The Storied History of the Ham Radio Callsign 

When I was a kid one of my mentors for ham radio was Gus, the original holder of call sign W0CC. My novice license, KN0ZBA was issued on February 29,1960 (leap day) and had a listed expiration date of February 29, 1961 - one year later. The bureaucracy had not taken the leap day into consideration as far as the one year term. Since that date never existed my novice license technically never expired. In any event I upgraded to a General license (K0ZBA) before the year was out. I still have that license at 75 years old.

In the late 1950's my uncle would pull up in his Cadillac with license plate W6PPO. We would talk to people in Europe sitting in our driveway. Great fun. Your video brought back some wonderful memories.

I'm from Brazil and can tell that this presentation is pure gold! Helps understand not only us, but how world took the callsign subject. Congratulations.

..going along with the group here, I had WV6KJK as a novice between 1961-1962. After high school, college, my first four years in the USAF, I got my second novice license and the call sign, WN6EPZ, from 1974-1976. Then, during a period of unemployment, I studied and went from "civilian" to the glorious advanced class license - one below amateur extra class, the top license. The call sign I received was KB6HK. The FCC changed the rules on "vanity calls" allowing techs up to advanced to apply for 1x3 format calls and I got K6WHP, the call I now hold. Finally, in 1996 I got my code speed up to 20 wpm and passed the extra class license but kept the K6WHP call sign. I became trustee for two clubs and got the calls, N6ABV, my late father's call, as well as KLR6LP, the call sign of the Lake Perris QRP Club. ..so that's about it. There's five minutes of your life you'll never get back.

I was WN4BOU in 1964 when I was 14 yrs old then WB4BOU which I lost while moving around and not renewing my license in time. So I took the General test again getting N4OHB to work CW which is all I have worked since my early years in the 60s. I then got my Advance and Extra class as N4OHB because it was a much shorter and easier to copy sign in cw. I did get into the 40-45 wpm CW group in the lower 25htz of the bands for a while but switched to QRP from 80s on. Have worked hams like Barry Goldwater, J Edgar Hoover's grandson, astronauts in airplanes , floating lighthouse op on an Alaskan coast . What I do miss is working the Navy CW ops from WW2 who always used "bugs" very well. I could always tell who they were when they were tuning up . Sadly they are all gone and so is CW from test requirements. And sadly a lot of kids no longer build CW transmitters as I did for a high school science fair project using tv parts and military surplus!

During WW2, the U.K. enlisted many licenced HAM operators who weren't called up for the Signal Corp, to listen in to German signals and send them to the war-winning code-breaking Bletchley Park. These operators were called Volunteer Interceptors.

Ryukyu Islands is Okinawa Japan. Prior to the Japanese's reversion on May 12th, 1972, it was under the United States control. The Island was classified as KR6. I was KR6KZ at the time while working at AB6USA Mars Radio Station, Army. There was no mention of this in the video. Also, AC4USA, Antarctic Station.

Fascinating video! Couple things at the end you missed: the 6 mo window in the mid-70's where an Extra-class could request a special callsign (which is how I got mine) and the current vanity callsign system.

I had often wondered why my first Novice call was a W V 2 (1959) while other Novices around me had WN call signs. Now I understand and currently I have my father's old call sign issued back in 1931.....de...W2CWL....Thank you Mike.

Imagine my surprise as I was watching, and enjoying, your presentation, I see the picture of my old Novice license. Ahhhh, the good old days. Great job on your work. 73, Jim - K5LAD

Very interesting. Thanks for posting!

Mike, Fantastic video. Larry KB2MN first licensed 1962 General class WA2ZZQ

Got my KA8 call sign 30 days after turning 14. Still have it to this day, some 40 years later.. never bothered changing it when I upgraded to General Class.

I had fun operating and being a club member at W6YL in the late 1980s/early 90s.

Great presentation Mike. Really informative and well done. Who gives a video like this a thumbs down??? Makes no sense.

