Vanity Call Signs
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. When so requesting in memoriam for your club station:
- You may request the call sign even though it has been less than two years following the death of the club member. Upon the death of the holder, the call sign is assignable immediately to an otherwise eligible club station.
- 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. An "in-law" is limited to a parent, stepparent, sibling, or step-sibling of a licensee's spouse; the spouse of a licensee's sibling, step-sibling, child, or stepchild; or the spouse of a licensee's spouse's sibling or step-sibling.
- You must be an Amateur Extra Class operator to request a Group A call sign.
- You must be an Amateur Extra or Advanced Class operator to request a Group B call sign.
- You must be an Amateur Extra, Advanced, General, Technician Plus, or Technician Class operator to request a Group C or D call sign.
- 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 (excluding call signs for Regions 11-13).
- You must enter the relationship to the deceased person giving consent exactly as listed in the instruction, i.e., "child", "niece" or "in-law".
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: We want to honor the memory of former members of our club who are now deceased by obtaining their old call signs for our club station. Is there a provision for this?
A. Yes. The in memoriam provision is specifically for this purpose. However, each club is limited to one vanity call sign per FCC Rule 97.19(a).
Q: What is the "in memoriam" provision?
A. It allows amateur radio clubs to apply for the former call signs of deceased members.
Q: How is an in memoriam provision request different from a request-by-list provision request by a club?
A. An in memoriam provision request differs from a request-by-list provision request in two ways:
- An in memoriam provision request can be granted when the call sign status shows expired or cancelled on the data base due to the death of the holder. A request-by-list provision request can only be granted after the person has been deceased for two years.
- An in memoriam provision request for a call sign, as designated for stations having mailing addresses in Regions 11, 12 or 13, does not have to have a mailing address in that region. A request-by-list provision request does have to have a mailing address in that region.
Q: How should we make a request under the in memoriam provision?
A. First, confirm that the license status shows expired or cancelled on the database. Next, obtain a letter consenting to the assignment from a close relative of the deceased person. Place the letter into the station records.
Q: The member we want to honor died less then two years ago. Are we still eligible to apply?
A. Yes, if the license status shows expired or cancelled on the database. The two year requirement does not apply for requests under the in memoriam provision.
Q: Our club station only recently received a license grant. How can we obtain the former call sign of a deceased member for our club station?
A. The application may be filed under the in memoriam provision (You must have documentation that the deceased was a member of the club and you may be required to provide this documentation). If the member has been dead for at least two years, the application can also be filed under the request-by-list provision.
Q: We want to honor the memory of a non-member of our club who is now deceased by obtaining his old call sign for our club station. How can we do this?
A. If the person died more than two years ago, the call sign is assignable under the request-by-list provision.
Q: But the person just died. Do we have to wait two years?
A. Yes.