CALLSIGNS AND LICENSE INFORMATION

CALLSIGNS AND ADDITIONAL LICENSE INFORMATION

Your callsign will practically become your name when you get a license - it's your "station identification". That is how the FCC sees it. You will always have to identify yourself by using your callsign at least once every time that you transmit.

Your callsign will be a semi-random arrangement of 4 to 6 letters and numbers, meaning that some of it will be based upon what type of license you are getting and where you are located, and the rest will be left to chance. You can tell a thing or two about a person when you hear their callsign by the way it is set up. The United Sates and its associated territories have been allotted the following letter combinations for callsigns: AA-AN, KA-KZ, NA-NZ, and WA-WZ. These are the first two letter combinations that callsigns start with. There is always one number in a callsign, and the number is derived from the your state or territory of residence. Look at the chart below to see what number you will end up with in your callsign (you don't need to memorize these for the test):

Region	States or Territories
1	Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Maine
2	New York, New Jersey, Guam, Virgin Islands
3	Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Washington D.C.
4	Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Puerto Rico
5	New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi
6	California, Hawaii
7	Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, Washington, Oregon, Montana, Alaska
8	Michigan, West Virginia, Ohio, American Samoa
9	Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana
10	North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Missouri, Northern Mariana Island

Ordinarily, as the license classes progress, the number of letters in the respective callsigns decreases. This was designed by the FCC because they figured well in advance that most people would have lower class licenses, therefore, necessitating the need for a larger callsign for more combinations. And the operator is rewarded as he progresses by having a shorter callsign, although he or she always has the option of keeping his/her current callsign without upgrading.

THE INTERNATIONAL PHONETIC ALPHABET

Here's something fun - you need to learn the International Phonetic alphabet; not just because you might see a question about it on a test, but because the phonetic alphabet is used by amateurs to spell out words that aren't easily understood due to background noise or the sound quality lost in transmission. You may ask, "Why would we use an English version?" Simple - the English language has a long time since become the universal language, not only in "face-to-face" conversations, but on the amateur bands, as well. So if you make a long distance contact in another country, that person should be able to at least make out your callsign. You may think that the choice of these words was strange, but the point is that they are relatively easily understood if communications are hazy. Here it is in the table below:

A	Alpha	N	November
B	Bravo	O	Oscar
C	Charlie	P	Papa
D	Delta	Q	Quebec
E	Echo	R	Romeo
F	Foxtrot	S	Sierra
G	Golf	T	Tango
H	Hotel	U	Uniform
I	India	V	Victor
J	Juliet	W	Whiskey
K	Kilo	X	X-ray
L	Lima	Y	Yankee
M	Mike	Z	Zulu

LICENSE RENEWAL AND CHANGE OF ADDRESS

Your amateur license will be good for ten years from the date that it was issued. At that point, you have to have it renewed. Don't worry, you don't have to retake any tests. Just send in a Form 610 to the Gettysburg, Pennsylvania office. This should be done at least 90 days before your license expires. If you miss the 10-year deadline, you still have a 2-year grace period, but you can't operate until the license has been renewed. If your license still hasn't been renewed at this point, you will have to take the license over again. The 610 form should also be sent in if you happen to change your address. Also, when signing this form, you will be expected to read and fully understand the section on Radiofrequency Exposure.

For examination purposes, remember that the FCC reserves the power to make license changes when ever such action will promote public interest, convenience, and necessity.