Very interesting history on the ham call signs............ jan 1978 issued KL7JIU while stationed US Army in Alaska but let it expire... then i 1993 relicsened as KB5ZWJ (Louisiana).... then in 1996 used the vanity call sign program and got my Alaska call sign back which is still active today. It throws people off because they think I should be in Alaska when actually in Louisiana. .... 73"s de KL7JIU

Greetings from the UK, novice 2E1GPA graduated to M1DQE after the 'slow Morse' test. UK call signs are now permanently allocated at no cost, it seems the costs of administering the renewable license system exceeded the receipts! I only took the exams to support my daughter when she took them, and I never struggled with real RF equipment as e-mail and Skype were also around!

Thanks for the history lesson. My father and some of his friends got me interested in this in 1954, and I was licensed as WN5YKJ, now upgrade to W5YKJ.

Thanks for a great history of American Ham Radio!

Wow, when you say: "storied" history, you weren't kidding. Great video. Thanks. 73 KE8KCD

Had a wonderful Elmer, W5BXV, SK, and received my Novice ticket in 1961. After it expired things got busy with military service, etc. and I let it expire without upgrading. Nearly 60 years later got my Technician, General and Extra and very glad I did. The FCC allowed me to recover my old Novice call sign. 73 de KN5MVC

Great job putting that all together Mike!

Very interesting presentation. As a note: the country in South America is not Columbia, it is Colombia.

Very good presentation Mike. (old calsigns) W6XYZ ended up as TV channel 5 in Los Angeles ! ! 73's de WB6PVC....

Wonderful history tour Mike. Always liked those Hammerlund receivers. 73s W3PDR..K4CWN..1961

Another item regarding the W andK delineations was that the FCC had two main locations for their offices. TheW stands for Washington and the K stands for Kansas City. During WWII, those that were part of the Civil Defense, were still allowed to operate within a strictly confined area, on specific frequencies and at specific times, usually overnight. Thus extended through the 50’s And 60’s. As of 1960, one of the exercises for the CD was to assist in possible dirty bomb locating, One night my dad let me assist him in one if these drills. He had received an official ordinance map of NYC, so he taught me how to read this kind of map. As the night progressed, he was sent various coordinates which I then found on the map. The final coordinated I located indicated that this location was in the middle of Jamaica Bay. We were the inly station that got the location correct. Although the command had wanted it to be on the occupied island there so units could be dispatched to the location.. Command had made the mistake. By the way, the only antenna my dad used was an old Circle X TV antenna. I can only assume it worked as well as it did as satellite dishes use the same basic shape. He was even able to do moon bounce from it and was able receive signals from Florida. I know some of the other Hams were astounded when he told them what type of antennae he used.

One of the few instances of a government (eventually) solving a problem rather than making more problems. - KJ6QKV

Wow. Great video Mike. Even though I've had my license for 44 years, I only knew some of that history. You filled in all of the blanks. Very interesting and informative. Thanks, KN5X

Thank you for the information of ham radio callsaigns USA . 73. Вот ))))

Fascinating video! This is right up my alley. 73 de W6ADL

Thought I would add that in Canada when WW2 ended all military radio operators were granted amateur radio licences without testing. One of my Elmer's was a Canadian navy radio operator and all he had to do was ask for a licence when he was discharged in 1945.

19:00 Wow! I had a copy of that book when I was a kid! Tnx es 73 de N7KBT.

Mike, thank you for a well-done video presentation! 73 de KN9LWV 1958; K9LWV 1959; and N9NE ca. 1972.

What a great video. Thank you! I was 1st licensed in 1921 and what a ride it's been.

Great synopsis of callsign history, thanks! 73 de KI1Y (formerly AA1JV)

Extremely interesting. Thank you for posting . My novice call sign was WN9NYI in 1974 and when I upgraded to Advanced class in 1975 I became WB9NYI, which I still hold today. 73, de Bill

My uncle was the first person to make ham radio in West Virginia Samuel nurnburger

Great job putting this together. I was first licensed in 1963 as WN2HVF and have been WB2HVF since 1964. Back in 1963 my Elmer's original call was 2MN which became K2MN.

