After what seemed like an interminable wait, the FCC finally processed and issued my license grant for the K6KNX call sign!
As I mentioned in a previous post, I chose this callsign for a couple reasons. Primarily, it’s easy to say both phonetically and non-phonetically with letters that are pretty distinctive and difficult to misunderstand. (Note: after a few months of using it, the “X” does occasionally get mistaken for an “S”, but I attribute that more to my poor enunciation than anything else.)
I also appreciate that there was only one prior holder, and that the call was first used in the 1950’s. It’s not the oldest call around, but it goes back for a while and was renewed by the previous holder for several decades. I’m always interested in learning about, and preserving history, so I wrote to the family of the prior holder, to see if they’re willing to provide any insight into the previous holder’s amateur radio activities and history, so that I can include it in my station records. Who knows? Maybe when I kick the bucket, the next holder of the callsign will make a similar inquiry of my kids, and there will be a nice package of historical information for them dating back to the initial issuance.
As I started my trip down the rabbit hole that is amateur radio, I was confounded by the callsigns. They seemed so random and nonsensical! In case they seem that way to you, too, here’s a quick breakdown:
The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) designates a prefix (or several) for each country. In the United States, we have several: “W”, “K”, “N”, and “AA” through “AL.” The prefix can be one or two letters (ex: “K” or “KN,” “W” or “WA” etc.)
After the prefix is the numerical call district. In the U.S., we have ten call districts, numbered 0 through 9, which correspond to a geographic part of the country. For example, California is call district 6. Here’s the official map, produced by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL):
While call district numbers indicate where the license holder lived when the callsign was issued, we are not required to change call signs when moving. And after getting your first call sign, you can request a change to a “vanity” call, which can be from any call district.
The part after the call district number is the suffix. This is often random, though some hams choose a suffix with personal meaning, like their initials.
There’s a lot of history to radio call signs, which I’ll delve into another time. It’s interesting … if you’re into stuff like that. For now, let’s just get a handle on the basics for practical ham radio use.
Each class of ham radio license is entitled to a different format, and the higher the license class, the shorter the callsign format. I am going to mention two other license classes that we didn’t talk about earlier – Novice and Advanced. Neither of these licenses are issued anymore, but anyone who held one was allowed to keep it. You’ll see them below just for context.
Here’s a quick guide to the shortest callsign formats available to each license class:
Though, since the FCC issues callsigns sequentially and does not go backward, all new Technician and General-class licensees are being issued 2×3 call signs, despite there being plenty of 1×3’s available.
Of course, you’re always welcome to request a vanity callsign from any “lower” (or longer format) group, and many hams simply maintain their original callsign.
Vanity call signs
After the FCC issues your initial call sign, you’re welcome to apply for a “vanity” call sign of your choosing. This can be any available call sign from any group that you’re entitled to. So, as a General, I can choose any available 1×3 or 2×3.
How do you find available call signs, you ask? Well, the most accurate way is to search the FCC’s Universal Licensing System (ULS) for possible calls you’re interested it. That’ll tell you pretty definitively if it’s available. There are also a lot of other resources like the AE7Q website or RadioQTH.net. I really like the “available call” feature on RadioQTH (click here), which lets you select a format, prefix, call district, and even partial suffix, and it’ll show you a list of calls that are available now, or in the (semi) near future that match your criteria.
There is a ton more to selecting an amateur radio callsign, but I think that’s enough for now. Delving into ham radio is a lot like trying to drink from a fire hose. Check back later for more on picking a radio and to see how my first forays into the airwaves go.
The FCC maintains a database of licenses in the ULS, or Universal License System. Apparently they no longer mail out paper copies of amateur radio licenses, so the fastest way to check a license (including seeing if yours has posted yet!) is to simply check the ULS database. So, of course I’ve been checking the ULS daily (sometimes twice a day) to see if my license posted and what my first callsign will be.
Amateur radio callsigns are issued sequentially, according to license class. They do not go back and “fill in the gaps” by finding previously issued, but now available callsigns. In typical U.S. government fashion, they just charge on ahead. I saw a few days ago that new Technician and General class callsigns in California were in the “KN6XXX” range. As a 2×3 (two digit prefix, then the district number, followed by a three digit suffix), it’ll be a little “wordy”, but depending on the suffix, it might not be too bad.
Well, it posted yesterday!
The Federal Communications Commission decreed that henceforth on the airwaves, I shall be known as … KN6JDY. Kilo-November-Six-Juliet-Delta-Yankee.
I’m officially licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to operate a radio station per the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 47, Part 97. Sounds super important, huh?
It’s not the worst, but not the best, either. As a General-class licensee, I can apply for a “vanity callsign” of the 1×3 variety, which would be a little shorter. At least three syllables shorter phonetically. I’m in the process of finding one that resonates with me, but more on that later.
For now, I’m going to add some frequencies to a my Kenwood portable (more on that, too!) and at least get on some of the local repeater nets to exercise my newly-granted access to the RF (radio frequency) spectrum.
In the United States, amateur radio licenses are regulated by the Federal Communications Commission, or FCC. There are currently three classes of license available, which grant progressively greater privileges on more of the amateur radio spectrum. The current license classes are Technician, General, and Extra. Each license class requires a separate test, anywhere from 30 to 50 random questions from a pool of several hundred possible.
