I don’t thin that a lot of you have been waiting for the price to go down, but if so……….Dan
From the ARRL Letter, 9/7/07:
The FCC will reduce the regulatory fee to obtain or renew an Amateur
Radio vanity call sign by more than 40 percent starting September 17. In
a Report & Order (R&O) released August 6, “Assessment and Collection of
Regulatory Fees for Fiscal Year 2007,” in MD Docket 07-81, the
Commission will cut the fee from its current $20.80 to $11.70. This
marks the lowest fee in the history of the current vanity call sign
program. The FCC is authorized by the Communications Act of 1934 (as
amended) to collect vanity call sign fees to recover the costs
associated with that program. The vanity call sign fee has fluctuated
over the 11 years of the current program — from a low of $12 to a high
of $50. The FCC says it anticipates some 14,700 Amateur Radio vanity
call sign “payment units” or applications during the next fiscal year,
collecting $171,990 in fees from the program.The vanity call sign regulatory fee is payable not only when applying
for a new vanity call sign, but also upon renewing a vanity call sign
for a new term. The first vanity call sign licenses issued under the
current Amateur Radio vanity call sign program that began in 1996 came
up for renewal last year. Call signs issued prior to 1996 are not
considered vanity call signs, even if the holder was able to request a
specific call sign.Amateur Radio licensees may file for renewal only within 90 days of
their license expiration date. All radio amateurs must have an FCC
Registration Number (FRN) before filing any application with the
Commission. Applicants can obtain an FRN by going to the ULS
and clicking on the “New Users Register”
link. You must supply your Social Security Number to obtain an FRN.The ARRL VEC will process license renewals for vanity call sign holders
for a modest fee. The service is available to ARRL members and
nonmembers, although League members pay less. Routine, non-vanity
renewals continue to be free for ARRL members. Trustees of club stations
with vanity call signs may renew either via the ULS or through a Club
Station Call Sign Administrator, such as ARRL VEC.
License application and renewal information and links to the required
forms are available on the ARRL Amateur Application Filing FAQ Web page. The FCC’s forms page also offers
the required forms.
N6ATF says
I was waiting… I just did some research for a ham who didn’t know there was a vanity system, and found out the price dropped for the first time today. I paid about $21. This is great. Hope it doesn’t shoot through the roof when I have to renew in the waning months of 2013.
KI4ROG says
it’s $ 13.40now