Radio call letters: What do they mean?
 

Call letters are assigned by the FCC but usually from a list of
preferences submitted by by the license applicant. Stations try to
choose call letters that mean something or can be said to stand for
something. Try KICY in Nome Alaska or KVI in Seattle (The transmitter
is on an island in Puget Sound - Vashon Island).

Other than the fact that the FCC issues 4 letter calls (with some
special exceptions for grandfathering) stations can ask for any
unassigned call. West of the Mississippi they start with K. East of
the Mississippi they begin with W. (Again with certain grandfathering
exceptions)

Prefixes for the US include W, K, A, and N. Note that all aircraft in
US registry have tail numbers that begin with N.

Anyone care to guess what the call letters HCJB, the pioneer shortwave
station in Quito Ecuador were chosen to mean?

Dave Olson
Broadcast Engineer