[Elecraft] OT: US call areas

[N2EY at aol.com]

In a message dated 11/26/07 2:29:09 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
n6wg at comcast.net writes:


> I suspect that when the original call sign issuing system
> was created, the US population was a lot less mobile
> than today.  From what I've read about the 20's and 30's,
> it was common for people to have lived their entire
> lives within one state.  

In those days it was common for people to live their entire lives within one 
*town*.

But that had nothing to do with the call sign system.

That probably helped condition the
> 
> idea of call sign goes with location.
> 

Nope. 

The original licensing concept in the USA was that there were "station" 
licenses and "operator" licenses - and the callsign denotes a station, not an 
operator. A licensed station had to be operated by a licensed operator.

This idea was most useful in radio services like maritime radio. A ship or 
shore station would be assigned a callsign, which would not change even though 
many different licensed radio operators would operate the station. And the 
callsign could indicate things about the station.

The idea was adapted to amateur radio, but over the years it has gradually 
been de-emphasized. Once upon a time, it was possible to have an amateur 
operator license but no station license, or to have several station licenses. It was 
even possible to have more than one operator license.

Amateur callsigns were assigned to stations, not operators, and were 
originally only assigned to fixed stations. (Mobile and portable operation were not 
originally allowed to US hams). Callsigns were originally issued by the district 
offices, not the central Hq. of FCC and its predecessors. 

Before WW2, there were only 9 districts, all CONUS hams had calls beginning 
with W, and all hams in the possessions and territories had calls beginning 
with K. Some states were split into two call areas (NY, PA, NJ to name just 
three)

After WW2 the district borders were shuffled, 0 calls were added and split 
states were eliminated. Possessions got distinctive prefixes and CONUS stations 
could begin with K.

We went through periods when all calls were sequentially issued, when Novices 
and repeaters had distinctive calls, when mobile operation required a special 
license, and much more.

What we have today is a remnant of those old systems. Each rule had its good 
and bad features. 

----

One of the biggest problems with the old gotta-change-when-you-move system 
was that hams who moved a lot went through a lot of callsigns - and QSL cards. 
Hams could run across old friends on the air and not realize it because they'd 
changed calls when they moved. 

Also, as the number of hams grew, getting a corresponding callsign in the new 
district could be impossible. 

Now we have a choice. A good thing IMHO.

73 de Jim, N2EY


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