Change?

[hollyking]

This is probably not very interesting to anyone else but I've been thinking about it for a while. When I passed the General exam to upgrade my amateur radio license I didn't have the FCC issue a new call sign. My thought was that I will be upgrading to an Amateur Extra class license soon and why go through the hassle of changing twice.

I'm still going to upgrade but looking at the pool of call signs all the nice short ones have been issued. I could pay the money (about $12 every 10 years) for a vanity call sign; get a new sequential call sign issued by the FCC which would be just as long as my current call sign; or keep my current call sign. I'm leaning to this third option because I already have history with my current call sign and accepting a sequential one would take me from KD7LAH to something like AA7RQ. One letter shorter but not as nice as say KE9V.

If I go the vanity call sign route the following are available right now: K0BML, K7BML, W7BML and N7BML. Zero is good because that's the number for the disctrict where I was born. Seven is the number for the district where I live. BML are my initials. K, W and N are the first letters of the call signs issued by the FCC that I could use for an amateur radio license.

I'm leaning towards keeping my current call sign. I've had it for 8 years now.

Update: I just read the fine print for the vanity call sign program and I can't get a 1x2 call sign unless I have an Amateur Extra class license. Looks like it's time to hit the books and get that final upgrade.

Comments

[neuro42.livejournal.com]

IMNSHO the only options that mske any sense are keepig your current call or getting a vanity 1x2. I myself went with the latter.

[hollyking.livejournal.com]

Sure a lot of Q's in those 1x2s. There are more options with a 2x1 call sign. Just another reminder of why I should have upgraded earlier. ;)

[neuro42.livejournal.com]

True, but since I almost never do morse code, I really don't mind the Qs. It's the lack of Ms and Gs that bother me.

[hollyking.livejournal.com]

I think there will be more morse code in my future as I would like to build some small radios to carry around to use at random. Still once I get used to it how hard can a Q be to send. ;)