twenty-five (25) "requested" calls...as there is a chance that the ones
you have requested are currently in use by licensed hams, or they have
not passed the 2 year grace period after expiration.
If you renew your sequential callsign or vanity callsign through the
FCC ULS website (http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls), there is no longer a fee
to renew. Members of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), can have
their license renewed FREE OF CHARGE at the appropriate time, from an
ARRL/VEC VE Test Session. This also applies for a license modification
(change of address, etc.). Non-ARRL members are required to pay a license
processing fee. Also, if you go through a license renewal service, such
as the W5YI renewal on the QRZ website, you will have to pay a processing
fee, whether you have a vanity callsign or not.
U.S. amateur radio callsigns are grouped by license class, starting
with an A, K, N, or W...in the format of 1 or 2 letters, followed by
a digit from 0 through 9...depending on the callsign district they
were living in when they first got their license...followed by 1, 2,
or 3 letters. Callsigns from Alaska begin with KL7, callsigns from
Hawaii begin with KH6, callsigns from Puerto Rico begin with KP4, and
callsigns from the U.S. Virgin Islands begin with KP2. Callsigns for
other U.S. territories may be a bit different per the license classes,
noted below.
Minimum License Class: Callsign Group: Callsign EXAMPLES:
Novice 2 by 3 WA1BCD, KE2FGH
Technician or General 1 by 3 K5IJK, N3LMN, W5OPQ
Advanced 2 by 2 KA6RS, KK7TU
Amateur Extra 1 by 2 or 2 by 1 K8VW, N9WX, W0YZ
Since some of the sequential callsign groups have had all of the
regular callsigns issued, the issued sequential calls fall to the
lower license class. With a vanity callsign, you can apply for a
callsign in this group, if you're of the appropriate license class.
Callsigns that have been expired more than 2 years are returned to
the "unused callsign pool", and they can be requested as a vanity
callsign.
The higher amateur radio license that you have, the more choices you
have for a vanity callsign (i.e. Amateur Extra Class licensees can pick
from any group...while General Class licensees are limited to either
the 2 by 3 or 1 by 3 callsign group).
Amateur Extra Calls usually begin with an A, but can also begin with
either a K, an N, or a W. Advanced callsigns usually begin with a K,
but they can also begin with an N or a W. Technician or General callsigns
usually begin with an K, N, or a W...and Novice callsigns usually begin
with either a K or a W.
However, a callsign is NOT ALWAYS indicative of a ham radio operators
actual license class. My first callsign, N5VLZ, issued in August, 1991,
was one of the last "1 by 3" callsigns issued for Arkansas. I held that
for 18 years, when I changed to the AE5WX callsign in June, 2009. Then,
in December, 2012, I changed to the WX1DER callsign...which reflects the
domain of my personal homepage, and of the BBS. Besides, I know several
Amateur Extra Class ham radio operators who still have their Novice
class callsign format.
If you are already a licensed ham radio operator, and one of your
family members, who was also a ham radio operator (parent, brother,
sister, aunt, uncle, etc.), dies (becomes a Silent Key), you may provide
proof of their death (such as a death certificate) to the FCC, along with
a vanity callsign application and fee, and request that callsign anytime
within 2 years after that ham radio operators death. After that 2 year
period, anyone can apply for it.
You must hold the appropriate license class to request that vanity
callsign. In other words, if the callsign of a deceased relative was
from the Amateur Extra Class group, you will have to become an Amateur
Extra Class licensee in order to request it.
Note that once you receive your new callsign...either from the
sequential or vanity callsign system...your old callsign is no
longer valid. However, as long as your license is not expired, you
keep the privileges you had before, but you're now using the new
callsign.
A list of the latest callsigns issued can be found elsewhere in this
area, and in the ham radio bulletins. The list is obtained from
HamData.Com -- which gets its data from the FCC database.
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* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - wx1der.dyndns.org (57:57/10)
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