Vanity Call Sign Limit?

[ckmcdonald]

Thanks for all the responces, very interesting and informative. I just wanted to know if having a total of 3 was abusive if requested at licenses upgrades. Looks like not. On the other hand, I can't imagine there are that many slimes running around taking call signs just to be vindictive. Really?

The 2x1 I have my eye on becomes available in a coupe months and is flagged as being required to be in the correct region. Why are a few call signs region-tied and most others not?

I'm guessing the 2x1 I'm looking at, in region 7, will be almost impossible to get so many will be after it. Does the FCC ever divolge how many applied for any particular call sign?

 

[N0IU]

Why are a few call signs region-tied and most others not?

In order to get a*call sign for Alaska, Hawaii and the Caribbean, you have to have an address in those places.

 

[Hans13]

Seeing that it's available, I apply for it, along with two dozen other guys. I win the FCC's vanity callsign lottery and I'm now N5TE. After I see in the FCC's ULS database that the new callsign has been issued, I decide to play a mean trick on my friends so I apply for a different callsign and get it. Because I vacated N5TE, it is not available to anybody for two years. This is one way that the system is being abused.

It seems like if a solution is sought for that particular problem, shortening the hold time, especially for vanities that have only been issued to someone for a little bit of time, would alleviate much of the issue at hand. No?

 

[AK9R]

Does the FCC ever divolge how many applied for any particular call sign?

It's all a matter of public record and there are web sites that accumulate that data.

For example, go to the AE7Q.com web site, look up my callsign, and scroll down to the "Retrieving applications for" section. You will see that myself (W9RXR), KC9POQ, KD6IOA, and N1ER all applied for W9BU on 02/19/2013. The Application Status column is a little misleading because "Granted" means that some callsign that the applicant requested was granted, but not necessarily W9BU.

If you click on the ULS File Number for W9RXR's application, you will see that W9BU was the only callsign I applied for, with that application, and that it was granted.

Click on KC9POQ's or N1ER's ULS File Number and you will see that they only applied for W9BU, but it was dismissed...probably because I won the random drawing and they didn't.

Click on KD6IOA's ULS File Number and you will see that he applied for three callsigns with W9BU as his first choice. I won the random drawing for W9BU, so the FCC moved on to his second choice which was granted.

The FCC ULS database tracks every application and good web sites, like AE7Q.com, mine that data and present it in a form that us humans can understand.

 

[AE7BF]

Sorry I am coming into this a bit late but wanted to add my 2 cents.

IMO yes there is rampant abuse in the current system. Two primary areas of abuse:

Current holders of 1x2 or 2x1 callsigns continuing to apply for (and receive) different 1x2 or 2x1 callsigns as they become available. Why is this abuse you may ask, it's abuse because the existing 1x2 or 2x1 callsign they are vacating won't be available two years.

Second abuse, IMO, is clubs holding 1x2 or 2x1 callsigns. What is the point of this, there is no reason for clubs to need these.

I would be in favor of the following:
1) You would be allowed to change to a vanity call upon getting your initial Tech license 1x3, or 2x3.
2) From then you get 1 change every five years, with the only exception being if you upgrade to Extra then you get to change and the five years starts over again.

I recently upgraded to Extra and was one of 19 that applied for W0BF when it came available to apply for on 12/30. Two of those apps were by people that already have 1x2, 2x1 calls, others seem to have the attitude of just apply for everything and see what sticks. I have no problem with the drawing system the FCC now uses but think there should be some controls to improve the process.

Brandon
N6WBF

 

[Hans13]

That sounds like a pretty level-headed compromise to me.

 

[Golay]

Very interesting

... I recently upgraded to Extra and was one of 19 that applied for W0BF when it came available to apply for on 12/30. Two of those apps were by people that already have 1x2, 2x1 calls, others seem to have the attitude of just apply for everything and see what sticks. I have no problem with the drawing system the FCC now uses but think there should be some controls to improve the process.

Brandon
N6WBF

This is interesting. I took a look at the call in the FCC database. The license expired 7/19/2015. It was cancelled before the two year waiting period was up by the FCC on 12/29/2014. Reason given is because the license holder is deceased. "License cancelled in accordance with FCC rule 97.19(c)(3)".

I wonder what happened here.
Did a family member decide to let the FCC know he passed?
Did a fellow ham aspiring to get the call let the FCC know the ham passed? (not really far fetched).