Technician-class licenses grant privileges on the VHF (very high frequency) and UHF (ultra high frequency) bands, but only very limited privileges on the HF (high frequency) bands, which are usually used for long distance communication. VHF/UHF frequencies are pretty local, but a Technician-class license gets you access to a whole network of amateur radio repeaters, which allow for longer-distance communication (more on repeaters later.) Interestly, the amateur radio satellites use the VHF/UHF frequencies, so any Technician can use satellites to communicate with others, often thousands of miles away!
General-class licenses grant the operator access to all modes, on some portion of all bands. This is the first step to long distance communication via HF radio waves. (Yeah, fellow radio nerds, I know Techs get some privileges on 10 meters, but it’s limited in spectrum and power.)
Extra-class licenses just add a bit of extra spectrum on some bands. And bragging rights, since the Extra-class exam is significantly more technical and detailed, and longer, than the General exam. (I have a General, and I’m studying for my Extra, but it is definitely a lot to learn for someone without a background in either telecom or electrical engineering!)
Testing
“Ok, ok! I’m convinced. How do I get one of these fancy government permission slips?”
It’s really not all that hard. Just study, make an appointment with a Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC), and go take the test! Back in the dark old days, you had to walk uphill both ways, through the snow, to an imposing FCC field office to take the test in front of a cranky, tenured FCC examiner. Old hams still tell tales of those days, usually as they’re lamenting the fact that you no longer have to pass a Morse code test and how FT8 is going to be the death of ham radio.
Those days are over.
Amateur radio is one part of the world where the participants actually do a pretty good job of policing themselves, so the FCC farmed out testing to organizations called Volunteer Examiner Coordinators, or VECs. These VECs accredit Volunteer Examiners (VEs) who are just licensed hams who have agreed to proctor license exams. The VEs run the tests and submit passing tests to the FCC to get licenses issued.
Obviously, this being May of 2020, we’re in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and pretty much everything in person is closed, so most VEs haven’t been doing in person testing. Fortunately, the resourceful and dedicated people at both the Anchorage VEC and W5YI VEC have taken to administering tests remotely or in the case of W5YI, completely online. As of right now, Anchorage still requires an in person proctor, who doesn’t need to be a licensed ham, but they can’t be related to you, and must have one of several occupations (firefighters, police officers, doctors, nurses, and a few others) that are licensed, background checked, or otherwise generally considered “trusted.” Obviously, given the shelter-in-place orders, this could still be tough.
It looks like I’ll be taking my exam through the W5YI VEC. The test is administered through a combination of a Zoom call for monitoring and an online testing platform called Exam Tools, so no in person proctor is necessary. I’m going to try to pass both the Tech and General exams in one sitting. I’ll let you know how it goes!
In the United States, the use of the radio frequency (RF) spectrum is regulated by the Federal Communications Commission, better known as the FCC. The FCC determines who can use what parts of the spectrum (which frequencies, or range of frequencies), what testing is required for a particular license, and other rules regulating actual on-air operation.
The FCC has set aside some portions of the spectrum for aviation, industry, government, commercial broadcast, maritime use and … amateurs.
In this case “amateur” just means “non-commercial.” There’s really nothing “amateur” about amateur radio operators. I was a “professional government land mobile radio user” for almost 15 years. All I knew how to do was turn the radio on, select a channel, and how to talk on it in a way that made sense to my industry. I’ve learned far more about how radio actually works in the months I’ve been studying for my FCC exam than I did in over a decade as a “professional” radio user.
So, what is amateur radio?
Officially, it is for “…qualified persons of any age who are interested in radio technique solely with a personal aim and without pecuniary interest. These services present an opportunity for self-training, intercommunication, and technical investigations.” That’s right outta the FCC website.
Basically, it’s for average Joe’s like you and me to learn how radio works and be able to experiment with it in a real world way. In fact, radio “amateurs” probably have more wide-ranging authority to act within their spectrum allocations than anyone else. As a “professional radio user,” I couldn’t modify my radio. I couldn’t change the frequencies it transmitted or received on. I couldn’t modify power output or use any mode other than the voice mode it was set up for.
As a licensed “amateur” operator, I can modify my equipment, completely control the frequency I operate on, choose from one of many dozens of operating modes, including Morse code, several voice modes, dozens of digital modes for everything from keyboard-to-keyboard messaging to e-mail, and communication via satellites. I can even bounce radio signals off the Moon to communicate with other radio amateurs on the other side of the Earth! Wait … yeah. I can even talk to the International Space Station. No need to go through Mission Control in Houston — there are hams onboard the ISS with amateur radio gear, and anyone with a Technician-class license or better can talk to them. If you learn how.
Some radio amateurs aren’t even really interested in talking to other people. Some enjoy setting up repeaters for emergency communications, or building the most efficient antenna possible, or tinkering with electronics gear and actually being able to test it, legally, in a real-world environment. Some hams like having long conversations with people a world away, and some like chasing awards for how many separate countries they can contact, purely via radio.
As old as it is, amateur radio still has something for almost anyone who has even the slightest interpersonal or technical inclination.
