[Hallicrafters] Bill Halligan And The FCC

[Lee Bahr]

I can tell you how I got my two letter call.  I was licensed in 1953 as
WN9DRC then W9DRC.  Sometime later I got my EXTRA Class license.  The rules
back then were, once you had 25 years under your belt as a ham and if you
had an Extra class license, you could apply for a two letter call (K or W
1x2).  You could also give them a list of calls of which they could select a
call for you.  The call given was not a vanity call as issued today.  This
was done only for Extra Class hams and was issued as an "earned" call.  So
in about 1979 I sent in a list of calls I would accept and put down my
present call as one of them.  (I lived in the tenth call area at that time).
I got,  as requested, w0vt for "vacuum tube".  (You could only get a call
with a number in it for your residence call area).  This is how I remember
it.

About 10 years ago, I forget exactly when, the FCC changed the rules and
allowed hams to acquire VANITY calls.  You could then pay a fee, select a
call or give a list of calls you would accept within your license class.
The FCC no longer required  any waiting period like 25 years to get a vanity
call and any class ham could apply for one within their call sign block.  Of
course this is still true today.  There are some minor refinements to what I
have just said regarding getting a call from a deceased relative.

Lee, w0vt


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Duane B. Fischer, W8DBF" <dfischer at usol.com>
To: "Vern Weiss" <telegrapher at hotmail.com>; <hallicrafters at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Sunday, March 13, 2005 7:44 PM
Subject: Re: [Hallicrafters] Bill Halligan And The FCC


> Hi Vern,
>
> I am not sure when the 'Extra' class of license was first issued. Does
anyone
> know?
>
> Some say that you had to have been licensed for at least twenty-five years
and
> hold an Extra class license. What is not being said, is whether you had to
hold
> an Extra class license for the twenty-five years or not.
>
> Based on all comments so far, this was a voluntary call sign change and
'not' an
> automatic one done by the FCC whether one asked for it or not.
>
> Now the first time the special call sign was made available, the stock of
> available calls was quickly exhausted and the FCC stopped the policy. It
did not
> resume until what, 1994?
>
> I believe that the incentive program of reward for achievement is still
the best
> way, regardless of the area one is striving to advance in. I do not
believe the
> current "everybody should have one just because" philosophy is fair, wise
or
> true. if you can not earn it, you don't deserve it. Provided, of course,
that an
> equal opportunity under the law was provided.
>
> DBF
>
> ----------
> From: Vern Weiss <telegrapher at hotmail.com>
> To: Duane B. Fischer, W8DBF <dfischer at usol.com>;
hallicrafters at mailman.qth.net
> Subject: Re: [Hallicrafters] Bill Halligan And The FCC
> Date: Sunday, March 13, 2005 7:29 AM
>
> In 1968, as a result of the FCC's "Incentive Licensing" initiatives, the
FCC
> made an offer to Extra Class licensees that if they held an Extra for
> so-many years (I can't remember now if it was 5 or 10 or 20), they could
> apply for highly desireable "1x2" callsigns. The catch was that the FCC
> decided what it would be and you had no cjoice in the matter. At that
time,
> unlike today, the FCC felt  that it should reward those who put forth
extra
> effort to learn and improve their skills as a radio operator. It was at
that
> time that I noticed in the Hallicrafters advertisements that Bill Halligan
> was no longer using his W9WZE call but had obtained one of the "1x2"
calls.
>
> Vern Weiss W9STB
> All vintage CW in the Northwoods
> Minocqua, WI
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Duane B. Fischer, W8DBF" <dfischer at usol.com>
> To: <hallicrafters at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Saturday, March 12, 2005 7:32 PM
> Subject: [Hallicrafters] Bill Halligan And The FCC
>
>
> >
> >
> > Here is one sent to me that one of our talented Historians can provide
the
> > answer to:
> >
> > "Do you know, whether Bill Halligan moved from W9WZE to W9AC as a result
> of the
> > ruling made by the FCC that those holding tickets for XX years were
moved
> to one
> > by two callsigns?"
> >
> > Thanks!
> >
> > Duane W8DBF
> >
> >
> >
> > ______________________________________________________________
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> > ----
> > List Administrator: Duane Fischer, W8DBF **for assistance**
> > dfischer at usol.com
> > ----
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> >
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> ----
> List Administrator: Duane Fischer, W8DBF **for assistance**
> dfischer at usol.com
> ----
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