-- you fill out a form, mail it in, and you get your call sign.

So when you call someone on your shortwave receiver -- work with me on
this -- you have some way of identifying yourself as a shortwave
listener to the station you have called.

okay, here's the real story. And no, I do not have one of those SWL callsigns.

Many SWL'ers like collecting QSL's from every station they can hear.. Many ham
radio operators like collecting QSL's from every station they can hear.

Ham radio used to be transmitted in AM mode on shortwave, for the most par,
just like shortwave radio stations.. (Now, it's SSB for the most part)

So avid dx'ers who heard ham radio operators wanted QSL's from them also,
besides just broadcast stations.

But most hams wouldn't send a QSL to a SWL, since the SWL's didn't have QSL' s
of their own to give the ham radio operators.

so SWL clubs issuing callsigns to shortwave listeners were born, so that the
shortwave listeners would have their own individual QSL to send to ham radio
operators in exchange for a QSL sent from the hams to the SWL's. (a fair
trade).

A lot of hams then would send their QSL' to SWL's since it was now a fair trade
with the ham radio operator also getting a QSL back that verified the shortwave
listeners heard him/her/them.