Thank you Mike for the history. There was a time window where three letter calls had missing letters in front of the number. The late Jim Chambers originally was issued 6FI then later was issued W6FI. I had the pleasure of meeting him. He was one of San Francisco's first FCC examiners. He was also a member of the San Francisco Amateur Radio Club. I sent photos of Jim to the ARRL. He's enjoying a glass of beer in my late grandfather's bar business in San Francisco. I also had a chance to view his station. Kelly WB6AAJ

Simply put, This was an " EXCELLENT PRESENTATION ". Very informative and easy to follow.

Nice presentation! My mom's dad was 6CCY, and he also used u6CCY, in the 1920's. My dad's dad started in the 1930's with W6ANF, which is now my call.

In 1951, the novice class was added, that had either WN or KN prefix, it was a rite of passage when upgrading to remove the N. Its been three years but I finally got that joke why my elmers were hounding me about eventually getting a vanity when I went to General. Yes, its true that we don't own our station licenses, they are leased to us by the FCC on a contractual and conditional basis. But when you're issued a call that call is uniquely yours. 7,800,000,000 people in the world and that call letter combination is uniquely identifying you. Its something special, for me luckily its also easy to key. Great video, thanks for the breakdown in the lengthy ham history. 73 de KN4GEI

I went and took the test to have my own call sign instead of getting them out of that book I bought at the hamfest as a kid. LOL

Tnx for an appreciated history lesson. Jim Rohen W2ELE

On April 20, 1983 you no longer need to have a paper license and callsign for CB radio, it's now licensed by rule.

Thanks for the Ham license history lesson, well done. George N2SQ

WOW. I learned a bunch. Got my license when you still needed CW 13WPM receive only we didn't have to send. Thanks again KC7LOO 73

very interesting & great job! 73 de WA4ELW in TN 🇺🇸 dit dit 🤓

Very interesting. Thank you. 73 W4DUB

Hi Mike, I wish more of us within the ham community would stop calling our licensed communications skill set a hobby. In all reality, amateur radio should be considered more of an avocation than simply a hobby whereas, one can make a living at one's 'hobby' be it building models or collecting rocks or panning for gold but, we may not create income or "make money" by communicating over amateur radio. We both know this is strictly prohibited. One can have a hobby building transceivers and make money selling them but using said transceiver is not a hobby, it is a service conducted by someone that is considered less than a professional. Communication over amateur radio is a public service regardless if if the traffic is for pleasure, safety, or emergency. Now, collecting QSL cards, there's a hobby! Thanks for the extremely informative video. I enjoyed the history.

Excellent presentation!

I've had a couple of friends who were amateur radio operators, though I've never been (I loved listening to Shortwave broadcasting for several years). This video enlightened me to several things. Thanks.

Thank You for the cool video... I know no electronics, but I love being around; My mentor though was W1NTE, Bob M.

If you can find a copy. the book 200 meters and down is a solid, albeit dry, account of the early years up through pre-depression.

Exceptionally well put together video, if I may say so Mike! Many thanks from "across the pond". 73s

Fantastic presentation, Mike. This should be required viewing for every new ham. -N7BWB

Thanks Mike! In the 1950's and 60's, I was hit by the magic of communicating to people around the world, a novel idea at the time. Then, I worked in several states around the country starting with a '2' call then a '5'' call then finally a '1' call that became universal where you could live anywhere with the same call. haha...Now that I live in the "2" call area, I want to get my old "2 " call sign back to remind me of the fun days of yesteryear!

My High School ('59-'63) science teacher had his call sign (W1NDV) on his license plate. I originally saw it as "WINDY" which was, oddly enough, rather appropriate. As to why I remember his call 60+ years later, I have no idea.

Great I found this web page by mistake. I loved it please keep up the good work

Super interesting… as the 4th holder of W3OY, I am so proud to carry it on. The second holder, Arthur Jacoby, was a Marconi operator that I have put together a history for on my QRZ page. Thanks and 73. Ray W3OY

Thanks for good info. Also 1978 is when the A call gate was open, I got AA2T in Syracuse NY. I was one that went from WN2MDX to WA2MDX in 1970.

