Ham Radio Hut

Amateur Radios, Parts & Accessories,

Ham Radio Hut
Menu
  • Home
  • Amplifiers
  • Receivers
  • Transceivers
  • Transmitters
  • Antennas
  • Police Scanners
  • Shortwave Radios
  • CB Radios
  • Emergency Radios
  • Marine Radios
  • Parts & Accessories
  • Other Radios
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
Menu

Amateur Radio Vanity Call Signs

Posted on May 2, 2016

DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase anything through one of these links we will earn a commission.

Applying for a Vanity Call Sign using the FCC ULS database.

A Vanity call sign is a special Amateur Radio call sign specifically
chosen by a person or club who is currently an Amateur Radio licensee
(similar in purpose to Vanity license plates on cars). Vanity call
signs usually include alphabetical characters of personal significance
(e.g., licensees initials, parts of names, hobbies, etc), or sometimes
are simply chosen because they are shorter calls, or sometimes they
have double or triple duplicate characters (e.g., N9EEE).

 

This video presents the history of my ham radio (amateur radio) callsign, W2AEW. I’ve discovered that at least two amateurs have held W2AEW prior to me, and that at least 2 more have held the predecessor callsign, 2AEW. I’ve located QSL cards for the previous holders of W2AEW, but not for the older 2AEW licensees. I’m hoping someday to complete a collection of QSL cards from each of the previous license holders.

17 thoughts on “Amateur Radio Vanity Call Signs”

  1. Mark P says:
    May 2, 2016 at 9:35 pm

    Enjoyed the video, Alan, as I have with all of your videos.  I am a very technical person, but have started to appreciate history more and more as I age (more and more!).  It is really great to see you check into the history of your call.

    Mark,
    KE6BB?

  2. Radio wild says:
    May 2, 2016 at 9:09 pm

    That's cool that did the "ancestory" on your call sign. I'll have to keep that in mind when I'm on ebay! RW KC2RDU?

  3. Nicholas Bantell says:
    May 2, 2016 at 8:24 pm

    It is very nice that you are trying to preserve the genaology of that call sign. Please keep us updated. Quite interesting indeed.?

  4. ExecSecurity says:
    May 2, 2016 at 7:53 pm

    It is interesting that I find this fascinating… but I don't think I could explain such interest to anyone who is not a ham!?

  5. K7AGE says:
    May 2, 2016 at 7:40 pm

    Alan, nice to see more than your hands! I also have a QSL card from the previous holder of K7AGE. Good hunting.?

  6. Andrew Wade says:
    May 2, 2016 at 6:51 pm

    hi Alan i love your videos, my all time favorite is the one explaining the 4046 pll, i watched many other videos on the pll & 4046, but none of them compare to your unique style of presenting and explination, anyway what i am leading up to is i think that many of your videos are often suggestions by your viewers, so i would like to put forward what i think would be a very popular and interesting video, it is the TDA7000 fm radio ic, a working circuit explaining why the values of the many capacitors were selected ect ect, yes the TDA7000 is now no longer produced but they are still available on ebay at a reasonable price, radio projects are close to your
    heart so please give this one a try, it will be popular, many thanks sheff andy ?

  7. g0fvt says:
    May 2, 2016 at 6:18 pm

    Fascinating history, as another commenter pointed out we don't get quite the same situation in the UK. ?

  8. JRoque250 says:
    May 2, 2016 at 5:29 pm

    Here's another 2AEW with a very interesting story: http://www.davidsarnoff.org/ewh-chapter03.html. 73?

  9. Dennis Hill says:
    May 2, 2016 at 5:23 pm

    I sent you a PM Alan.?

  10. TheRogerx3 says:
    May 2, 2016 at 4:46 pm

    What's in a name… history.?

  11. Robert Reed says:
    May 2, 2016 at 4:10 pm

    Don't doubt that your call may have been re issued since the 60's I thought mine (W4RAR which was issued  to me in 1998) was thinking some OM had it from the 30's probably died off and was reissued to me when I applied for my initials like yourself. I looked in some old call books and come to find out 3 others had been issued the call since the 30's the last of which was a fellow from FL in the mid 70's and all this time I was thinking the FCC didn't reissue old calls. Some fellow on eham will research your call he has a large collection of old call books.?

