May 21: The FCC has decided to drop the fee it currently charges for applying for (and renewing) a vanity call sign! In a recent notice the FCC explained that it is a simple question of economics: in short, it costs the FCC more to process the fees than the fees themselves bring in!
This is easier to understand when you consider that not only do they have to manage the fees, keep track of them, collect them, pay for processing, etc, they also have to refund fees for people who apply for a call sign and don’t get it.
The change will not go into effect until congressional notice is given, which will require at least 90 days.
For more information check out this in-depth coverage at arrl.org.
By Jeff M May 23, 2015 - 20:19
The FCC is NOT well known for refunding fees it has collected. I applied for a vanity call around 2009 or 2010, I only applied for one call and of course I didn’t get it. The FCC never refunded my fee and when I inquired about getting it back, the process was so convoluted that it wasn’t worth it for me to follow through to get it back. I figured I’d let them hang on to it for a while and see about applying again. Unfortunately, the process for getting a non-used, non-refunded fee applied to a different application is EVEN MORE convoluted than trying to get the funds returned. So, they still have the fee I paid and it doesn’t look like I will get it back anytime before I kick the bucket.
By kd7bbc May 26, 2015 - 11:57
Interesting. It’s never been relevant for me, so I was just taking their word for it =] Well, this should be good for many reasons, then.
By Michael John Torrey May 23, 2015 - 22:46
THANK YOU VERY MUCH F.C.C.
With Warm Regards
Michael John Torrey- KF6YRG
ALAMEDA, CA. 94501-1875
By HT McIntyre December 21, 2015 - 09:59
How do I get to the flashcards?
By kd7bbc January 14, 2016 - 09:59
go to https://hamstudy.org, log in, then click/tap on the license class you want to study from the list at the top of the page. “Flash Cards” will be in the list
By Kevin Angus August 13, 2017 - 18:58
Got mine after poking around the FCC site for an afternoon – Was not going to pay someone $30 to spend 1 minute entering data. K2AAE