Scanner Tales: Radio License Plates

[n3obl]

California recently had issues two different hams exempt plates. I’m sure that was a major FU on someone part at the DMV.

 

[GlobalNorth]

The way around this is to get an Arizona Standard "Personalized" plate with your ham radio callsign on it, it will only cost you the one-time $25 "Personalized Plate" fee, with no annual fee.

Standard and Amateur both must pay an initial $25 fee and a $25 annual fee.

See the website:

Plate Selections Detail | Department of Transportation

Express yourself and support your favorite organization with personalized and specialty plates.

azdot.gov

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Standard​

1 Plate Issued The Official state license plate, issued by the Arizona Motor Vehicle Division. A postage and handling fee is required. No special requirements. Available to everyone. May be personalized for $25.00 initial application fee / $25 annual renewal.

Amateur Radio​

1 Plate Issued $25 initial application fee/ $25 annual renewal. Applicant must have a valid amateur operator license from the Federal Communications Commission. Special Plate Application (form #96-0143) is required.


A very few plates have a zero or $5 annual fee, but very, very few qualify for them: Medal of Honor, DFC, POW, etc.

This State does not give away much for free.

 

[GlobalNorth]

California recently had issues two different hams exempt plates. I’m sure that was a major FU on someone part at the DMV.

One for analog hams and the other for digital operators?

 

[nd5y]

If you're afraid of license plates then you better not have any external antennas on your house or vehicle.

 

[kodachrome]

Fun Fact: In Wisconsin, "Eligible persons may register more than one vehicle with Amateur radio plates."

I wonder if same is true in other states?

 

[nd5y]

Fun Fact: In Wisconsin, "Eligible persons may register more than one vehicle with Amateur radio plates."

I wonder if same is true in other states?

In Texas you can.

 

[trentbob]

I never had ham, CB or GMRS or even "personalized" license plates. But for more than 30 years I had Press Photographer plates on y personal vehicle.

Per Calif. DMV:

21.215 Press Photographer License Plates​

Press Photographer License Plates may be issued to persons regularly employed or engaged as newspaper, newsreel, television photographers, or camera operators. Press Photographer License Plates cannot be issued to a trailer."

The plates technically didn't convey any special privileges, but they were pretty unique, and there wasn't any additional fee! The plate numbers were originally issued sequentially, so a lower (4-digit) number gave the owner more street cred. The plates were issued to the vehicle owner, rather than the vehicle, so I kept the same plates every time I changed cars. Eventually, California ran out of 4-digit numbers and started reissuing old, expired plate numbers, thus negating any vetrano factor.

It was sometimes a paperwork challenge when I went for my annual renewal at the Auto Club as many of the clerks had never seen a press plate before and didn't know how to code it into the system (the plate {not mine} below would be written PP2675). After I did my initial application paperwork, I was never asked to prove I was still a press photographer.

View attachment 191180

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Only plate in Pennsylvania that was front and back and I had three sets of them because they wore out. Once the 2000s came there were no more courtesies where you were waived in. You were turned around and sent a mile away to a holding area.😄

We all took them off our cars. They were not considered vanity like amateur radio plates, under the motor vehicle Act it was a class 4 authorized vehicle with privileges like crossing the middle of a highway at an authorized vehicle Crossing only, parking privileges Etc.

 

[N9JIG]

Standard and Amateur both must pay an initial $25 fee and a $25 annual fee.

See the website:

Plate Selections Detail | Department of Transportation

Express yourself and support your favorite organization with personalized and specialty plates.

azdot.gov

I wonder if this is a fairly recent change, I was not charged extra for the renewal of either of my Personalized Plates 5 and 8 years ago. Since I now have Specialized plates I expect to get the fee when I renew it this coming spring.