  12. berkmanyt says:
    May 2, 2016 at 3:59 pm

    I watched both  NJARC scopes and abbreviated version… Thanks Alan  walt K2CXP
    Nice video per  call history.?

  13. Digger D says:
    May 2, 2016 at 3:32 pm

    When my old call lapsed (back when you had to renew it here in Canada, now permanent, no renewal fees) I had to select a new one as someone took it so I selected one with my initials as well.  No history though as it was in the new prefix group.  VA3DHW?

  14. Jon Teske says:
    May 2, 2016 at 2:44 pm

    I'm W3JT….not a vanity call. I got it in 1977 because per the criteria at the time, I had been licensed for 20 years or more (just), and held an Amateur Extra before some magic date. The JT are my initials. Most of these W # two letter calls went pretty quickly. What I did learn years later was that this call was held until not all that long before I got it. The fellow's wife was also a ham and when she died, he applied for HER call and surrendered the JT suffix. When I was a kid there was only one two letter suffix in my home town (he was also one of my "Elmers") and he got his license and call, 9GI before WW I. He had been a radio operator on the cross lake RR car ferries between Michigan and my Wisconsin hometown. The family did not have one of his original W3JT cards. I did once write to get an example of every QSL card I had held, beginning with my 1956 Novice card (KN9CAH) then when the "N" was dropped when I got a General, my call when I moved to Maryland after graduation from the U of Wisconsin (W3DRV) calls had to be changed once you moved in the 1960s, and finally my present call. I have also held KG4TJ from an operation when I went to Guantanamo Bay Cuba in 1995 and created some real pile ups as the first person to operate from there on 160 meters CW. Someone had beat me to the "JT" suffix even though it was inactive. When I was first licensed one by two calls (then all with W prefixes) were extremely rare, all held by extreme old timers. I do chuckle though as I have been licensed longer than would have been possible back then because 60 years, the length of time I have been licensed, moving back from 1956, or 1896, would antedate Marconi's invention of a practical radio by a few years. BTW I have been continuously licensed since age 13.?

  15. Jon Teske says:
    May 2, 2016 at 2:42 pm

    Just want to say that I enjoy and find your posting interesting and very often, useful in a very immediate and practical sense.

    Jon -W3JT?

  16. Migueldeservantes says:
    May 2, 2016 at 1:45 pm

    That is in did a really nice Shirt. I have a question about the proper use and restriction related 3.3 Ghz band, "Very specifically for video only.. what will be the procedure "You know the before during and after the use of the frequency" if there is not audio.. do I need to show up on the broadcast with my call sing in a pc of cardboard?? I'm as green as one can be and don't want to finish braking the fcc laws..your advice will mean a lot to me Thanks in advance.?

  17. saturn5tony says:
    May 2, 2016 at 12:50 pm

    That was a fascinating comparison about something I thought was a one only sign! Thanks for sharing. 73 -Tony?

Comments are closed.

Search Our Site

#ad

Recent Articles

  • Getting Started In Amateur Radio
  • 10 Cool Vintage Amateur Radios
  • A Ham’s Attempt At CB Radio
  • Ham Radio Antenna Basics
  • Ham Radio Power Supplies
  • Custom Emergency Ham Radio Go Box
  • Portable Power for Ham Radios
  • 10 Ham Radio YouTube Channels To Follow In 2023

Popular Topics

Amateur antenna bands best between buying Call Calling Class Comparison Digital emergency Exam frequencies Frequency good Handheld Information internet. know License listen Meter Mobile need neighbors obtain operate operator Power radio Radios Resources shortwave should started Station stop study Supply Technician tips Transceiver want your
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
  • Terms of Use
  • Copyright Notice
  • Site Map
  • Privacy Policy
  • CCPA California Privacy
  • CPRA California Privacy Rights Act
  • GDPR Privacy Policy
  • Cookies Policy
  • GDPR Cookie Policy
  • Anti-Spam Policy
  • DMCA Notice
  • Disclaimer
  • FTC Statement
  • Affiliate Disclosure
  • Earnings Disclaimer
  • Testimonial Disclosure
  • Comments Policy
  • Linking Policy
Copyright © 2007-2025 Dotted Line Publishing LLC | All Rights Reserved