This time, I am going to walk you through how to register for an amateur (HAM) radio license by walking you through the steps and details involved.

Overview

In order to operate amateur (HAM) radio, you must possess an FCC license and utilize your FCC-issued callsign when operating. There are currently three amateur radio license levels, each allowing use of more frequencies than the previous. The current levels are Technician, General, and Amateur Extra.

The FCC licensing fee for amateur radio is currently $35.00; and your license is good for 10 years.

Getting a license to operate amateur radio is not all that complicated. It just involves studying and passing an exam before you can operate. When you pass the exam, it will enable you to operate at the level of licensing you passed the exam for. There are 35 questions pulled from a pool of 400 for the Technician exam, as an example. Many start at the Technician’s level, like myself. However, others may opt to go ahead and test for their General or even Amateur Extra when starting out, if they so choose. 

The overall poor usability of the FCC websites (CORES and ULS) is arguably still the biggest pain about the whole process. Not to worry though, as we are going to give you an overview of what is needed to obtain your amateur radio license as well as a few basics in maintaining your license with the FCC.

FCC Registration Number (FRN)

First thing’s first. You must have an FCC Registration Number (FRN). This FRN uniquely identifies you and associates your license(s) to you. You need an FRN to register for an exam session; and you will need it again once you get to your exam session to complete another form at the beginning. We’ll get more into that coming up.

Follow our instructions for obtaining an FRN in our post found under Related Content below. Go ahead and get this out of the way.

Bonus: Safety Tip

Consider using a PO Box or PO Box service instead of your actual address when registering with the FCC. Your address will ultimately be published anywhere and everywhere your callsign will be once you become licensed. This is mostly just a safety tip, as you may not like your home address being made public.

Study, Study, Study

To start, study for your Technician’s license. If you are feeling confident, go ahead and study for your General or maybe even Amateur Extra. You should be able to test for them at the same time. Be prepared with the material before you go to test. If you are planning to test for the more advanced licenses at the same time, you will test for each level in sequence.

Consider online, practice test options to better prepare. You will want to score 85%+, multiple times, on any online practice test before scheduling your real exam.

Exam Sessions and What You Can Expect

Exams are administered by a team of volunteer examiners (VEs). You will need to find an organization, such as a local radio club, that offers exam sessions and that has a team of VEs. There are a few ways to find exam sessions. You can go to the ARRL’s exam session search engine (link in Resources below) or you can run a search on the web for “amateur radio exam session in my area” or similar to get started.

Once you find an organization to take the exam through, you may need to register with them, so you can reserve your spot. Every organization is different, some require prior registration, while others do not. Follow the instructions on their website. You will need to decide on an offered day and time for taking the exam with them. In doing so, you will want to ensure the day and time you choose provides you with enough time to get as prepared as you think you need to be. After all, we want you to pass!

Additionally, you will need to pay close attention to the things you are and are not allowed to take to the exam session. Again, consult the website of the organization you have registered with for details. Part of the VEs’ role is to ensure there is no form of cheating during exams.

Note that most exam sessions require a cash fee, typically $15.00 or less; and you will pay it in-person on the day of your exam. And don’t forget your FRN! You will need it to complete a form when you arrive for your exam (the NCVEC Form 605), with just some basic information about yourself including your FRN.

Congrats! You Passed!

Once you pass the exam for the level of license you tested for, the team of VEs will verify and then pass your information along to their volunteer examiner coordinator (VEC) organization for review. The VEC then takes the NCVEC Form 605, which you completed at the exam, and completes an electronic FCC Form 605 on their end. Information you provided via the NCVEC Form 605 will help the VEC complete the FCC Form 605 accurately. The VEC then submits the FCC form 605, along with a Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination (CSCE), to the FCC for processing.

The FCC uses Form 605 to verify your exam results and confirm your identity, as well as for licensing and fee processing. Once the FCC has received the necessary documentation from the VEC, they will then send you a bill for your licensing fee of $35.00 (at the time of the writing of this post). This seems to be a pretty quick process.

Obtaining Your Amateur (HAM) Radio License and Callsign

Once you have paid the licensing fee through the FCC ULS, the FCC will then issue your license and amateur radio callsign. This can generally take a couple of days to a week. It happened pretty fast for me.

Important: Your ability to operate begins once your callsign and information is available through the FCC ULS database. You are responsible for confirming its availability through the database before you attempt to operate for the first time. Log into the FCC ULS to view your license under My Licenses.

Managing Your Amateur Radio License

Once you have one or more radio licenses, you will need to go to the My Licenses page each time you log in to the FCC’s ULS website. Here, you will see a list of both your amateur as well as your GMRS licenses, if applicable (with the associated callsigns).

In this area, you can view or update the information for your licenses. You are able to update the licensee name and address associated with the license. As of this post, the Update link is over in the right rail once you select a license you are wanting to make changes to.

What if You Fail

Let’s say you fail all licensing levels you attempted to test for. That’s OK. You just go back and study more and go through the process again. The positives? You now know where you will most likely be able to find an exam session again in the future; and you already have your FRN.

Why Amateur?

As a sidebar note (not a part of any ‘how-to’ process), I wanted to share some of the reasons to consider amateur radio and why it is so cool:

• Easily get onto and talk on repeaters in your area. (Too, there are generally more repeaters for amateur radio than there are for GMRS, location dependent, of course.)
• Lots of antenna options.
• Ability to do continuous Wave (CW), better known as morse code.
• Listen to or talk to the International Space Station.
• Communicate great distances, even around the world.
• Offers the capability of communicating via satellites.
• A solid choice of an alternative means of communication, when landlines or cellular networks are down, especially during emergencies.
• Still supports station-to-station (or radio-to-radio), simplex communication (without repeaters).
• Enables the opportunity to join Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES).
• Flexibility with numerous possibilities with available radios, antennas, frequencies, and set-up.
• You can keep things simple or deep dive into the hobby; and it allows for a whole range in between.
• ???

What others come to mind not mentioned above? Leave them in the comments below.

Resources

• FCC Registration – Commission Registration System (CORES)
• FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS)
• FCC ULS Login
• FCC Amateur Radio Service
• What to Bring to an Exam Session on Exam Day
• ARRL – The National Association for Amateur Radio
• ARRL – Find an Amateur Radio License Exam Session
• Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES)
• Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS)
• HAM Radio Prep (I mention these guys, because they are great; but also because they are who I used to study when I started out. At the time, I was not well versed in all the various options available for studying and preparation. Note: I have no affiliation with HAM Radio Prep.)
• Gwinnett Amateur Radio Society (GARS) (Local radio clubs can also be a fantastic option for knowledge, as they likely offer both studying and/or testing options, as well as a wealth of knowledge available through members. GARS is an example of just such an organization. GARS also offers both “HAM Cram” sessions (class/studying) as well as exam sessions. If you are in the area, you definitely should check them out. Look for clubs in your area. Note: GARS has not asked me to mention them.)
• HAM Radio Crash Course (A solid HAM resource, again no affiliation.)

Conclusion

While getting an amateur radio license is more involved, by needing to take and pass an exam, it is not complicated. If you study enough, there is no reason why you cannot pass the exam. I would recommend at least 2 weeks of serious studying to get prepared for at least the Technician’s exam.

We are sure the information and resources we have provided here in our how-to guide on registering for a HAM radio license will help you on your journey in getting started with amateur (HAM) radio. Good luck and maybe we will talk on the air some time!

And a big shout out and ‘thank you’ to our editor and reviewer extraordinaire for this post, Richard K. I appreciate ya.

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