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The FCC Just Reissued My Old Call Sign!

Created by Paul Signorelli, W0RW on 2020-12-02

 

   The FCC Just Reissued My Old Call Sign!

 

   I never thought that I would see the day when my old cherished novice call sign would be reissued.

 

  A lot of us old timers got the 1 year non-renewable novice licenses (KN#) back in the 1950-70’s.

 

   Now the FCC computer has started to sequentially reissue all those old KN# call signs as regular 5 year licenses. At the present time (2020) the FCC is reissuing the 2x3, Group D, KN4 and KN6 call signs. Your call could be next.

 

   I contacted my new KN# license holder and introduced myself and asked that my old novice call sign be given due respect and handled with care. Then the worst thing of all happened, my old Extra Class call sign was also reissued as a vanity call sign because I had to abandon it when I moved to a new call district. Both of my old calls had been reissued and I am not even dead yet!

 

   I guess that I should really view call signs as nothing more than random or sequential computer registration non-entities and not as personal identifiers or monikers, (But it had cool phonetics). Your Grid Square might be etched on your tomb stone but not your call sign.

 

   One chap said his beloved KN# call sign was reissued and then quickly abandoned by the new owner for a vanity call sign because it was undesirable with a crazy assortment of random encrypted characters. No one wanted his old novice call sign.

 

   One of my friends said the new owner of my old call sign was a lot prettier than I and therefore a much more qualified recipient.

 

  Who has your old call sign? Have you checked?

 

  The Novice Historical Society lists a lot of information about these old stations. http://novicehistory.slafetra.org/

 

 

 

 

 

 

W7JAA2021-03-16
The FCC Just Reissued My Old Call Sign!
My call sign belonged to my father in the 1940's. After he passed away in 1953 it was reissued to a fellow in Arizona. I gave up trying to learn Morse code so couldn't get licensed until the requirement was dropped. When I found out how to look for a call sign's status I started looking in on it. The holder didn't renew in 2017 so I went after it. Got my General and an issued call sign. When the required waiting period was over I applied for and received my father's old call. I try to make my use of it worthy of the man who held it originally and hope I am being successful.
N8RKD2020-12-24
The FCC Just Reissued My Old Call Sign!
My old call was N8WVD. It's still available. My new call is pending and will be issued on the 29th in all probability
VK2ICJ2020-12-23
Re: The FCC Just Reissued My Old Call Sign!
Hmm,, don't know if this is a good idea. Funny but not sure how the girlfriend would take having your ex's call. Usually this sort of thing is a bad idea lol
Reply to a comment by : WB4M on 2020-12-07

Be sure to let the ex-wife know about this, lol.
Reply to a comment by : K2WH on 2020-12-06

From time to time I check to see if my X-wife's callsign has been re-issued and it hasn't. Good, I'm getting my current girlfriend to get her license and go for the x-wife's callsign. Just a little revenge.
W8NSI2020-12-19
The FCC Just Reissued My Old Call Sign!
When I decided to go from wb8nsi to w8nsi, I left the 2x3 without a backward glance. The previous holder of my 1x3 is KI7BM in Arizona from back in the 1950s before he started moving and call changing. His current qth does not look very ham friendly for antennas.
I cant imagine anyone wanting my old 2x3 so I have never bothered to check.
WB4M2020-12-07
Re: The FCC Just Reissued My Old Call Sign!
Be sure to let the ex-wife know about this, lol.
Reply to a comment by : K2WH on 2020-12-06

From time to time I check to see if my X-wife's callsign has been re-issued and it hasn't. Good, I'm getting my current girlfriend to get her license and go for the x-wife's callsign. Just a little revenge.
WB4M2020-12-07
Re: The FCC Just Reissued My Old Call Sign!
Yes it is odd. I recently worked a station using the callsign of a SK friend of mine. I saw a ham's photo in QST with the callsign of a friend who is still alive but out of the hobby. Someday, a lucky ham will get my callsign, hi.
Reply to a comment by : N4KZ on 2020-12-07

