New Call Sign W5QU

TL;DR - my ham radio license was expiring and instead of just renewing it, I snagged an available 1x2 in 5 land.

I was never going to do this. To say I was invested in KN6Q as my "forever" call is an understatement.

Not just the badges, hats, heck even an embordered HIVIS vest (you know, the normal ham radio operator customized stuff, lol). But a decade of dozens of web services built on kn6q.org - it will take forever to unwind. This webpage was pretty easy to migrate, lots of the other stuff will be super hard.

My license was about to expire, and morbid curiosity got the better of me to see what the vanity calls were looking like since they brought back the fees for them.

When I got KN6Q, vanity call signs were free and every short call (1x2 and 2x1) was taken, and every one that became available would go to a lottery of people who applied for it on the first day it was available. The 1x2 call signs would get around 100 applications, and the 2x1s would get 20 applications each. So, you would have a 1% chance of getting a 1x2 and a 5% chance of getting a 2x1.

Although I am originally from California, I didn't particularly want a 6 call sign. I haven't lived in California since 1987, I don't have strong ties or nostalgia for there, I was just trying to increase my odds of getting a short call and I decided I could live with a 6.

And it was pretty fine for the most part. People would ask me where in California I was from (the Inland Empire area, BTW), occasionally someone questing for Worked All States was disappointed they worked a Texan with a 6. And I was really fine with sticking with it forever - but in the back of my mind I still kind of wanted a 1x2 in my Texas 5 district.

When curiosity got the better of me and I looked at what was available, I saw the 1x2 W5QU available, no competition - and had been for several days. Several 2x1s just straight up available. Most 1x2s have competitions to get them, but it's consistently less than 10 people. What a massive change a $35 fee brought to the market, lol.

Now, of course, someone else applied for W5QU the same day I did. However, it's not their first choice and they are going to get one of their other choices further up their list:

So, starting on May 8th, 2026, it's my new W5QU era. Being a new empty nester and entering a new phase of my life as an old man, it feels right. 73!