New Callsign - W4LSG

As a young man, I remember hearing the local hams proudly giving their callsign on the air.  I remember being very excited to get a callsign of my own.  Back then (2001), the FCC processed the CSCE by mail, issued the callsign, and then mailed your license to you.  When I passed my Technician class test,  I waited forever to finally get my callsign in the mail.  When I opened the envelope and read my call, KG4LST, I thought "really?!"  I thought it was the most random and hardest to memorize callsign I had ever heard.  It was nothing like the other well established hams.

None the less, it was mine.  I created an email address and began using my callsign for all sorts of things. My friends and family learned it.  I created usernames online, made logbooks, got awards, purchased personalized callsign stuff for the shack, got a vanity tag for car, and even a couple years ago I started this blog.  I always felt like it was a basic call that presented as a Technician even though I was an Amateur Extra.  I had a few incidents where people mistook me as being in Guantanamo Bay because they issued KG4XX callsigns there.

One day I decided that after 18 years as KG4LST, it was time to change it.  Perhaps a W call...  I did alot of research to see what was available.  I thought my initials would be nice, but nope my initials aren't great and it wasn't available anyway.  W4LST would have been nice, but it was not available (in fact I've made contact with W4LST and have a QSL card on the wall).  I thought I wouldn't mind K4LST or N4LST...but no they weren't available.  Somehow after almost giving up, I thought up W4LSG.  The suffix contain letters that were all in my original call.  It sounded a bit like my original call, and it started with a W.  My wife even seemed to like it.  So I researched a bit more.

I found that W4LSG previously belonged to Nicholas Karangelen, JR (SK) from Norfolk, VA.  He seemed like a great guy with similar interests as myself.  He had gotten the callsign because it previously belong to his father.  Nick worked for NASA for 30 years and was active in his local club.  He passed away in 2013 and W4LSG expired in 2016...on my birthday.

I just felt good about it. So I put in my application and waited for a couple weeks.  I woke up this morning to fine the ULS showing KG4LST expired and W4LSG active.  Now I just have to get a new tag, callsign gear, log books, email address, logins, badges, DMR ID, Winlink setup, etc...what a long list of thigs to do!  Maybe I'll hang on to this one.

Here is a bit of information about Nick to remember his legacy:

Nicholas Karangelen Jr, of Little Bay Ave, Norfolk, VA, passed away on April 24, 2013. Born in Norfolk, VA to Nicholas and Vida Karangelen.

Nicholas was a United States Army veteran. He served three tours in Vietnam, and was awarded an Army Commendation Medal and the Bronze Star. Like his father, he was a high-speed CW (Morse code) operator, earning his Novice Amateur Radio license WN4HVE when he was 15 years old. He quickly upgraded to WA4OAE, and later changed to his father's callsign W4LSG.

Nick earned his single-engine and multi-engine pilot's licenses soon after leaving the Army, and he worked as a test engineering contractor to NASA Langley for 30 years. Nick enjoyed flying; radio and electronics; boating; swimming; hiking, camping; photography; gardening; cooking; literature; theater; and music. He loved to travel, exploring the beach, desert, and mountains.

73 OM I'LL TAKE IT FROM HERE DE W4LSG SK