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"Vanity" callsigns are used by many Amateur Radio operators (radio "hams"), especially in the United States.

When a person becomes a ham radio operator, he or she is issued a license callsign, by which they are identified. In the United States, these callsigns are issued "systematically," on the basis of the licensee's location and license class. For instance, a California ham will, by default, have a Zone 6 callsign, such as KI6HHH or N6AAA. Moving to another zone, they may keep the original callsign or request a new one from the list of calls for that zone.

Hams will usually develop their call into an unofficial word or an acronym. For instance, KA6PCD once belonged to an electronics technician, who said that his call stood for "Personal Computer Doctor." The next person to have that callsign might say that it means "Pretty Cute Daughter."

However, hams may also pay a small fee and apply to get a specific callsign, including calls from other zones, so long as they have the appropriate license class for the desired callsign format. The callsign also must conform to the prefix standard assigned to that area. For instance, an Amateur Extra might have W0OL (which is a "1 x 2" call), but a General-class licensee could not, because 1 x 2 calls are reserved for the Amateur Extra class. Likewise, a ham on the mainland could not get a callsign beginning with the KH6 prefix, which is assigned to Hawaii.

Beyond the prefix and format issue, nearly any available combination can be requested, if not already assigned to another ham. Many times, the reason for the choice is obvious (W4BOB belongs to a ham named Robert), less obvious but still likely (K1LDS is assigned to a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), or arcane (K0RN might belong to a fan of the Hee Haw television show, a self-deprecating comedian, or a farmer).

In addition to the normal reasons for a choice, someone may request the call of close relative who was a ham. In some cases, the callsign can pay homage, such as K6OMU, which could mean "Once My Uncle" if taken up by a nephew or niece who becomes a ham.

Due to the wide popularity of vanity calls, it is no longer possible to tell which zone an amateur radio operator calls home. In many cases, the ham has never been to the zone where that callsign would have been issued as a systematic call.