Old Amateur Radio Call Books 1906 -1997
Some ARRL Handbooks
National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting  West Chester Amateur Radio Assn. (USA-Ohio)

Most are searchable depending of quality of OCR.
Instructions: Click on date to download.
OCR can often confuse an 8 for a B, a 0 for an O, an i for an L or 1 and other similarities. If your search is unsuccessful try substituting a look-a-like for the other. A search for partial calls can be successful. Viewing works best by downloading the file and viewing in a PDF reader like Adobe Reader. Viewing using your browser may not work well because of the large file size.  Sources  73 - Lee - K8CLI
 

  1906 Oct Link to Early Radio History Website   1953 Fall 305 MB  
  1909 May 3 MB from Wireless Electronics   1954 Spring 200 MB  
  1909 May 11 MB, Wireless Bluebook, 4th Annual   1955 Fall 145 MB  
  1910 May 12 MB   1956 Spring 165 MB  
  1911 May 3.0 MB   1957 Fall 330 MB  
  1912 Note 1 Not  available   1958 Summer 840 MB  
  1913 May 13  MB     1959 Spring 460 MB, USA  
  1914 May 12  MB   1959 Spring 300 MB, Foreign  
  1914 July 43  MB     1960 Winter 220 MB  
  1915 July 43  MB     1961 Fall 705 MB  
  1916 July 117 MB   1962 Fall 475 MB, USA  
  1917
1918
1919		 Note 2 Not  available   1962 Winter 305 MB, Foreign  
^Top^ 1919 Dec 03 MB   1963 Summer 270 MB  
  1920 June 20 MB     1964 Fall 580 MB  
  1921 June 100 MB   1965 Summer 255 MB Foreign  
  1922 May 35 MB     1966 Spring 750 MB  
  1922 June 175 MB   1967 Fall 295 MB  
  1922 November 25  MB     1968 Spring 990 MB  
  1923 June 50  MB     1968 Summer 1.1 GB  
  1923 May    Nov 40  MB     1968 Winter 1.0 GB  
  1924 May 07  MB     1969 Fall 910 MB Foreign  
  1924 June 70  MB    1970 Spring 300 MB  
  1925 Summer 65  MB    1971 Fall 295 MB  
  1926 Annual 30  MB    1972 Winter 310 MB Foreign  
  1926 June 85  MB    1973 Winter 520 MB USA + Foreign  
  1927 June 60  MB    1974 Winter 1.0 GB  
  1927 June 165 MB   1975 Winter 830 MB  
^Top^ 1928 September 107 MB   1976 Winter 1.3 GB  
  1928 June 275 MB   1977 Winter 325 MB  
  1929 June 70   MB    1978 Winter 480 MB Foreign  
  1930 June 445 MB    1978 Winter 480 MB Foreign  
  1931 June 280 MB   1979 Winter (0-4)
 Winter (5-9)		 760 MB
790 MB		  
  1932 Fall 84 MB   1980 Winter 450 MB  
  1933 Spring 190 MB   1981 Winter 505 MB Foreign  
  1934 Fall   90 MB   1982 Winter 460 MB  
  1935 Spring 100  MB   1983 Winter 295 MB  
  1936 Spring   70 MB   1984 Winter 470 MB  
  1937 Fall 145 MB   1985 Winter 460 MB  
  1938 Spring   70  MB   1986 Winter 520 MB  
  1939 Spring 200 MB   1987 Winter 1.4  GB  
  1940 Spring  60  MB   1988 Winter 520 MB Foreign  
^Top^ 1941 Spring 340 MB
225 MB 		  1989 Winter 540 MB  
  1941
1942		 Winter 108 MB   1990 Winter 1.4  GB  
  1943
1944
1945		 Note 3 Not Available   1991 Winter 560 MB  
  1946 Summer 125 MB   1992 Winter 610 MB Foreign  
  1947 Fall 265 MB   1993 Winter 650 MB  
  1948 Fall 145 MB   1994 Winter 1.2 GB  
  1949 Summer 195 MB, USA   1995 Winter 760 MB Foreign, Vol 73  
  1949 Summer 135 MB, Foreign   1996 Winter 800 MB  
  1950 Summer 555 MB    1997 Annual 860 MB  
  1951 Spring 110 MB          
^Top^ 1952 Fall 765 MB          

                                                Online ARRL - Amateur Radio Handbooks
    1931   58 MB   1976  90 MB    
    1936   37 MB   1977 137 MB    
    1941   78 MB   1981   57 MB    
    1968   49 MB   1985 Link Only    
^Top^   1974   43 MB          

Hard copy ARRL Handbooks
available at the museum:

- - - - 1941 1951 1961 1971  
1932 1942* - - - - 1962 1972  
1933 1943 1953 1963 1973  
1934 1944 1954 1964 1974  
1935 1945 1955 1965 1975  
1936 1946 1956 1966 1976  
1937 1947 1957 1967 1977  
1938 1948 1958 1968 1978  
1939 1949 - - - - 1969 - - - -  
1940 1950 1960 1970 - - - -  
*  Regular and Defense      

Note 1: Amateur radio licensing began in 1912 and required 5 WPM code. The Bureau of Navigation, a division of the Department of Commerce, regulated United States radio until the 1927 formation of the FRC (Federal Radio Commission). In 1934 the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) succeeded the FRC.

Note 2: Amateur Radio was shut down for the duration of World War I and the Department of Commerce cancelled all amateur licenses. Consequently hams lost their call signs that were issued just a few years earlier. After the war amateurs were relicensed with new call signs rather than their previously held call signs.

Note 3: Amateur Radio was shut down on December 7, 1941 because of WWII as it was in other countries of the world for the duration of the conflict.

  ^Top^                                                 Sources

Most call books are from the Internet Archive Wayback Machine and consolidated into one document for ease of searching. Sources include the Wireless Blue Book of the Wireless Association of America, Amateur Radio Stations-US Commerce Department (Radio Division) and Radio Amateur Call Book Magazine.

U.S. Amateur Radio Call Sign Lookups from University of Arkansas at Little Rock   (Mirrors FCC Database) An Overview of Amateur Call Signs Past and Present
By: Phil Sager WB4FDT and Rick Palm K1CE, QST, May 1994

History of Amateur Radio License Changes (1912-2006) by: Tom Hashem, KA1F

How to Find Old Amateur Radio Call Signs by Richard P. Clem, W0IS

Early Radio History by Thomas H. White

1960-1997  by W3HF, Steve Melachrinos, 2007

Foot note: This listing began from necessity.
I am with the National VOA Museum of Broadcasting and we have a huge archives. Often items are donated by hams. Consequently, we need to determine details about the donor using their call sign and it became a nuisance to locate accurate information about an amateur radio call sign. Assembling this list has been a big help to me and other archivists at the museum.

BTW, if you ever get to Cincinnati stop in and see us. See the website for hours of operation. Let me know you're coming and I will try to be there to explain some of the exhibits and you can walk inside the Collins 821-A 250 kW transmitter.
73, Lee, K8CLI, Email

  ^Top^

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