SB QST @ ARL $ARLB064
ARLB064 FCC to open Gate 4

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ARRL Bulletin 64  ARLB064
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT  October 30, 1997
To all radio amateurs

SB QST ARL ARLB064
ARLB064 FCC to open Gate 4

FCC opens vanity Gate 4.

Christmas will arrive a bit early for General, Technician Plus,
Technician and Novice Class hams. The FCC has announced that vanity
call sign program Gate 4--the last vanity gate--will open December
2, 1997, for General, Tech Plus, Technician and Novice class hams to
request a vanity call sign on or after that date. The potential
number of applicants from these four licensee groups is huge--well
over a half million hams.

Applicants may use either the electronic Forms 610V and 159 on the
Web or hard-copy Form 610V and 159--but not both. Both
versions--plus fact sheets and answers to frequently asked
questions--are available at http://www.fcc.gov/wtb/amateur. The
application fee is 50 dollars, payable by check (to ''FCC''), bank
draft, money order or credit card.  Do not send cash. The FCC gives
processing priority to electronically filed Forms 610V for which the
filing fee and Form 159 have been received. The FCC now requires all
vanity filers to include a Form 159, which must be mailed to the FCC
with your fee.

It's up to applicants to make sure that their applications do not
arrive before December 2, 1997. The FCC will return all applications
that arrive early. All other vanity call sign gates will remain
open, and Amateur Extra and Advanced class operators continue to be
eligible to file for vanity call signs under those filing gates.

Any call sign requested must be appropriate for the class of license
you hold. This means that Technician, Tech Plus, and General class
licensees may ask for a Group C (1x3) or D (2x3) call sign. Novice
class licensees may only request Group D call signs.

Electronic filers must mail the Form 159 Fee Remittance Advice to
FCC, Amateur Vanity, PO Box 358994, Pittsburgh, PA 15251-5994. The
Form 159 and the fee must be received within 10 days of
electronically filing your Form 610V or your application will be
dismissed.

Those filing on document Forms 610V and 159 must mail the
application package containing a completed Form 610V with a copy of
your license attached, Form 159 and the proper fee in a sealed
envelope to FCC, Amateur Vanity, PO Box 358924, Pittsburgh, PA
15251-5924.

Application packages via courier or delivered by hand must be
prepared in the same way, sealed in a second, outer envelope, and
addressed to Federal Communications Commission, c/o Mellon Bank, 525
William Penn Way, 27th Floor, Room 153-2713, Pittsburgh, PA 15259,
ATTN: Wholesale Lockbox Shift Supervisor. This address should only
be used for applications delivered by hand or courier.

For general information, call the FCC's toll-free National Call
Center, 888-225-5322 (CALLFCC).
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