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Call Signs

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| Sequential Calls. | Vanity Calls. |

Amateur Radio Call Signs in the United States

ham radio call-sign sequential or vanity.

In the USA and its territories an amateur radio call sign consists of 3 parts.:

  • The prefix which can be any of the following.:
    • the single letter "K", "N", or "W".; or
    • 2 letters where the 1st letter is "K", "N", or "W".; or
    • 2 letters from "AA" to "AL" (Extra Class only).
  • Then a single digit number.
  • Followed by a suffix consisting of 1, 2, or 3 letters.
Not all possible combinations are available to the Amateur Radio Service. Also, some call signs that are available to amateur radio stations are restricted to certain geographical areas or to certain operator license classes.

Click on the button button below for a detailed description of which call signs are available for assignment and which are not.:

FCC - Amateur Radio Call Sign Availability.
United States of America, Hawaii, Alaska, USA.
Sequential US Call Signs.

The FCC issues all new US licensees the next sequential callsign from the call district of the licensees postal address (i.e. the next never-before-assigned callsign in alphabetical order). Existing licensees may also request a new sequential call sign from the FCC at any time at no cost, but their current call sign will be surrendered upon receipt. In the lower 48 states, currently all Technician and General licensees will sequentially be issued the next 'Group D' 2x3 call sign beginning with "K"; and Extras issued the next 'Group A' 2x2 call sign beginning with "A" (except in district 4 [and soon to be district 6] where some call-sign groups have been exhausted). Get your own callsign, sign up for an exam with us.

To predict what your new callsign may look like, click on the button below to see the most up-to-date sequential call sign assignments.:

AE7Q - Latest sequential USA callsign assignments.
Vanity US Call Signs.

Any licensed amateur radio operator may request a 'vanity' call sign from the FCC for a fee - currently $35. This may be any available call sign as long as it is authorized both to the operator's geographical region and to the operator's license class. When a licensee receives a vanity call, their current call sign will be surrendered upon receipt. A brand new licensee who wishes for a vanity call, must wait until the FCC issues them a regular 'sequential' callsign, then they may request a modification to a selected vanity call afterwards. In general, a call sign must be unassigned for a minimum of 2 years before it is available for re-assignment.

Click on the button below for more information about vanity call signs.:

FCC - Vanity Call Signs FAQ.

The following non-FCC sites provide additional information and resources about vanity call signs.:

RadioQTH.net - Vanity Call Signs.
AE7Q.com - Query tools.