I feel the same way. My current call, K5MYJ, is the first call I was issued in 1957. When I got back into ham radio several years ago and found out about the Vanity callsigns I applied for this one. My fist still sends put CQs with this callsign like a machine.
In the 50's and it looks like as late as 1970 the FCC did not have the ham records on a computer. When they did computerize they did not move the paper records to the computer. They moved the paper records to a warehouse and it takes up to 3 months to find an old license. Instead they just look in old callbooks! It looks to me that the old call signs were never reissued. It is easier for them to just use the next available callsign. Bob K5MYJ ----- Original Message ----- From: "D. Chester" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, November 25, 2008 7:01 AM Subject: RE: [AMRadio] Licence Classes (was I'll vote for 7190) > > Some folks forget this is a fraternity of like minded people. I'm still a > > member of a club that has more than a few people that are greatly > > impressed > > with their "superior" license class....the club is dying.... I wonder why? > (snip) > > I'd use a stronger term but this is an open list. Those who ignore > > licensees > > "lower" than themselves miss so much of the hobby. Some of the best MARS > > ops > > are...TECHs! MARS is class blind, my son is a Novice class and would have > > had the same full spectrum priviledges as I do had he stayed in and become > > a > > full member. So ignore 'em and have fun... > > > > BTW, some of the biggest LIDS are Extras > > > > George WA8SCO > > > > --- > > > > Unfortunately that sentiment is NOT felt by all. > > I have held Extra Class since 1963. > > When I first heard that the FCC had approved the proposed vanity callsign > system, I considered replacing my original callsign with a W4 1X2. At one > time I did hold a W1 1X2 in the days when the FCC allowed secondary station > licences. The 1X2 had long been prestigious because it was thought of as > representing above average technical competence and many years of experience > as a licensed amateur. But I was reluctant to give up my present callsign, > which I have held since 1959. I am the original holder of the call; any > "vanity" 1X2 would be a re-issued dead man's call. But an incident on 160 > metres was the straw that broke the camel's back and made me decide once and > for all to keep my long-time original callsign. > > I regularly operated 160m AM on 1885 +/- QRM, working other AM stations all > over North America. It wasn't a net, nor did we claim to "own" the > frequency, but that had evolved into a gathering place for AM'ers on 160 > ever since LORAN was shut down and the FCC returned (most of) the old 160m > band back to amateurs in the early 1980's. > > Then one winter a number of years ago, a new group decided to lay claim to a > frequency a couple of kHz above where we normally operated. If those > stations were on frequency first, I would always operate far enough away > that we wouldn't interfere with each other, but if the frequency was clear, > I would fire up on 1885. But that new group quickly decided that we AM'ers > were infringing on "their " frequency, and even when we had already been in > contact for hours, they would come right on, to a frequency just 2 kHz away > from our existing QSO, and then proceed to complain bitterly about the "AM > QRM" we were causing, when the band might be totally vacant 15 kHz in either > direction. > > I listened to that group a few times, and it became obvious that they were > newly licensed, with the CB lingo still abounding in their conversations. > I tried to join them one evening to explain that AM stations all over North > America had been operating near that frequency for years, and while no-one > "owns" a frequency, that they could expect to hear heterodyne QRM and upper > sideband splatter when operating that close to us, that it would be much > easier if they would start up their group just a few more kHz away, and that > I would do the same whenever they were on the air first. That only drew an > angry response that this was the frequency they had chosen for their nightly > get-together, and that they had no intention of moving, come hell or high > water. So I just decided that if they could put up with the QRM, so could > I, and simply ignored the splatter when they would fire up next to our > ongoing QSO. > > As a shining example of their technical competence, one night I decided to > tune around the band after finishing a QSO with Tom, W4UOC in Atlanta. I > overheard one of the operators in that group make the remark, "The guy in > Atlanta was running regular AM. But that guy in Tennessee (me) WAS RUNNING > AM AND SINGLE-SIDEBAND AT THE SAME TIME. I don't know how he does it, but I > am pretty sure that's illegal." > > Within days after the vanity calls became available, every member of that > group showed up on the usual frequency, sporting a brand new W4 1X2 > callsign. That proved to me once and for all, that both the Extra class > licence and the 1X2 callsign format had lost what significance they might > ever have had, so I decided to hold on to my original callsign. > > Don k4kyv > > ______________________________________________________________ > Our Main Website: http://www.amfone.net > AMRadio mailing list > Searchable Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > List Rules (must read!): http://w5ami.net/amradiofaq.html > List Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/amradio > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.html > Post: mailto:[email protected] > To unsubscribe, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with > the word unsubscribe in the message body. > ______________________________________________________________ Our Main Website: http://www.amfone.net AMRadio mailing list Searchable Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ List Rules (must read!): http://w5ami.net/amradiofaq.html List Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/amradio Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.html Post: mailto:[email protected] To unsubscribe, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word unsubscribe in the message body.
