Is it possible to transfer an area-specific call sign from a deceased relative?

Question

I passed my Technician exam today and my grandma, who's been a ham for decades, suggested that I could try to get my grandpa's call sign. He passed away several years ago, but his FCC registration is still marked active, expiring later this year. From what I've read, this would probably be surmountable by making the right kind of notification to FCC and then making a vanity request for it. But here's the rub: it's a KH6???, which I've read are reserved for pacific island addresses. That makes sense since he probably lived in Hawaii when he got it (and I grew up there), though he kept it for decades after moving to Oregon.

Is there any sort of familial transfer process that could get that call assigned to me in California?

Answer 1

Is there any sort of familial transfer process that could get that call assigned to me in California?

There are 3 types of vanity call sign requests:
Primary station preference list
Close relative of former holder
Former primary station holder

For your case you can apply for "Close relative of former holder".

Generally, vanity calls can not be assigned outside specific call areas but there seems to be an exception when the request type is "By Close Relative of Former Holder Now Deceased".

Request Types: By Close Relative of Former Holder Now Deceased

For your primary station, you may request a call sign that was previously assigned to the primary, secondary, repeater, auxiliary link, control or space station of your now-deceased spouse, child, grandchild, stepchild, parent, grandparent, stepparent, brother, sister, stepbrother, stepsister, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, or in-law. An "in-law" is limited to a parent, stepparent, sibling, or step-sibling of a licensee's spouse; the spouse of a licensee's sibling, step-sibling, child, or stepchild; or the spouse of a licensee’s spouse’s sibling or step-sibling. When so requesting for your primary station:

- You may request the former call sign of a close relative now deceased even though it has been unassigned for less than two years. Upon the death of the holder, a call sign is assignable immediately to an otherwise eligible primary station of a close relative once it has been cancelled from the database.

- You must be an Amateur Extra Class operator to request a Group A call sign.

- You must be an Amateur Extra or Advanced Class operator to request a Group B call sign.

- You must be an Amateur Extra, Advanced, General, Technician Plus, or Technician Class operator to request a Group C call sign.

- You must be an Amateur Extra, Advanced, General, Technician Plus, Technician or Novice class operator to request a Group D call sign.

- Your mailing address does not have to be in a Region designated in the sequential system for the call sign requested. A call sign requested by a close relative of former holder now deceased may be in any Region.

- You must show your relationship to the deceased person exactly as listed in the instruction, i.e., "child", "niece" or "in-law".

More answers to Frequently Asked Questions here.

On a separate note, normally vanity calls can not be assigned outside call areas. Normal, in which you were neither a relative of the deceased previous owner of the call nor actual previous owner of the call, applications fall under the "Primary station preference list" category.

Q: My mailing address is in (one of the 48 contiguous states). May I request a Group A call sign designated in Amateur Station Call Sign Systems for Navassa Island?
A. No. You do not have an address on Navassa Island where you can receive mail delivery by the United States Postal Service ("USPS"). As a operating aid for ?the amateur service community, certain places such as Navassa Island are designated small blocks of unique call signs. In the Memorandum Opinion and Order, 10 FCC Rcd 11135 (1995), the FCC decided to limit the assignability of call signs designated for these places to preclude the possibility of the call signs becoming quickly depleted. Therefore, Amateur Station Call Sign Systems provides that for Alaska, Hawaii, and the Caribbean and Pacific Insular Areas, only licensees having a mailing addresses where mail delivery by the USPS can be received in the specific state, commonwealth or island can request a call sign designated for that specific state, commonwealth or island.

72 es GL in the application!

Answer 2

Vanity call signs are covered by §97.19:

(3) A call sign shown on a license canceled pursuant to §97.31 of this part is not available to the vanity call sign system for 2 years following the person's death, or for 2 years following the expiration of the license grant, whichever is sooner. If, however, a license is canceled more than 2 years after the licensee's death (or within 30 days before the second anniversary of the licensee's death), the call sign is not available to the vanity call sign system for 30 days following the date such action is taken. The following applicants are exempt from this 2-year period:

[...]

(ii) An applicant who is the spouse, child, grandchild, stepchild, parent, grandparent, stepparent, brother, sister, stepbrother, stepsister, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, or in-law of the person now deceased or of any other deceased former holder of the call sign, provided that the vanity call sign requested by the applicant is from the group of call signs corresponding to the same or lower class of operator license held by the applicant as designated in the sequential call sign system

There is no restriction on the numeral in the call sign according to region. As the ARRL puts it:

First, the FCC does not limit the Vanity call sign choice numeral (0-9). For example, you can be a W1-land addressee, and have a W6 (California) type call if you so desire.

Also, aside from a very few FCC-limited choices, Extra class licensees can choose virtually any vacant but valid US call sign -- FCC call sign Groups A, B, C or D. Although Advanced class licensees cannot seek the special 1x2, 2x1 or 2x2 (beginning with letter "A") Extra class type call signs, they can seek a 2x2 or 1x3 call sign (beginning with prefix N, K or W), or a 2x3 call sign (beginning with prefix letter K or W) -- FCC call sign Groups B, C or D. General or Technician class licensees can seek a 1x3 call sign (beginning with prefix N, K or W), or 2x3 call sign (beginning with prefix letter K or W) -- FCC call sign Groups C or D. Novice licensees also have access to the Vanity program. Novices can seek a 2x3 call sign (beginning with prefix letter K or W) of their choice -- FCC call sign Group D.

The FCC excludes a few calls from vanity assignments, none of which seem to apply to "KH6???":

1. KA2AA-KA9ZZ, KC4AAA-KC4AAF, KC4USA-KC4USZ, KG4AA-KG4ZZ, KC6AA-KC6ZZ, KL9KAA- KL9KHZ, KX6AA-KX6ZZ;
2. Any call sign having the letters SOS or QRA-QUZ as the suffix;
3. Any call sign having the letters AM-AZ as the prefix (these prefixes are assigned to other countries by the ITU);
4. Any 2-by-3 format call sign having the letter X as the first letter of the suffix;
5. Any 2-by-3 format call sign having the letters AF, KF, NF, or WF as the prefix and the letters EMA as the suffix (U.S Government FEMA stations);
6. Any 2-by-3 format call sign having the letters AA-AL as the prefix;
7. Any 2-by-3 format call sign having the letters NA-NZ as the prefix;
8. Any 2-by-3 format call sign having the letters WC, WK, WM, WR, or WT as the prefix (Group X call signs);
9. Any 2-by-3 format call sign having the letters KP, NP or WP as the prefix and the numeral 0, 6, 7, 8 or 9;
10. Any 2-by-2 format call sign having the letters KP, NP or WP as the prefix and the numeral 0, 6, 7, 8 or 9;
11. Any 2-by-1 format call sign having the letters KP, NP or WP as the prefix and the numeral 0, 6, 7, 8 or 9;
12. Call signs having the single letter prefix (K, N or W), a single digit numeral 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and a single letter suffix are reserved for the special event call sign system.

Of course the transfer happens more or less at the pleasure of the FCC, so the only way to know for sure is to make the application and see.