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Non-Road Boards => Off-Topic => Topic started by: cjk374 on June 03, 2018, 11:25:02 AM

Title: License plate question
Post by: cjk374 on June 03, 2018, 11:25:02 AM
This morning I saw a Nebraska amateur radio license plate: AD0QH

The zero had a line through it, something I have never seen on any other plate. Is that only used for amateur radio plates to distinguish the zero from the letters "q" & "h"? Does any other state do that?
Title: Re: License plate question
Post by: mgk920 on June 03, 2018, 11:38:42 AM
Quote from: cjk374 on June 03, 2018, 11:25:02 AM
This morning I saw a Nebraska amateur radio license plate: AD0QH

The zero had a line through it, something I have never seen on any other plate. Is that only used for amateur radio plates to distinguish the zero from the letters "q" & "h"? Does any other state do that?

I've seen Iowa do that ('Ø' instead of '0') on their regular issue plates, too.

Mike
Title: Re: License plate question
Post by: abefroman329 on June 03, 2018, 12:08:26 PM
I'm almost positive Illinois used to do that.
Title: Re: License plate question
Post by: SSOWorld on June 03, 2018, 01:31:16 PM
Wisconsin doesn't use O. so it might be hard to do one.
Title: Re: License plate question
Post by: GaryV on June 03, 2018, 01:49:51 PM
Quote from: SSOWorld on June 03, 2018, 01:31:16 PM
Wisconsin doesn't use O. so it might be hard to do one.

Michigan either, as far as I know.  If you want a vanity plate with a word with an O (letter) in it, they replace it with a 0 (zero).
Title: Re: License plate question
Post by: MNHighwayMan on June 04, 2018, 12:23:35 AM
Quote from: mgk920 on June 03, 2018, 11:38:42 AM
Quote from: cjk374 on June 03, 2018, 11:25:02 AM
This morning I saw a Nebraska amateur radio license plate: AD0QH

The zero had a line through it, something I have never seen on any other plate. Is that only used for amateur radio plates to distinguish the zero from the letters "q" & "h"? Does any other state do that?
I've seen Iowa do that ('Ø' instead of '0') on their regular issue plates, too.

Yep, all Iowa plates with a zero use a zero with a diagonal slash through them. I'm not sure I've seen any plates that are supposed to use the letter O, but I haven't paid much attention either. (Hence why I only recently learned, through this forum, that Iowa's using a new design printed on plastic plates and not aluminum! :-D I actually saw one of the new plates for the first time earlier today, and I had to do a double-take. It looked really fake to me.)
Title: Re: License plate question
Post by: US 89 on June 04, 2018, 01:15:21 AM
Quote from: GaryV on June 03, 2018, 01:49:51 PM
Quote from: SSOWorld on June 03, 2018, 01:31:16 PM
Wisconsin doesn't use O. so it might be hard to do one.

Michigan either, as far as I know.  If you want a vanity plate with a word with an O (letter) in it, they replace it with a 0 (zero).

Same for Utah. I don't think they use the letters I or Q either, although I'm not 100% sure about those.
Title: Re: License plate question
Post by: roadfro on June 06, 2018, 04:10:33 AM
Nevada does not use the slash through the zero on license plates. The letter "O"  is not used in standard issue alphanumeric plates (neither is "I"  or "Q" ).

Nevada does allow "O"  in personalized plates. Interestingly, opposite from the characteristics of most typical fonts, the width of the letter "O"  character is thinner than the width of number "0" . (This was especially true in the 2000-era flat plates, where "0"  looked like a rounded rectangle whereas the letter "O"  looked more like a thinner oval.)
Title: Re: License plate question
Post by: ET21 on June 06, 2018, 08:33:03 AM
Quote from: abefroman329 on June 03, 2018, 12:08:26 PM
I'm almost positive Illinois used to do that.

Yup they did
Title: Re: License plate question
Post by: MNHighwayMan on June 06, 2018, 09:18:20 AM
I know Iowa uses Q, largely because the plates for my car have one. :biggrin: I do believe I and O are not used, however. (Since this line of conversation started, I've been on the lookout, and haven't seen any.)
Title: Re: License plate question
Post by: hotdogPi on June 06, 2018, 09:26:30 AM
Massachusetts plates almost always use 0 instead of O (which means that if you get a vanity plate that's a word with an O in it, your registration will expire in October*). However, I have seen the occasional O, which has more rectangular corners than the 0 does.

Q is not used, and I don't think I is, either.

*Last digit determines expiration month: 1-9 for January-September, and 0 for October. This does not apply for commercial vehicles, as far as I know; November/December expirations do exist.

----

New Hampshire uses digits only, numbered sequentially (they're in the 4 millions now despite only having a population of 1.2 million), unless it's a vanity plate. However, there are "moose plates", and I don't know which letters are or aren't used, or the difference between a "moose plate" and a regular plate.
Title: Re: License plate question
Post by: catch22 on June 06, 2018, 01:26:18 PM
Quote from: cjk374 on June 03, 2018, 11:25:02 AM
This morning I saw a Nebraska amateur radio license plate: AD0QH

The zero had a line through it, something I have never seen on any other plate. Is that only used for amateur radio plates to distinguish the zero from the letters "q" & "h"? Does any other state do that?

Amateur radio operators have traditionally used a "slash zero" to differentiate it from the letter O.  It's my guess that in some states, AROs have convinced the issuing authority to use this convention on ARO plates as well.  I don't recall ever seeing a Michigan ARO plate with a zero so I have no idea if that's the case here (most call signs around here have "8" for the region code).
Title: Re: License plate question
Post by: kalvado on June 06, 2018, 01:31:23 PM
Quote from: catch22 on June 06, 2018, 01:26:18 PM
Quote from: cjk374 on June 03, 2018, 11:25:02 AM
This morning I saw a Nebraska amateur radio license plate: AD0QH

The zero had a line through it, something I have never seen on any other plate. Is that only used for amateur radio plates to distinguish the zero from the letters "q" & "h"? Does any other state do that?

Amateur radio operators have traditionally used a "slash zero" to differentiate it from the letter O.  It's my guess that in some states, AROs have convinced the issuing authority to use this convention on ARO plates as well.  I don't recall ever seeing a Michigan ARO plate with a zero so I have no idea if that's the case here (most call signs around here have "8" for the region code).

Seems plausible. Quick google run:
(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XFOo6Fkh3cc/maxresdefault.jpg)
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bufs-plates.com%2Fradio%2Fks-amateur.jpg&hash=c6302966960034c6ea1c5d38da5ab689ed532697)
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jakebechtold.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F11%2F268979_10152814818610176_110902409_n.jpg&hash=a8c5b650a3228052ec9e15f112052cbb05f21edd)
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.meatballracing.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2FKF0ELL-plate-1024x768.jpg&hash=fe5f05909fa74454d3d167192070d927bd1755e5)