Virginia's 1st Amateur Radio Vanity License Plate
March 1953 Radio & Television News
March 1953 Radio & TV News
March 1953 Radio & Television News Cover - RF Cafe[Table of Contents]

Wax nostalgic about and learn from the history of early electronics. See articles from Radio & Television News, published 1919-1959. All copyrights hereby acknowledged.

The very first automobile vanity license plate issued in the state of Virginia for mobile radio was evidently to W4CVO per this news item in the March 1953 edition of Radio & Television News magazine. I could not find W4CVO in the FCC's Universal Licensing System database, but did find Mr. Thomas Tyson, of Alexandria, Virginia, listed as the assignee of the call sign per the Winter 1973 Radio Amateur Callbook. If anyone out there knows (or knew) him and/or recognizes this photo of him with his license plate, please send me an e-mail to confirm it. Am I correct in thinking Mr. Tyson looks a bit like a chunky version of Tom Hanks?

Mobile Radio License in Virginia

Tom Hanks - RF Cafe

Tom Hanks (unverified source)

* I changed color photo to B&W and added noise to make it look old.

- RF CafeMobile radio hams in Virginia have the benefit of the State's first departure from its regular licensing system: special call-letter license plates. Amateurs with fixed stations only were not accorded the privilege so there is incentive for more W4's to "get rolling."

 

 

Posted January 22, 2024
(updated from original post on 5/10/2017)