A lot of interesting info, there, sir. KD9EFV - 73

I was issued WN4NPL in 1969. When I upgraded to general class I became WB4NPL. I sort of wish I had kept that because of the "nice" sound on CW!

This is a great production, Mike. I must admit that I never knew a lot of this stuff. Thanks for taking the time for research. I’m K0AX, but I do not know the history of that call. It has obviously been around for a long time.

I have never heard this before, thank you.

Thank You, Great Job, I now have a better understanding of American call signs, ans world Call signs 73's VE2TSM

According to family lore sometime before the first World War (pre 1917) the US Navy showed up on the doorstep of my grandfather’s house in Chicago and ordered him to shut down the spark gap radio he and his brother had set-up saying it was interfering with ship-to-shore communications in the Atlantic. He enlisted as a radio operator and afterwards worked as an electrician.

Thanks, Mike, you cleared up a mystery in my life. My father was licensed as W9PIZ (Preacher In Zion) ca. 1932 and retained the call until his death in 1946. But what puzzled me when I got my general in 1958 was the "9" in his call, as we both lived in Missouri. By 1958, Missouri was in the zero district. Now you answered my question why he was W9 when I became K0.

Excellent, informative, and entertaining...! Thanks!

Thanks for the history lesson! I had no idea! Been trying to get my license for 3 years now. Every time I plan on testing crap goes sideways elsewhere, and I have to put it off again 🤦🏻‍♂️

Great presentation. Thanks for putting it out there. From WN1MML (1969)

My first becoming aware of Ham Radio was at a family friend (SZ-3DW), now long passed away, in about 1977. Uncle Don Wilson acted as relay station for motor rally races being run in a mountainous region of the country. He was in Oranjemund and the races were being held near Cape Town. In those days you were a "real ham" is you had built some of your own equipment, with Heathkit being the better known kits. Now I am retired and may just take up the hobby.

THANKS for this! Dad passed and was active until the last 3 years of his life down in FL. He was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY and was W2WLF. Much appreciated!

Great Job Thanks 73's

Mike, excellent video. Totally enjoyed the history lession. John K1RC

Very interesting, thank for all your hard work. 73

Very well written and produced. Thank you! 73

Excellent presentation. Fascinating information. Thanks for making the effort to share this overview!

Great job! Thanks! WH6USA formerly KD7TZ, WN7RBZ

Great talk. My second call, KA1TB, was originally supposed to be assigned to hams living on Okinawa .. it confused many people when I got it around 1978.

The Storied History of the Ham Radio Callsign should have been The Storied History of the US Ham Radio Callsign, I didn't find out until well into the video but kept watching because it was so interesting.

Great job. Good program for a club meeting. I was assigned KN2QPN and then K2QPN in 1956 at age 14. When vanity calls came along, it was too late to change.

Great seminar Mike.

I am the 200th subscriber. LOL Great channel. Please keep it up.

Thanks, Mike, very informative and well presented. 73, Jim W2NSF

Excellent! Great job!

Nicely done, sir!

Thank you for the Ham Radio History. Your review brought back good memories of my father ( W6ZBY ) who started in the late 20's.

Thank you for your presentation and informative program for this old timer Ham, WF6J (licensed since 1958)

Great documentary here. Thanks for your work in doing this.

thanks, great history on call signs!

That is very interesting. Thank you for making this video...

Fascinating. I learned a lot today!

Interesting and informative video! Thanks for a great history lesson Mike! 73 de Matt, WY8R

Fan-bloody-tastic presentation, well done that was so interesting to watch de 2E0TWD

Great content and. nicely done. 73s

Very interesting. Thanks Mike de KK4CB

This will be interesting, I did some research on The Pennsylvania State University experimental / Amateur radio stations.

That was interesting, thank you

Very interesting. Thank you.