Overview of the Licensing Process #
Becoming a licensed amateur radio operator in the United States involves passing one or more exams administered by volunteer examiners. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has established three levels of amateur radio licenses, each building upon the knowledge and privileges of the previous level.
License Classes #
Key Information: The FCC currently issues Technician, General, and Amateur Extra class licenses.
Technician Class: This is the entry-level license and the focus of this book. It provides operating privileges on all VHF and UHF amateur bands and some limited privileges on HF bands.
General Class: The next step up, requiring passage of both the Technician and General exams. It grants significantly more HF privileges.
Amateur Extra Class: The highest class of license, requiring passage of all three exams. It provides full privileges on all amateur radio bands.
To progress to a higher class, you must pass the exam for that class as well as all lower classes. For example, to obtain a General Class license, you must pass both the Technician and General exams.
License Issue, Expiration, and Renewal #
Once you pass your exam and your license application is submitted you will receive an email from the FCC instructing you to pay a $35 application fee on their online portal. Once you have completed that step your license will usually appear in the database the next morning.
Key Information: It’s important to maintain a valid email address with the FCC, as failure to do so could result in license suspension or revocation.
If the FCC attempts to reach you by email and is unable to do so even after you are licensed they may choose to revoke or suspend your license, so make sure your contact information is always current.
Some applications are flagged for manual (human) review for various reasons; in those cases there may be a delay before you are instructed to pay the fee. The VE (Volunteer Examiner) team you test with should be able to help you navigate any challenges!
Key Information: An amateur radio license is valid for ten years from the date of issue.
Your license becomes valid as soon as your operator/station license grant appears in the ULS (Universal Licensing System), the FCC’s online license database.
You can renew your license as early as ninety (90) days before it expires by signing in through the FCC license manager website (the same website you use to pay your fee). If you have any issues you can contact the FCC support using contact information from their website.
Key Information: If your license expires, you have a two-year grace period to renew it. During this grace period, you may not transmit until the renewal is processed.
If you do not renew your license before the end of that grace period you will lose your license and call sign and will have to take the exam again to become licensed again.
If you were once licensed and had a General or Amateur Extra class license you can regain your previous privileges after just passing the Technician class license exam – talk with your VE team for more information!
Finding Exam Sessions #
There are several ways to find local exam sessions:
HamStudy.org: Visit https://hamstudy.org/sessions to search for both in-person and online exam sessions.
ARRL Website: The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) maintains a list of exam sessions at https://www.arrl.org/find-an-amateur-radio-license-exam-session.
Local Amateur Radio Clubs: Many clubs host regular exam sessions. Check with clubs in your area for upcoming dates.
Remember that even if you find the exam session through HamStudy or another website they are usually just listing exam sessions for a specific team of Volunteer Examiners – you need to contact that team directly with any questions. If you register for the exam via HamStudy.org, for example, you should receive a registration email that you can reply to in order to contact the VE team.
Remote Exams #
Since 2020, remote exam sessions have become widely available. These allow you to take your exam from home using video conferencing software. To participate in a remote exam:
- Ensure you have a reliable internet connection and a webcam.
- Have a clean, private space for taking the exam.
- Be prepared to show your exam environment to the examiners.
- Visit https://ham.study/sessions/online to find available remote sessions.
When registering for a remote exam, carefully read all instructions provided by the exam team. Pay attention to any specific software requirements or pre-exam procedures they may have.
