Sequential Versus Vanity Callsigns
==================================

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 paying the appropriate fee, and submitting the required forms.

NOTE: Effective in early 2022, there'll be a $35 fee for each Vanity
Callsign applied for. So if you apply for, pay for, and get a vanity callsign...then decide you don't like it, whether you apply for another
vanity callsign, or change to a sequential callsign, it'll still cost
you $35 each time you do it.

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.

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. If the amateur radio licensee
from these areas is an Amateur Extra Class licensee, the first letter
is likely an "A" instead of a "K".

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. And in 2019, I changed
to the WX4QZ callsign, changing the emphasis from weather to railroad
crossing safety. 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, grandparent, 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 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 in the ham
radio bulletins door on The Thunderbolt BBS. The list is obtained
from HamData.Com -- which gets its data from the FCC database. Note
that during a government shutdown, this data will NOT be updated,
since the FCC is closed.
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (954:895/7)

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If you have a Certificate Of Successful Completion Of Examination
(CSCE), with a current license and callsign...that shows you've upgraded
to a higher license class, you may begin using your new license class privileges IMMEDIATELY...with the special identifiers, as follows:

UPGRADING TO: VOICE IDENTIFIER: DIGITAL IDENTIFIER:

Technician Temporary KT /KT

NOTE: This ONLY applies if upgrading from the "old Novice" license;
otherwise, no identifier is required...since Technician is the entry
class license...and you would NOT have a callsign to start with. The
digital identifier is for either Morse Code, or on a digital mode,
such as packet, PSK31, etc. -- the phone identifier is for voice.

General Temporary AG /AG

Amateur Extra Temporary AE /AE

The use of these special ID's follow your callsign on the new bands
for which your CSCE shows that you've upgraded to. If you previously
had privileges on a certain band without the CSCE (for instance, you
upgraded from Technician to General), you're not required to use the
ID on frequencies above 50 Megahertz. However, using the Technician to
General upgrade example, if you want to use the frequencies for the
General Class licensee, you are REQUIRED to use the new identifier.

If you upgrade to the Extra Class license BEFORE your General Class
paper license copy is in hand, or in the FCC database, you keep your
Technician Class license, and the CSCE's for the General and Extra
Class upgrade, as proof of your upgrades. Again, using the upgrade to
Extra Class as an example, you use the special identifier for it,
instead of the General Class license identifier.

Once your new license grant appears in the FCC ULS database, or on
the QRZ website noted above), you're no longer required to use the
special identifier. This usually takes 1 to 2 weeks after the day you
passed the exam. Failure to use the identifier before your license
upgrade appears in the FCC database would make it appear that you are
operating on amateur radio bands outside your privileges, and you
could get a Notice Of Violation from the FCC if that occurs.

Government Shutdowns And Licenses
=================================

Unfortunately, at times, a budgetary impasse within Congress, or if
the President does not sign a budget into law (either via a Continuing Resolution (CR)), or a full budget prior to the government fiscal year
that starts October 1, portions of the U.S. government "shut down". Any
work considered essential to the protection of life and property will
continue, but "non-essential" departments are shuttered, and their
workers are sent home. Those who still work (such as with the TSA at
airports, and the U.S. Coast Guard) do so without pay. Except for the government contractors, all will receive back pay when the government
shutdown ends, and the agencies reopen.

One of the agencies affected by the shutdown is the FCC. During this
time, they will NOT process any applications for new, renewal, or
upgraded amateur radio licenses, callsign changes, etc. The VE Teams
can send the results to their particular VEC, but the VEC can't key
the data to the FCC until the shutdown ends.

Now, if one's license enters the 90 day window prior to expiration,
they can file the renewal, and continue to operate, even if their
license expires during the shutdown. However, if they wait until the
shutdown ends to file the renewal, it'll have to get to the FCC within
two (2) days, or the license will be expired. Once a license expires,
the amateur radio operator is QRT (off the air). And, as noted above,
if the license lapses (expires more than 2 years), they have to start
all over, by passing the Technician Class exam, and getting a new ham
radio callsign.

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* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (954:895/7)