I remember this well. One of the first rare DX stations I ever worked was VS9MF
(Present day 8Q7). When I got his card I saw the suffix of his call was the
same as his initials, and that was the coolest thing ever. When I got a chance
to pick a call sign my first choice was easy.
73 Steve K0SR (ex-WA0VPN)
-----Original Message-----
From: James Cain [mailto:jamesdavidcain@gmail.com]
Sent: Sunday, January 8, 2017 09:28 AM
To: cq-contest@contesting.com
Subject: [CQ-Contest] Call sign history
What's in a name?40 years ago this week a very large group of us were applying
to the FCC for the long-awaited "preferred Extra Class call signs." The FCC
opened the gate on January 1, 1977. Decisions, decisions. You were told to list
four desired call signs. That sent everybody to the latest Callbook to see what
was available. It depended on what Call Area you lived in. 1X2 call signs
starting with the letter K had never been issued in most Call Areas. Some had
been issued in Call Areas 2, 4, and 6. Lots of call signs starting with the
letter W were available but all would be "re-issues." I don't think a 1X2 call
sign starting with the letter N had ever been issued. Some of us had waited
many years to dump our 2X3 call signs. We had been Extras for nearly 10 years.
The prospect of fewer characters was exciting. But choosing a new call sign was
agonizing! A lot of us chose a new call sign that had some connection with our
checkered past. For many, the choice was mode-oriented
. If you liked phone, phonetics were a big consideration. For CW operators,
bauds mattered. And, if you prefer CW, do you really want a call sign ending in
K?A lot of us operated the first of two weekends of the 1977 ARRL DX CW
Competition with our 2X3 call signs. What happens if our shiny new call sign
arrives in the mail before the second weekend? (In those good old days,
children, each mode of the contest was two weekends, a month apart.) Somebody I
know really, really well, enquired about this, and the unofficial word from the
FCC was if your new call sign/license arrives before the second weekend, just
pretend it didn't. Jim Cain, K1TN (ex-WA1STN,
WA9AUM)_______________________________________________CQ-Contest mailing
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