okay so i just got my general last month and ive been reading about vanity callsigns and im honestly more confused than when i started. from what i can tell the FCC has this sequential assignment thing where they just give you the next available call in your district, but then theres also the vanity process where you can apply for a specific call? and people are saying there are different application windows depending on whether you have a deceased relative who held the call or something like that?

my sequential call that came through is fine i guess but its kind of a mouthful and i was hoping to maybe grab something shorter or just something that feels more like mine. ive been eyeing a couple 2x2 calls in my district that look like they might be available. does anyone know how the timing actually works, like do i just submit on the ULS and hope for the best or is there more to it than that

also does it cost anything now, i thought i read the FCC started charging fees but not totally sure if that applies to vanity too or just new licenses

yeah the whole thing is a little confusing at first but once you go through it once it makes sense. so basically the vanity process is totally separate from sequential — when you got your ticket the FCC just assigned the next call in the queue for your district and license class, thats the sequential part and you dont really have control over that.

the vanity application is where you pick a specific callsign you want and apply for it through the ULS. there are application windows and they open in a specific order — first priority goes to close relatives of a deceased ham who held that call, then surviving spouses, then other relatives, and then after all those windows close it opens up to everybody else. the whole window process takes like 18 days or so from when the call becomes available before the general public can grab it, if i remember right.

as for fees — yes unfortunately the FCC does charge now. i think its $35 per application or somewhere around there, and that applies to vanity applications too. so if you apply for a call and dont get it you still pay. theres a site called ae7q.com that a lot of people use to track call availability and see when specific calls are coming up, that might help you figure out what to go after before you spend the money.

went through this like 8 months ago so i can share what happened with me. i used ae7q just like everyone says to and found a 1x3 call i liked that was showing as available, submitted through ULS and honestly it wasnt that complicated once you actually get into the application. just make sure you list alternates because if your first choice gets snagged during that window youre kinda out of luck and out the fee.

took about a week for mine to show up in the system after the window closed. the 18 day thing is real, so dont expect anything instant. good luck with it, shorter calls are definitely nicer on cw if you ever go down that road