ok so i passed my technician exam last saturday and the VE team said my info would get submitted to the FCC but its been like 5 days and i still dont see anything in the ULS database. is that normal? i keep refreshing the page like every few hours which is probably excessive but i cant help it lol

also somebody at the exam session mentioned something about vanity callsigns and how i could apply for a specific one instead of just waiting for whatever they assign me. i had no idea that was even a thing. how does that work exactly? do i have to wait until i get my sequential callsign first before i can apply for a vanity, or can i do the vanity application while im still waiting? and is there any cost involved i cant remember if someone said it was free now or not

sorry if these are dumb questions, just really eager to get on the air

not dumb questions at all, everyone goes through this waiting period and it drives everybody a little crazy the first time. the 5 days thing is pretty normal honestly, sometimes it moves faster but it can take up to 2 weeks depending on when the VEs submitted the paperwork and how backed up the FCC is. you should get an email from the FCC when your license shows up in ULS, so watch your inbox too not just the database.

on the vanity callsign question -- yes you absolutely can apply for a vanity call, and no you dont have to wait until you have your sequential one first. the FCC will actually let you submit a vanity application and if you dont have a license yet it just kind of sits there until your sequential one is issued and then the vanity gets processed. or at least thats how it worked for a few folks i know, might be worth double checking the current FCC rules just to be safe. and yes vanity callsigns are free now, they dropped the fee a while back. you just apply through the ULS system online. the main thing to understand is the system assigns vanity calls based on a structured process -- theres a preference hierarchy, meaning certain groups like extra class licensees or people with previous calls get priority in the application window. as a new tech you can still get a vanity call, you just might be competing with others if the call is popular. shorter calls like 1x2 or 2x1 format tend to have more competition than a longer 2x3 format call.

went through the exact same thing in March. the waiting is the worst part. mine took about 8 days and then boom it just appeared one morning. congrats on passing btw

i ended up keeping my sequential call for now because i kind of got attached to it by the time it showed up haha, but a lot of people do go for vanity calls and it seems pretty straightforward from what ive heard. some people pick calls that spell something or use their initials which is kind of cool