I am new to amateur radio. I passed the technician exam last night with a perfect score. (Dodged that q about iambic pentameter.) Obviously, I have not gotten my call sign yet, but I am thinking about creating my own. Can one request a vanity call sign with a number outside of one's own region, or does the number have to match the region? I don't care which number is in the call sign, but of course being able to use more numbers means more choices.
Thank you for your reply. But I don't understand what "the short answer is no" means. Once again, my question: Can one request a vanity call sign with a number outside of one's own region, or does the number have to match the region? I can't tell if no is your answer to the first or second part.
The numbered district does not have to match, so, no. The exception to this are prefixes such as KH, KL, and KP. These are regional areas like Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico. There are others but for the most part you can select any call you're allowed to select including those with widely varying numbers not related to the districts themselves. You can select just about any call that is not already taken or in a withheld basis. Those withheld are calls that have been used within the past two years. One way to find this is by using the lookup capability of such sites as QRZ. This can give you a good idea if the call you're wishing to obtain is likely to be available. Good luck testing for your license and in your call selection. Oh, just to mention, the call you wish to select must be a call that denotes you as a USA station. This gets a bit more complicated but your call would, for example, need to start with a W, K, N and some variations of AA, AB and so on. You'd need to look this information up and find out which calls are allowed within the USA. Hope this helps 73 Gary
As the other posters have indicated, you aren't restricted to your own call sign district. However, I'm going to gently suggest that you do select an in district call sign. It will avoid a lot of on air confusion and superfluous questions about where you're from and why you're visiting. I have a feeling that a lot of the 1x2 call sign churn is because of this. Folks get a nice out of district call sign, get on the air with it, realize it was a mistake and then dump it for another in district 1x2 (needlessly tying up the call sign for another 2 years).
Bellczar, A good place to get information on Vanity Call Signs is the ARRL web site. They provide a good explanation about what call signs you are eligible for. General or Technician class licensees can seek a 1x3 call sign (beginning with prefix N, K or W), or 2x3 call sign (beginning with prefix letter K or W). You will need to upgrade to Extra to be eligible for a 1x2, 2x1, or 2x2 call sign. If you are planning to upgrade to Extra in the near future, you might want to wait and get a wider choice. Under "Locating Available Call Signs", the ARRL web site has links to several sites where you can look for available call signs. The FCC will generate a call sign in your call sign district. But if you get a vanity call sign, it does not have to match your district.
