ex-WA1STN replied to ex-KW6C's suggestion that 1x2s issued prior
to the substantial overhaul of USA call sign system in 1978 were
"vanity" calls:
>Those 1977 call signs were NOT *vanity* call signs. They were issued
>on request to those who had passed the Extra Class exam when the
>exam still meant something. As far as I am concerned, the vast
>majority of us got them to have a shorter, more efficient call sign
>for operating, particularly contesting. It had nothing to do with vanity.
>
>Look up the definition of *vanity*.
The criteria to ask for something other-than-what-you'd-otherwise-get
calls was slowly relaxed from OT Extras to not-so-OT Extras &
eventually to everybody.
I would guess that when it was opened up to everybody, the term used
to describe it may have come from what some states called the same
process for other-than-what-you'd-otherwise-get registration marks for
motor vehicles.
I sense some similarity here to how Jim apparently sees the word
"vanity" as others here seem to have with "assistance" - focus on the
label rather than what the label describes. ;^)
73, ex-WB7PSP.
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