What's in a Call?

So how many hams out there have a vanity call sign because they liked the way it looked, the way it sounded either phonetically or in CW, or thought it was "neat" for one reason or another? I got mine because I was looking for a call sign that would be easy to remember to the people that I talked to.

Whiskey KID, pretty easy to remember that one. But, what about the call before I got it? Who had the call, why don't they still have it? Now that we've got the call, what does it mean to us? Just how much does your call mean to others that you've met on the air, and how much "history" do you have in the Ham community that's associated with your call sign?

I recently upgraded to Extra and thought even though the W7KID call was a catchy one, wouldn't it be neat to get a 1x2 or 2x1, or maybe even a 2x2, or a call that starts with A. The latter being the only way I'd get a "KEN" in a call (AK7EN). Although I'm keeping my eye on all you OM's out there, hihi.

So, I started searching through all the available calls. First thing I noticed was that a 1x2 or 2x1 was just about out of the question for a 7 call. Not just one that was catchy, but one period. There just isn't very many, I believe less than a dozen.

One did catch my eye however. W7PT. Now that's nice and short. Not to mention the Papa Tango has a nice sound to it. It was also kind of neat because one of my nick names used to be Pete Townsend. Although none of the fame or fortune ever came with that nick name. So I thought I'd start doing some digging on the previous owner of that call sign. That endeavor is what ultimately prompted me to write this.

W7PT. The previous owner was Phillip H. Barnhart of Cody, WY. Easy enough to find on the "old call sign lookup". So then I did a search through the on line white pages. No Phillip Barnhart, or Phil, or P listed. There were 5 others, but who's to know if they're a relative or not. So I started searching for the name on line. I searched for W7PT. Didn't come up with much, only 2. One was an old listing that said that it was a repeater. I don't show it as a current one, so I figured it might have been an old one he ran. The next one I came up with was a log book that someone had posted on line that had a qso with him. It must have been a while ago, he was number 208 in a fairly long log. By his name "Phil" it said CW Only. I thought, wow, I better get to practicing to hold up to that call. So with not much found there, I started doing a search for the name. I came up with all kinds of hits, but nothing really I was looking for. So, I added Cody, WY to the search. Then I came up with the information that I had feared would be the result of my search. The unfortunate affirmation that Mr. Phillip H. Barnhart was indeed a Silent Key.

I read his obituary with great sadness and blurred vision. He had passed away just a couple years earlier. Exactly 2 years prior to when his call would be available, this March 22, 2004. After reading about him, brief though it was, I felt it would indeed be hard to fill the "shoes" of the call. One of the ham accomplishments noted was that he was "instrumental in starting the first amateur radio club in the area and remained active in it and on the "air waves" until the end." Then it said, "Over and out. W7PT"

So how much do you know about the call that you carry? My W7KID call used to belong to a gentleman not 30 minutes from here. Someone I never met. Although at least in part his legacy still lives on through me. I occasionally get a contact that says, "I think I've worked you before, it's been quite a few years". Although that would have been Mr. Victor Warren of Vancouver, WA, the previous call holder. As of yet, I don't know if Mr. Warren is still with us, but I aim to find out.

So now that the call is yours, what does it mean to you? How many other hams out there does your call mean something to? How many logs has your call been put into, and possibly posted? After doing all the research on the previous call holders I thought I'd see how many peoples lives I've touched so far with my call. Well, lots of little things came up, like every time I'd changed an address, or when I changed my call to the W7KID. And also, for those of you that know me, always buying and selling, changing rigs more than some people probably change their shorts. For me it's fun, trying new things, getting to meet lots of wonderful people while doing it. Thus, lots of old ads popped up. But also, I found myself on a couple logs. One from the Museum Ships special even from 2002, and also in a log from the Reno County Kansas Amateur Radio Association. Then I cam across the 2003 IARU HF world Championship Results. WOW, my call was listed under Oregon! I was 3rd on the list, out of 3, but HEY! I'm not even much of a contester, but there I was listed in the IARU results, how neat is that. A link for the OMISS home page also came up while searching my call. OK, guess they got my application, I'm now a member, and I'm right there on the home page saying so, neat.

Then I did a search for my XYL's call, KD7NVZ. I figured there wouldn't be anything there, she's not real active, but there were a few. Including a hit from our club we belonged to down in Eugene, OR. Apparently there were people asking why Sallie wasn't going to be treasurer anymore because they liked the job she was doing. What a neat thing to read. I'll of course be passing that along to her.

Going back to the above search for information on W7PT, I had emailed a couple people from the Cedar Mountain Amateur Radio Club. I had inquired as to whether that was the club that Mr. Barnhart had helped start. It was, and here was a reply I received just minutes ago:

Ken and Sallie,

Yes, Phil and a few other hams started the Cedar Mountain Amateur Radio Club. He told stories of living around here for many years and being active in the armed forces doing CW for them. He was stationed in AK many, many years ago, and other places too. We all loved Phil, W7PT, and he is very much missed. His wife Winnie is still here.

Carol, K7KD

So, when you're looking to change your call to a "vanity" call, think about taking the time to see just who it was that had it before. Our Silent Keys are our history, and have helped make Ham Radio what it is today.

So, the outcome of all this? I'm keeping my call. Even though it's only been mine for a short time, it already has some of my history associated with it, and the legacy of a ham that came before me.

I would like to express a Very Big thanks to W7PT, Phillip H. Barnhart. Someone I never met, but someone that through his call sign has touched me more than he'll ever know.

--... ...-- --..-- .-- --... -.- .. -..

For Phil, CW Only

Member Comments: