California takes "space" out of Ham Plates

Unintended Consequence

While getting the space out of the callsign on the plate may be a victory for some, the space still exists on the vehicle registration. The consequence is that when a law enforcement officer runs your plate on his computer without the space it comes back as not in the system, which makes the officer think the car is stolen. Of the 5 hams in our family with call letter plates, 4 have been stopped in the last year for that reason. The space needs to come out of the database too, not just off the plate.

Stan AA6I (ex AA6 I)

 

Perhaps I can break it down for your Rick.

For years, the Ham plates were done correctly. Fee's in CA for these plates were a one time $10.00 charge. No increase in annual fees. With the change two things happened.

1. They added a space after the # in the call. This had not been done before so it upset those Hams getting plates. The big problem is that as my call W6AWS is on my FCC license, on my plates it would be W6 AWS. The CA vehicle code concerning amateur plates stated "as issued by the FCC". There are no spaces in my FCC license. More troubling was the fact I could get the plates W6 AWS in the amateur program, but is was unclear whether someone could apply for W6AWS under the vanity program without spaces.

2. Fees for Vanity plates are $45.00+ annualy as opposed to a one time $10.00 fee as stated above. The amateur community saw it as a "revenue grab" and reacted as such.

Bottom line, there was no reason to change existing policy!

To answer your question directly Rick, a whole lot of California Amateurs cared! And with an overwhelming, and polite I might add, grass roots campaign with our state legislators, the policy was corrected in a little more than a month!

What may seem like a non issue to some is a big issue to others. This was a victory for Amateurs in CA and may help with precedence in other states.

73,

Andy W6AWS

 

In Nevada, we have ham plates with the words "RADIO AMATEUR" on them. So people don't have to ask what the letters and number mean.
http://www.dmvnv.com/platesorganization.htm

The initial charge is $36, but the $10 renewal fee is waived if you include a statement that you agree to assist during emergencies. http://www.dmvnv.com/pdfforms/sp50.pdf


BTW, the legend "RADIO AMATEUR" doesn't help everybody. At our county landfill, a clerk writes down license plates of vehicles. One dim-witted clerk looked at my AC7EL plate, seemed puzzled for a moment, and then exclaimed: "Oh, I get it. Excel."

 

Attitude

Sure glad a majority of hams don't have WA1RKT's attitude!!

 

This is a little late for JY1, but I am sure he is smiling down upon us now.

 

FYI
The California DMV is correcting the registration as well as removing the space from the plate, so all is well. The plate and registration will read the same.

73,
Terry, K7FE

 

Call Sign Plates

South Carolina did that with my tag originally. Then they relented and subsequent tags were issued without the space. That was back in the seventies.

Since we are on the subject of ham tags, let me post a URL to a ham plates page on my Web site: http://www.wb4aej.com/was_plates . Feel free to add yours.

73,

Fred
WB4AEJ

 

Ahh...so..actually you prefer the newfangled terms ending in "cycles" eh? If you were really using the more nomenclature, you'd simply use meters. US Commerce Department didn't didn't adopt "cycles" until 1923, and most radio schedules, etc included broadcast/frequency listings in meters into the 40's. I have old radio schedules, books, etc. that list everything in meters..not 'general' meters, like "40 meter band" etc, but 485 meters, 360 meters, 455 meters, etc. Old radios also have meter scales on them, not cycles (or hertz, for that matter). And I really don't consider a calling them hertz, after Heinrich Rudolf Hertz who died in 1894 to be all that new-although it wasn't adopted until 1960.

Also, some change is good, but I refuse to use metrics or "new terms" for electronic measurements or parts. So, it's still kilocycle, megacycles, gigacycles, micofarads, and micro-micro (mickey-mickey mics, he he he.


Respectfully,
73,

King, Ace, 5, Lucky, Queens & Jacks.....my name is Don, Double Or Nothing, goes with the poker hand [/QUOTE]

 

I wrote to three of the four Assembly/Senators that you identified as helping with the license plate problem. Dave Cox would not accept my E-mail since I am not in his district. Also wrote the DMV and thanked them too.

73,

Robert, WT6A

 

CA "Space" Cadets......

Yeah, I'm an old dude now. But, when I lived in CA and received my first set of call plates (orange letters on a black background) as WA6VKJ, there wasn't any space. On my second plate (the first got damaged) it was blue with yellow letters and numbers. Supposed to be "golden" I guess, but looked yellow to me. No space.

My last set was, with my current call, and no space. That was 2000.

Whoa! When did the Space Cadets chime in? What was the reason for the change? A database whacko?

Now, speaking of that, if any of you want to take the "to space or not to space" issue literally, go take a look at your ULS name record in the FCC's database if you're of Irish extraction like me (with an Mc up front). About 2/3 of the names have a space between the Mc and the rest of the sirname, and the remaining do not have the space.

So, who's to blame at the FCC? A former Secretary? A former Commissioner? A Neocon? Who knows.

Anyway, good that CA has finally conserved something: SPACE!!!

Perhaps the additional SPACE at the beginning will allow sufficient room for an amateur radio symbol. After all, they have a prefix symbol for State exempt; a different one for city/county exempt; and another yet for "press photographer" (PP). (If they do one for the press, its time for hams to have one too)

The PP plates fees used to be the same as for amateur plates in CA. Maybe its different now.

Pehaps those who have the right ears in Sacratomato could manage to convince them of the need for the prefix. After all of the "alphabet soup" vanity calls, (N0AH is my favorite) the cops really could be confused as to what's a wise-guy vanity plate and what is a legitimate amateur plate in CA.

Those states such as mine (AL), FL and NV at least state on the plate that it is an amateur radio plate.

73.

 

So how does this affect me while i'm plowing my fields on my John Deere?

I think I have more important stuff to worry about, like,,

WHEN ARE THEY GOING TO INSTALL CUP HOLDERS ON MY TRACTOR!!!


Dan. kb7uxe

 

John Deere License Fees....

Careful, your state just might decide to force you to buy a license tag for your Deere. Especially since they don't have a sales tax...... Er-oops. I assumed you live in Oregon. Perhaps my mistake.

 

You forgot to send him a check for $100K for campaign contributions. Dave Cox doesnt work for free, ya know!!
He wont help us locals either unless you have big $$$.

 

Space in CA plates

When I got my ordered my callplates, I filled out the Reg17a and mailed to Sacramento. The new registration came in advance of the plates, with a space after the number. I called the DMV in Sacramento to let them know of the error. The person I spoke with was very nice and informend me I had nothing to worry about, the plates would come without the space. To my suprise, the person was right, no space.

73 de Bruce, N7TY

 

Get DMV to correct your registration. Otherwise, some cop is going to see a space on the registration and no space on the plate, and claim that they don't match.