What someone had common sense? No way! HI!
I got licensed in 1978, so I missed that window and had to wait till the
vanity program. I can't recall anymore if W0MU was my 1st choice but I
don't think so. I want to say it was my 4th?
My first taste of contesting was the novice round up which lasted 7 days
or more. I have the certificate around someplace that I got. I recall
battling it out with another young ham at the time we were both around
13. Good times.
W0MU
On 1/8/2017 7:28 AM, James Cain wrote:
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)
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