And even more important:
I have my eye on a 1x2 that's about a year away from the two year waiting period being up.
I've been just keeping it in the back of my mind, plan to apply close to the end of the two years.
How would I know if the license was cancelled, and was available early, due to the ham becoming a silent key?

 

[AK9R]

Second abuse, IMO, is clubs holding 1x2 or 2x1 callsigns. What is the point of this, there is no reason for clubs to need these.

Club participate in contests and enjoy having short callsigns for the same reasons that individual contesters do.

I wonder what happened here.
Did a family member decide to let the FCC know he passed?
Did a fellow ham aspiring to get the call let the FCC know the ham passed? (not really far fetched).

There's a procedure for notifying the FCC that a licensee is deceased:

The license of the former holder now deceased must show a status of expired or cancelled in the licensee database. See Section 97.31(a). This is accomplished by submitting a request that includes a death certificate or obituary that shows the person named in the operator/primary station license grant has died. Such a request may be submitted as a pleading associated with the deceased licensee's license and sent to:
FCC
1270 Fairfield Road
Gettysburg, PA 17325-7245

I have my eye on a 1x2 that's about a year away from the two year waiting period being up. I've been just keeping it in the back of my mind, plan to apply close to the end of the two years. How would I know if the license was cancelled, and was available early, due to the ham becoming a silent key?

Just keep watching it in the FCC ULS. Even after being notified of the death of a licensee, the FCC keeps the license open for 30 days after being notified of the death.

 

[N0IU]

Did a fellow ham aspiring to get the call let the FCC know the ham passed? (not really far fetched).

Even if the FCC is properly notified of the death of a license holder, it still does not become available for 2 years. The only ones who are eligible to apply for the SK's call sign before the 2 years are up are family members who hold a license of the class or higher than the SK's license class.

I've been just keeping it in the back of my mind, plan to apply close to the end of the two years.

It won't do you any good to apply for the call you want before it becomes available. If the call is not available when you submit your application, it will be rejected. The FCC will not sit on your application for a call sign that is not available and submit the application when it does become available. It is your job to submit it at the proper time, not theirs.

How would I know if the license was cancelled, and was available early, due to the ham becoming a silent key?

As I said above, the call sign of an SK is only available prior to the 2 year waiting period to a family member. If you are not a family member, you will have to wait for 2 years and hope that a family member does not apply for it during that 2 year period... period.

 

[AE7BF]

Club participate in contests and enjoy having short callsigns for the same reasons that individual contesters do.

And I get that, here's my problem with it some clubs are tying up a lot of callsigns. There should be some compromise in this area regarding a number that is reasonable.

This is interesting. I took a look at the call in the FCC database. The license expired 7/19/2015. It was cancelled before the two year waiting period was up by the FCC on 12/29/2014. Reason given is because the license holder is deceased. "License cancelled in accordance with FCC rule 97.19(c)(3)".

I wonder what happened here.
Did a family member decide to let the FCC know he passed?
Did a fellow ham aspiring to get the call let the FCC know the ham passed? (not really far fetched).

And even more important:
I have my eye on a 1x2 that's about a year away from the two year waiting period being up.
I've been just keeping it in the back of my mind, plan to apply close to the end of the two years.
How would I know if the license was cancelled, and was available early, due to the ham becoming a silent key?

So in this particular case the individual passed away in 2013 I believe. He obviously didn't renew his callsign in 2015 which put it in the two year grace period that normally would have meant it would be available in 2017. However someone notified the FCC that the person passed away in 2013, the FCC verifies the data submitted and essentially cancels the callsign effective retroactively 23 months and the callsign becomes available on the first day after the 24th month of expiration.

AE7Q's Amateur Radio Database Query Tools is a great resource. If you're interested in a call that is coming available look it up and their system will confirm the available date. This is the date you submit your application and be aware that if it's a 1x2 or 2x1 there will likely be between 5-50 people apply for it.

Now if you're watching one that expired in 2015 and just waiting out the two years keep watching it on ae7q.com because in many cases the reason it didn't renew is that the person passed away prior to 2015. If this is the case someone can petition the FCC to cancel the callsign and it will be available in 30 days. This was the case for me with W0BF, I was planning to take my extra test in Dec. and once I passed i was going petition the FCC to cancel the callsign. Someone beat me to it and it canceled on 12/29 making it available on 12/30. The same day as my upgraded license appeared in the FCC DB after passing my test on 12/17...

Now I wait until 1/18 to see if I am the lucky person or one of the other 18 are...