Funny thing is that the assigned call sign is only 1 latter off my name….LAU. Considering KQ4LAU
It’ll be assigned soon alphabetically.
There’s other LAU suffix calls available in 2x3 format if you didn’t line the phonetics of “KQ.”
Funny thing is that the assigned call sign is only 1 latter off my name….LAU. Considering KQ4LAU
I opted to keep my assigned callsign, even after upgrading to extra. Part of the decision was because the next available 2x2 was KN4BM. I noticed a lot of BM suffix signs were available.
My original was a pure train wreck of a tongue twister, it had to be changed.
??? Trick that was invalidated ???I used a trick (which was legit by the rules at the time, but has since been invalidated by the FCC) to change my WBxyyy format call to an old goat 1x2 call which is optimized for CW. I don't know who figured out the ruse at the time, but it worked
??? Trick that was invalidated ???
Curious does WalMart have an exclusive right to 5, or do they just complain is anyone else uses it?I believe getting a GMRS license gets you more power and repeater capability. Somewhere around here I have a Motorola handheld that does repeater offset and tone, just like regular UHF/VHF. Looks just like a modern FRS/GMRS radio. And someone in Charlotte has/had an active GMRS repeater running.
What the OP @Tim should look at is MURS business class radios. No license, 2watt 5 channel. Just stay off channel 5, because that's the channel Walmart uses in their stores. But, if your more than a couple miles away from a store, it doesn't matter. I'll post my specific radio recommendation after I look up a link. FRS/GMRS is inundated with kids and jerks who will interfere with comms.
Technically, you can configure Baofengs for these bands, at least the old ones. I hear new ones are restricted. But, Baofengs are outside the legal specs for the band, due to power and antenna.
If they are using MURS they have no exclusive right to those frequencies. However, FCC states that operators should take reasonable precautions to avoid causing harmful interference.Curious does WalMart have an exclusive right to 5, or do they just complain is anyone else uses it?
Or am I way off base and it’s just no fun being on a Walmart channel?
Might as well do it, the operator license, it was a lot easier than I expected.I was just genuinely curious, thank you for taking the time to respond!
An operator license is one of those things that has been forever ‘I’ll get around to it’. MURS seems like a nice alternative for small group coordination.
As hp468 explained, MURS is generally open to use. And it is bad form to knowingly interfere with others communications especially business. I think the FCC can still come after you for that.I was just genuinely curious, thank you for taking the time to respond!
An operator license is one of those things that has been forever ‘I’ll get around to it’. MURS seems like a nice alternative for small group coordination.
I know that feeling. I hop on the local net like twice a year to try and drum up interest for rally radio operators and I only use the radio 2-3 weekends a yearMight as well do it, the operator license, it was a lot easier than I expected.
Of course, I have made exactly 0 calls since getting mine.
??? Trick that was invalidated ???
I was doing a fair amount of CW DX. My original call was terrible for that.
I had my extra so I requested a xx#x call which was better (NN5J) I believe. Out of the blue about a week later, a ham wrote me (having seen my request in the FCC queue) an email out of the blue and said "do you want that, or do you want an old-style call?".
Of course I answered , yeah, I'd like K#xx or W#xx.
So he shared that someone had mined the call data base for "original calls (the first time issued indicating that the owners were pretty old) and compared names/addresses...town,state.... to the Social Security list of people who had recently died. (who does this?!?!?!). They had created a list of several hundred available calls for which the operator had died but the ham callsign they held had not yet been called or expired . These calls just needed to be submitted to the FCC with a death notice for them to be invalidated and again available for issue. The SS death list was accepted
I found a great call on the list that was provided to me, that was simple and distinctive on CW and submitted the death notice to the FCC.
The game was , to then monitor the FCC's daily action list for that specific call. This would show (among other things) if that specific call had been cancelled and put back into the pool of available calls. You had to look for actions against a specific call and do this every day for weeks.
At some point, that lookup would show that during the day, that call had been cancelled . The trick was, you had to submit your application for that newly available call THAT NIGHT, before everyone else in the world found out that it was available, because if more than one person applied there was a "lottery" for the callsign.
I finally saw they had cancelled the call, and submitted my request for it. This worked exactly as instructed , and I got my x#xx old school - great on CW call.
They've since figured out they were being gamed by their own system and put an end to this by making the call only available after publication that it was released for reassignment.
I didn't save the info on who shared that trick with me, but I'd like to buy them a beer..
I got my vanity call, by deciding on which calls I wanted. Then just looking up each of the calls to see if it was available on one of the commercial sites. Mostly no luck. Then I went on the official database. My first choice showed expired and outside the two year wait period, but had not been listed as available. After more research, I found it was a silent key. I submitted and got it fairly easily and quickly.I was doing a fair amount of CW DX. My original call was terrible for that.
I had my extra so I requested a xx#x call which was better (NN5J) I believe. Out of the blue about a week later, a ham wrote me (having seen my request in the FCC queue) an email out of the blue and said "do you want that, or do you want an old-style call?".
Of course I answered , yeah, I'd like K#xx or W#xx.
So he shared that someone had mined the call data base for "original calls (the first time issued indicating that the owners were pretty old) and compared names/addresses...town,state.... to the Social Security list of people who had recently died. (who does this?!?!?!). They had created a list of several hundred available calls for which the operator had died but the ham callsign they held had not yet been called or expired . These calls just needed to be submitted to the FCC with a death notice for them to be invalidated and again available for issue. The SS death list was accepted
I found a great call on the list that was provided to me, that was simple and distinctive on CW and submitted the death notice to the FCC.
The game was , to then monitor the FCC's daily action list for that specific call. This would show (among other things) if that specific call had been cancelled and put back into the pool of available calls. You had to look for actions against a specific call and do this every day for weeks.
At some point, that lookup would show that during the day, that call had been cancelled . The trick was, you had to submit your application for that newly available call THAT NIGHT, before everyone else in the world found out that it was available, because if more than one person applied there was a "lottery" for the callsign.
I finally saw they had cancelled the call, and submitted my request for it. This worked exactly as instructed , and I got my x#xx old school - great on CW call.
They've since figured out they were being gamed by their own system and put an end to this by making the call only available after publication that it was released for reassignment.
I didn't save the info on who shared that trick with me, but I'd like to buy them a beer..
Congrats! I knew you would do well with it.Passed Tech and General this morning.
Really nice group of gentlemen giving the test from Azalea Coast Amature Radio Club.
Now I just need to find a nice deal on a decent hf transceiver.
Icom-7300 perhaps?
Icom-7300 perhaps?