By Rob Rosenberger (K4HST)
The FCC erroneously issued call sign “WB4MZ0” (numeral zero) on December 5, 1994 to the Wedixie Amateur Radio Club in Marietta, Georgia. Somebody typed it wrong into the FCC’s database. The club’s call sign trustee, David Budner WA4PUB, perhaps didn’t notice it? The club never brought it up to the FCC.
Four-and-a-half years went by. The FCC’s database continued to grow. And WB4MZ0 remained an active call sign!
In mid-1999, the FCC prepared to elevate its ULS database as the “system of record” for all call signs. That’s when somebody (perhaps a database administrator?) discovered the error.
The FCC researched it and they discovered “WB4MZO” (letter) had not yet been assigned. On July 21, 1999 they canceled WB4MZ0 and issued WB4MZO to the club.
Twenty-six days later, on August 16, 1999, the FCC declared its ULS database the “system of record.” Its underlying software now handles all call signs. No one manually types an amateur call sign.
If you download the ULS files, you’ll see five relational database records for WB4MZ0. And you’ll see nine relational database records for WB4MZO.
Wedixie Amateur Radio Club disbanded and canceled its call sign on February 22, 2024. The “O” (letter) call sign became available for vanity assignment on February 23, 2026. If you know any elmers in Marietta, ask them for more details about it!
Source: K4HST
Amateur Radio Daily