Officially licensed amateur radio operators may now use their call sign as their alternate name, or nickname, on their individual Facebook profiles. This thanks to Richard Bobbitt, NW7OR, who recently organized a petition drive on the social media site in the hope of achieving this goal.
It turned out that Jeff Ferland, KB1PNB, who works at the Facebook Headquarters in Menlo Park, California found the petition on an amateur radio Facebook Group to which he belongs. After doing a bit of research Ferland wrote the necessary code, then got it reviewed and approved.
To add your call Bobitt says to go to go to “Settings”, then click on “Edit Your Name.” In the middle of the page you will see the words “Alternate Name.” That’s where you can add your callsign.
Bobbitt says that the petition was originally the idea of Richard Allcorn, KW7PTL, without whom, this may not have happened so easily and quickly. Over 1000 hams on Facebook signed the petition within the first week or so after it was posted on the various Facebook ham radio pages.
(NW7OR)
