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Author Topic: When Was IFirst Licensed?  (Read 764 times)

KL7IXW

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When Was IFirst Licensed?
« on: November 26, 2020, 11:09:47 PM »

I was first licensed in 1974 or 1975, I think. Many contests require this information and I just don’t recall. Any suggestions on how I gather this information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. - Ward Merdes KL7IXW
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KC0W

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Re: When Was IFirst Licensed?
« Reply #1 on: November 27, 2020, 12:54:32 AM »

 "Year of first licensed" exchanges don't have to be exact. Pick a year and go with it. I personally know 2 contesters who use the year 2000 (2TTT) in CW contests in order to shorten up their exchange. Whenever an amateur of high regard dies many guys use his first name in tribute to him in contests where your first name is the exchange. Same thing goes for the much beloved "5NN" exchange. Regardless of signal strength EVERYBODY always gets/gives a 5NN...........No one is going to care what your year of first being licensed is unless it's some kinda contest where newly licensed amateurs score differently than everyone else.     

                                                        Tom KH0/KC0W     
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K1KP

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Re: When Was IFirst Licensed?
« Reply #2 on: November 27, 2020, 04:59:29 AM »

There are several archives of callbooks online (http://leehite.org/callbooks/). I looked at Winter 1976 and KL7ILW does not appear. Maybe you were first licensed under another callsign?

Also, I think you can contact QCWA and they will check their collection of callbooks for your call, (if it was long enough ago to be in a callbook)!

-Tony, K1KP
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N9LCD

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Re: When Was IFirst Licensed?
« Reply #3 on: November 27, 2020, 05:36:05 AM »

I wouldn't recommend the FCC's Advanced License Search.

I looked up my call this morning. Their online records for me only go back to 2001. I think I was licensed in '92.
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W9FR

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Re: When Was IFirst Licensed?
« Reply #4 on: November 27, 2020, 06:02:03 AM »

Check out Pete the Greek, NL7XM. He has a wonderful collection of Callbooks and will email the solution quickly.  Noel, W9FR
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W3HF

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Re: When Was IFirst Licensed?
« Reply #5 on: November 27, 2020, 05:19:10 PM »

1977. Your first listing (as a Novice) was in the Summer 77 callbook supplement, page 75.

Steve
W3HF
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KM1H

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Re: When Was IFirst Licensed?
« Reply #6 on: November 28, 2020, 10:35:53 AM »

And it usually took two CB issues before it showed up.
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N2EY

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Re: When Was IFirst Licensed?
« Reply #7 on: December 30, 2020, 06:42:48 AM »

https://archive.org/details/callbook

has a very good collection of Callbooks. Not 100% complete, but what's there is very informative. Some issues include a summary page with the total number of US hams in the "front" section.

Do NOT trust the search function; it works well sometimes and not well at all other times. Don't let "no matches found" stop you.

For a long time, the Callbook was published 4 times a year, in the following order: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter.  You'd think the Winter issue would be first, but it's actually last.

73 de Jim, N2EY

First license date October 12, 1967


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N9FB

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Re: When Was IFirst Licensed?
« Reply #8 on: December 30, 2020, 09:26:28 AM »


For a long time, the Callbook was published 4 times a year, in the following order: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter.  You'd think the Winter issue would be first, but it's actually last.

73 de Jim, N2EY

First license date October 12, 1967

it makes sense to me that Winter would be last because in the calendar year we have the 1st day of Spring, Summer, Fall, and then Winter, BUT it still shows me as a General in the Winter 1978 callbook.  That makes me think it was actually printed in late Winter / March 1977 and not early Winter / December 1978

that same callbook (Winter 1978) shows KL7IXW as a Technician:


source: http://leehite.org/callbooks/

« Last Edit: December 30, 2020, 09:29:49 AM by N9FB »
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KM1H

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Re: When Was IFirst Licensed?
« Reply #9 on: December 30, 2020, 02:42:48 PM »

Quote
You'd think the Winter issue would be first, but it's actually last.

I dont understand why you chose that order as Winter begins in December.

Carl
Ham since 1955
Extra since 1968
30 wpm ARRL Certificate in 1957
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W3HF

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Re: When Was IFirst Licensed?
« Reply #10 on: December 30, 2020, 07:31:43 PM »

For a long time, the Callbook was published 4 times a year, in the following order: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter.  You'd think the Winter issue would be first, but it's actually last.