Welcome to the club. I've had three of my former calls reissued. Two of them were 2x1 calls reissued as vanity calls. Indeed, my own current call is a vanity issue that originally belonged to a SK in Florida. Here's an odd but true story. Twenty years ago I was at the Dayton Hamvention and saw a guy with one of my old 2x1 calls on his hat. He said he got it as a vanity call since it had his initials. Weird to see someone else wearing one of my former calls. But, hey, that's life.
Reply to a comment by : W3PX on 2020-12-03

What sort of reply did you receive from the new holder of your old Novice callsign?
N4KZ2020-12-07
Re: The FCC Just Reissued My Old Call Sign!
Welcome to the club. I've had three of my former calls reissued. Two of them were 2x1 calls reissued as vanity calls. Indeed, my own current call is a vanity issue that originally belonged to a SK in Florida. Here's an odd but true story. Twenty years ago I was at the Dayton Hamvention and saw a guy with one of my old 2x1 calls on his hat. He said he got it as a vanity call since it had his initials. Weird to see someone else wearing one of my former calls. But, hey, that's life.
Reply to a comment by : W3PX on 2020-12-03

What sort of reply did you receive from the new holder of your old Novice callsign?
W0RW2020-12-06
Re: The FCC Just Reissued My Old Call Sign!
Thanks for your comments Lauren.
Great work with TWR ! (Is TWR really TRW encrypted).
My new call sign heirs are friendly and make me proud to be their patriarchal Grandpa.
Paul w0rw
Reply to a comment by : W0LD on 2020-12-06

Paul, I am so happy that your old call signs have happy homes! Otherwise, I wouldn't recognize my friend W0RW! I wrote the holder of my old Extra call and found out that he is taking good care of it, since he is a doctor.
W0LD2020-12-06
The FCC Just Reissued My Old Call Sign!
Paul, I am so happy that your old call signs have happy homes! Otherwise, I wouldn't recognize my friend W0RW! I wrote the holder of my old Extra call and found out that he is taking good care of it, since he is a doctor.
K2WH2020-12-06
The FCC Just Reissued My Old Call Sign!
From time to time I check to see if my X-wife's callsign has been re-issued and it hasn't. Good, I'm getting my current girlfriend to get her license and go for the x-wife's callsign. Just a little revenge.
W4KVW2020-12-06
The FCC Just Reissued My Old Call Sign!
Nobody has my original call sign of KE4KVW.I had a conversation with the original owner of my current call sign via email after he contacted me via email.Even though he is currently a Ham Operator he was NOT interested in having a QSO & exchanging QSL Cards which I thought would be cool for both of us? He contacted me because he wanted to know who had his old call sign.I even offered to send him an SASE after the QSO & he declined.Strange fellow in my book since he could have just looked me up on QRZ.com or other sites & known what he found out in the email.

Clayton
W4KVW
W3HF2020-12-03
The FCC Just Reissued My Old Call Sign!
Mine was a WN2 call, only 44 years ago. And FCC is not reissuing them (yet), or the WA2 version. So neither of my 2x3 calls is likely to have a new holder soon.

My first 1x2 was reissued, though, not long after (the two-year wait after) I gave it up for this call. I haven't contacted the new holder.
W3PX2020-12-03
Re: The FCC Just Reissued My Old Call Sign!
Hi Paul,

That's good to hear! Your original novice call expired over 66 years ago. I don't think many newcomers will get to meet the original holder of a call that old. Oh and BTW, the new license issues are 10 years, not 5 like they used to be. 73, Frank W3PX
Reply to a comment by : W0RW on 2020-12-03

The replies were very cordial, we exchanged a few emails and photos. i have a new friend. Paul w0rw
Reply to a comment by : W3PX on 2020-12-03

What sort of reply did you receive from the new holder of your old Novice callsign?
W0RW2020-12-03
Re: The FCC Just Reissued My Old Call Sign!
The replies were very cordial, we exchanged a few emails and photos. i have a new friend. Paul w0rw
Reply to a comment by : W3PX on 2020-12-03

What sort of reply did you receive from the new holder of your old Novice callsign?
W3PX2020-12-03
The FCC Just Reissued My Old Call Sign!
What sort of reply did you receive from the new holder of your old Novice callsign?