[CQ-Contest] 1977 vanity calls (was Watch your dits this weekend)

[VR2BrettGraham]

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.