[PPRAANet] Same call sign as someone in Japan?

[Dan Scott]

Phillip,

Short of a computer glitch where they mailed the same call to 2 people 
it might be possible.  But if that were the case then you could look it 
up in the FCC database and see which person the FCC really thinks holds 
that license, the other person would have been bumped out of a call or 
more then likely got shipped the wrong call.  But, I've never heard of 
this happening.

Because each country has a unique call sign prefix, your call sign is 
known to be a US call sign.  If someone in Japan said they had the same 
call, then that call had to be issued form the US FCC and again it would 
be on record in the FCC database.

There is a "kind-of" exception.  Someone with an extra-class "N" call 
may find an airplane with a tail number the same as their call.  An 
airplane's callsign is the same as the tail number also called an "N" 
number.  Therefore, it is possible the two people use the same "N" 
callsign on these 2 different radio services (Amateur Radio and 
Aviation).  Although, this was something that occurred 20 years ago, I 
do not know if aviation "N" number are still being issued in the amateur 
callsign range..... and if not, have the old "N" numbers that were in 
the amateur radio callsign range been re-assigned.  I would suspect that 
no one would see this as an issue anyway.  Again, I think this only 
occurred in either the 1X2 calls or the 2X1 calls, but it's been a long 
time since I read this in QST.

Dan
kb0ppm


Phillip H. Blanton wrote:

> My sister is a reporter for the Lovington Daily Leader newspaper in 
> Lovington New Mexico. She recently asked me the following ham radio 
> question (following my signature) and I just don't know the answer.  I 
> told her that I thought it was impossible for two hams to have the 
> exact same call sign, no matter where they were from. I also said I'd 
> forward the question to you experts and see what you guys said.
>
> One thing I don't understand about her question is, what does "Level 
> 5" mean? I have never heard that.  Do you guys suppose her chain is 
> being yanked by some prankster? I suspect so.
>