In article 2004061011544816807%K3UD@yahoonet, K3UD wrote:
On 2004-06-08 19:44:50 -0500, "Keyboard In The Noise" said:

Had an inquiry that sed his Dad's call was W10XEG

Before 1946 -- I think there were just call areas one thru nine.

Sometime around 1946, the 10th call area was established -- the zero
district, but was this ever the W10 area ??

Also the X in the suffix -- I thought was for experimental stations ???

Any old timers recall ??

Thanks

Post any answers here please


There were never any 1X4 callsigns issued. If the first letter of the
suffix started with X, then it was an experimental station. I think
this ended in the 50s. Early TV stations in the 30s had calls like
W2XGE and so on. I always thought it was odd to have an amateur type
call attached to experimental commercial stations.

HAH! Look up the history of channel 5, Ames Ia. Early on, Iowa State
University used W0YI, for their television station, which _is_ the callsign
for the amateur radio facility there. The eventual commercial callsign WOI
is a direct derivative of that amateur radio callsign.

I think the 10th call area (0) started in the late 40s. If you were in
the new 10th district but had a W9 call, you received a W0 call with
the same suffic as your W9 call had.