Jim -

Yes, that was true "for a long time", from 1926 to 1977. For example, Volume 50 was 1972, and numbers 1 through 4 were Spring through Winter, respectively. But that changed at the end of 1977. V55N3 was Summer 1977, but the Winter 1977-78 issue was labeled V56N1. They actually skipped V55N4! They continued that way through V63N4 in Fall of 1985. V64N1 was Winter 85-86, but they moved to a single supplement in the summer, with V64N2 as the Summer 1986 supplement.

I think this was so they could start calling the Winter books by the succeeding year's number. Although the inside title page would say "Winter 1985-86", the cover would say "1986 Callbook." That would have looked suspicious if the 1986 Callbook was actually the fourth issue in the previous year's series. Earlier issues (pre-78) used the phrase "for use through 1977", for example, for the Winter 76-77 book.

In fact, you can see that on archive.org. This section has the cover showing "1978 Callbook", but if you turn two pages in, you'll see it listed as Winter 1977-78 and V56N1.

Steve

P.S. It's interesting that this post is gaining recent traction, considering that I answered the OP's question over a month ago, that his first listing was in the Summer 1977 supplement (V55N2). How did I know it was the first listing? Because supplements at that time ONLY listed calls that were issued or changed since the last issue. So Summer 77 didn't include anything that would have been in Spring 77, or any earlier books.
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W3HF

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Re: When Was IFirst Licensed?
« Reply #11 on: December 31, 2020, 04:39:08 AM »

V55N3 was Summer 1977

Mistake, which ruined the narrative.

V55N3 was Fall (not Summer) 1977, following the 50+ year tradition. But Winter 77-78 (which should have been V55N4 per the old tradition) was given the V56N1 number, starting the numbering system that lasted until the last book was published 19 years later.
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N2EY

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Re: When Was IFirst Licensed?
« Reply #12 on: December 31, 2020, 11:54:41 AM »

For a long time, the Callbook was published 4 times a year, in the following order: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter.  You'd think the Winter issue would be first, but it's actually last.

Jim -

Yes, that was true "for a long time", from 1926 to 1977. For example, Volume 50 was 1972, and numbers 1 through 4 were Spring through Winter, respectively. But that changed at the end of 1977. V55N3 was

Fall 1977

, but the Winter 1977-78 issue was labeled V56N1. They actually skipped V55N4! They continued that way through V63N4 in Fall of 1985. V64N1 was Winter 85-86, but they moved to a single supplement in the summer, with V64N2 as the Summer 1986 supplement.

I think this was so they could start calling the Winter books by the succeeding year's number. Although the inside title page would say "Winter 1985-86", the cover would say "1986 Callbook." That would have looked suspicious if the 1986 Callbook was actually the fourth issue in the previous year's series. Earlier issues (pre-78) used the phrase "for use through 1977", for example, for the Winter 76-77 book.

In fact, you can see that on archive.org. This section has the cover showing "1978 Callbook", but if you turn two pages in, you'll see it listed as Winter 1977-78 and V56N1.

Steve

P.S. It's interesting that this post is gaining recent traction, considering that I answered the OP's question over a month ago, that his first listing was in the Summer 1977 supplement (V55N2). How did I know it was the first listing? Because supplements at that time ONLY listed calls that were issued or changed since the last issue. So Summer 77 didn't include anything that would have been in Spring 77, or any earlier books.

TNX for the info, Steve! Didn't know that.

Do you know when the last Callbook was published?

Of course it's all obsolete now, because addresses and such are found online easily. But...we've lost the historical data that old Callbooks provide.

73 es HNY de Jim, N2EY
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W3HF

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Re: When Was IFirst Licensed?
« Reply #13 on: December 31, 2020, 01:51:20 PM »


Do you know when the last Callbook was published?


The last full issue was the Winter 96-97 book, the "1997 Callbook." That was V75N1. I have not been able to determine if the 1997 Summer Supplement (which would have been V75N2) was actually published--I've never seen one. But V76 was only on CD.
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N9FB

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Re: When Was IFirst Licensed?
« Reply #14 on: December 31, 2020, 02:03:05 PM »

Quote from: W3HF
V55N3 was Fall (not Summer) 1977, following the 50+ year tradition. But Winter 77-78 (which should have been V55N4 per the old tradition) was given the V56N1 number, starting the numbering system that lasted until the last book was published 19 years later.

i admit i am confused.  it still shows me as a General in the "Winter 1978" callbook.  That makes me think it was actually printed in early 1977 because I upgraded to Advanced a month after becoming a General at the Chicago FCC Office sometime in the time frame of February - April 1977...

do you know how long the delay was before an upgrade tended to be published in callbooks back then?
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