SB QST @ ARL $ARLB078
ARLB078 Gate 2 calls issued
ZCZC AG58
QST de W1AW
ARRL Bulletin 78 ARLB078
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT November 5, 1996
To all radio amateurs
SB QST ARL ARLB078
ARLB078 Gate 2 calls issued
Vanity call sign Gate 2 calls processed.
The FCC has processed the vanity call sign program Gate 2
applications it received on September 23. The logjam broke just
before the end of business for the day at the FCC's Gettysburg,
Pennsylvania, office, where the amateur computer system had been
down for more than a week. A spokesman at the FCC said the computer
system was finally fixed Tuesday, November 5, and the approximately
4500 first-day vanity applications were successfully run.
Applicants can check for their new call signs via the ARRLWeb page
at http://www.arrl.org/fcc/fccld.html.
The week-long computer problems had not only affected the vanity
program but caused the FCC to rescind all call sign grants after
October 24 because of widespread errors. In some cases, the FCC's
Gettysburg office had reissued call signs that had already been
issued. An FCC spokesman said that the unspecified computer problems
were not related to the vanity call sign program.
The FCC says it wants to see how the day-one processing fared before
it attempts to process vanity call sign applications for subsequent
days. This should happen within ''a few days,'' a spokesman at
Gettysburg said. Day-one applicants also can check the popular
database programs on the Internet to find out if they got one of
their call sign choices. The KI4HN Web page lists vanity assignments
at http://www.webbuild.com/~ki4hn/vanity.htm. Other good choices
include the AC6PN call sign server,
http://www.rdatasys.com/~mdowning/fcc/callsign.html and the CallBook
Server (CBS) Summary at http://www.lantz.com/htbin/cbs_today.
The FCC will dismiss applications if it was unable to grant one of
the call sign choices. Applicants who did not get one of their
choices will have to apply in writing for a refund of the 30 dollar
filing fee.
The FCC has not announced opening dates for vanity Gates 3 and 4.
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/EX
