Why is my call sign W5WZ?

My FCC issued call was KD5CAS, and after my upgrade to Extra, I wanted to get a 1×2 call.  This was in the days before the “vanity headquarters” website existed.  W5LA was downloading the FCC database daily, and parsing it to find calls that were going to be coming available.  However, during the late summer and early fall of 1999, the FCC temporarily suspended vanity call processing.

We continued to watch the situation.  I knew that I wanted a 1×2 from the 5th call district, and I knew that I preferred a W call.  We determined that there were going to be two calls meeting those criteria that would be available in November 1999.

So, as required by the FCC process, a paper application was mailed to one location, and a money order to another, in the hopes that my application would be the first in line on the date the FCC resumed processing vanity calls.

I only put one of the two available calls on the application.  Why?  Because absolutely, positively I DID NOT WANT to forever be known as Whisky Five Mike Foxtrot! 

Now you know why my call is W5WZ!

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