so i got my technician license back in november and got assigned one of those sequential calls, mine is like a 2x3 with a K prefix which is fine i guess but ive been looking at the vanity callsign application process on the FCC ULS site and honestly its kind of confusing me. like do i just apply and then wait in a queue or is there some kind of bidding thing that happens? i read somewhere that theres a window period and if multiple people apply for the same call during that window it goes to whoever has seniority or something? not sure if thats still how it works.

also wondering if theres any calls that are just off limits entirely or if pretty much any unassigned 1x3 or 2x2 format call is fair game. i had a call in mind that was my grandfather's old call, he was a ham back in the 60s and 70s, not sure if that changes anything or if family connection doesnt matter at all to the FCC.

sorry if this is a basic question, the FCC website is not exactly user friendly lol

yeah the window system is still how it works, you basically got it right. when you apply for a vanity call there's a 30 day filing window and if nobody else applies for the same call during that window you get it, pretty straightforward. but if someone else also applies for that same call during the window then it comes down to license class and then years licensed, so an Extra with 20 years would beat out a Tech who just got their ticket. that part stings a little if youre going after a popular call.

as for your grandfathers call — that actually might work in your favor depending on how long ago he let it lapse. calls that belonged to a deceased family member can sometimes be applied for and there used to be a preference for that situation, though the exact rules have changed a bit over the years so id double check the current Part 97 language or look at the ARRL vanity call page, they usually keep that updated pretty well. its definitely not impossible though. good luck, hope you get it.

went through this whole thing last year when i upgraded to Extra and wanted to grab a 1x2 call. the AE7 calls in my district were almost all gone but i found one i liked and just applied through ULS, waited out the window, and got it no problem since nobody else applied. honestly way less dramatic than i expected after reading about it online. the hard part is just finding a call you actually want that isnt already taken, i used a site called ae7q dot com which lets you search available calls by format and region, way easier than fumbling around the FCC database directly