SB QST @ ARL $ARLB041
ARLB041 FCC opens vanity call sign Gate 1A

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ARRL Bulletin 41  ARLB041
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT  June 21, 1996
To all radio amateurs

SB QST ARL ARLB041
ARLB041 FCC opens vanity call sign Gate 1A

The FCC has announced it will open vanity call sign program Gate 1A on July
22, 1996.  Under this gate, applicants may request for a club station a call 

sign once held by a deceased former member.  You may request the call sign
even though it has been less than two years following death of the club
member.  Upon the death of the holder, the call sign is assignable
immediately to an otherwise eligible club station.  (However, the license
grant first must be deleted from the FCC database; see below.)

If you are the license trustee for your club station, you may request in
memoriam for your club station the call sign previously shown on the
primary, secondary, repeater, auxiliary link, control, or space station
license of a deceased person who was a member of the club.  Here are the
specific guidelines to request a call sign in memoriam for your club station 

under Gate 1A:

1. The club must have held a club station license grant on March 25, 1995.

2. You must have in your station records a written statement (do not send to 

FCC unless requested) from a spouse, child, grandchild, stepchild, parent,
grandparent, stepparent, brother, sister, stepbrother, stepsister, aunt,
uncle, niece, nephew, or in-law of the deceased confirming the deceased
person's association with the club and showing consent of the relative to
your request.

3. You must be an Amateur Extra Class operator to request a Group A call
sign, at least an Advanced Class operator to request a Group B call sign and 

at least a Technician Class operator to request a Group C or D call sign.

4. Your mailing address does not have to be in the region designated in the
sequential system for the call sign requested.  A call sign requested in
memoriam may be in any region.

5. You must enter the relationship to the deceased of the person giving
consent exactly as listed in the instructions, ie, child, niece or in-law.

6. The license grant of the former holder now deceased must have been
deleted from the licensee database.  To do this, a relative of the deceased
should submit a signed request to have the license grant cancelled.  This
request should include copy of an obituary or the death certificate.  Submit 

requests for cancellation to the FCC, 1270 Fairfield Road, Gettysburg, PA
17325-7245 prior to filing the application for a vanity call sign.

A $30 fee is required with your FCC Form 610-V application.  Payment of fees 

may be made by check (payable to "FCC"), bank draft, money order or credit
card.  Do not send cash.  If paying by credit card, also complete and submit 

FCC Form 159 with your FCC Form 610-V.  Send your application package to:
Federal Communications Commission, Amateur Vanity Call Sign Request, PO Box
358924, Pittsburgh, PA 15251-5924.

The FCC has not announced when it plans to open the additional vanity call
sign gates.  Gate 1 opened May 31 for applicants seeking former personal or
club station call signs and call signs once held by deceased close
relatives.  Gate 1 will remain open indefinitely. A reminder:  The FCC will
return any Gate 1A applications it receives before July 22, 1996 for timely
resubmittal.  Applications that do not qualify under Gate 1 or Gate 1A
eligibility standards, will be dismissed.  A future public notice will
announce Gate 2, which will have expanded eligibility standards affecting
Amateur Extra class licensees.

Meanwhile, the flurry of vanity call sign application activity under Gate 1
seems to be tapering off.  The FCC reports 269 applications for the period
of June 11-17, 1996.  Between May 31 and June 10, the Commission got nearly
1700 applications.  The FCC's Gettysburg office also got a flood of another
sort during the week of June 16 when heavy rains shut down the town and
reportedly flooded the basement of the FCC's building (among others).

For more information, call the FCC's Consumer Assistance Branch at
800-322-1117.
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