so i just passed my general a few weeks ago and upgraded from tech, and my sequential call finally came through which is fine i guess but its kind of a mouthful. i started looking into the vanity call process and honestly the FCC website is not super helpful for someone who doesnt already know what theyre doing.

from what i can gather you basically just apply through the ULS system, pick a call that fits your license class, and then wait 18 days or something? but i keep reading conflicting stuff about whether the 18 day window matters or if its first come first served or what. and do you actually get to pick multiple choices or just one at a time? i put in one application but now im second guessing whether i should have listed more options somehow.

also can anyone tell me roughly how long this took for them? i know it probably varies but just trying to get a sense of whether im looking at weeks or months here. appreciate any help, still pretty new to all this

yeah the 18 day window thing trips a lot of people up. basically when a callsign becomes available — like when someone dies or lets their license lapse — it goes into this quiet period before anyone can grab it. after that window closes all the applications for that specific call get processed at the same time, so its not really first come first served, more like a lottery if multiple people applied for the same one. if nobody else applied for yours you should be fine though.

as for listing multiple calls, i believe you can actually put in applications for several different callsigns at once, just separate applications each one. some people apply for like 5 or 6 hoping one sticks. i did mine a couple years back and got my 1x2 in maybe 3 weeks total once i figured out the ULS system. the AE7Q website is your best friend for this stuff honestly, way more useful than the FCC site for checking availability and status. good luck with it

im in basically the same boat as you lol, got my tech call last month and already thinking about what i want when i upgrade. following this thread because i had no idea you could apply for multiple at once. also didnt realize there was a waiting period on expired calls, i just assumed you could grab anything that showed as available