Get your amateur radio license
No Morse code. No age limit. Four steps, and most people go from knowing nothing to a callsign in about a month of casual study.
Four steps to your callsign
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Study for the Technician exam
Every question that can appear on the exam is published in advance, so you are studying the real thing. Free practice tests will tell you when you are ready; books and online courses cover the same pool. A few sessions a week for two to four weeks is typical.
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Register with the FCC for an FRN
The FCC identifies you by an FRN — an FCC Registration Number. Registering in the FCC’s CORES system is free and takes a few minutes, and the exam team cannot file your license without it. Choose the mailing address with some care: it becomes public alongside your name and callsign.
Register for an FRN at FCC CORES What the FCC publishes about you
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Take the exam
Volunteer Examiner teams run sessions in person all over the country, and many teams test online over video. Technician is 35 multiple-choice questions and you need 26 right. Bring photo ID, your FRN and the exam fee — you usually find out you passed within minutes.
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Get on the air
Your callsign appears in the FCC database, usually within a couple of business days, and then you may transmit. Join a local club, borrow or buy a handheld, and make your first contact through a nearby repeater — someone will happily talk you through it.
What it costs
Studying can be completely free. Exam sessions are usually around $15, and the FCC charges a separate $35 application fee for a new license. The license then runs for ten years, and the same application fee applies when you renew it.
Three classes, increasing privileges
In the United States there are three amateur licenses. You start at the first one. Each later exam is optional, and each one gives you more of the radio spectrum.
| Technician | General | Amateur Extra | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exam length | 35 questions | 35 questions | 50 questions |
| Pass mark | 26 correct | 26 correct | 37 correct |
| Best for | Local contacts, repeaters, satellites, digital modes | Talking worldwide on shortwave | Every frequency amateurs are allowed |
| What it adds | All VHF and UHF bands, plus a slice of shortwave | Most of the shortwave bands | The remaining shortwave segments |
| Typical study | Two to four weeks, casually | A few more weeks | Longer — more theory and math |
Technician — where everyone starts
The Technician exam covers basic rules, safe operating, and enough electronics to keep you and your neighbors out of trouble. With it you can use handheld and mobile radios, talk through local repeaters, work amateur satellites, send digital messages and take part in emergency communications. For a lot of operators this is all they ever need.
General — the worldwide license
General opens up most of the shortwave (HF) bands, which is where you talk to other countries with no infrastructure in between. Most people take it within a year of their Technician, and a fair number take both exams on the same day — there is no waiting period.
Amateur Extra — the full ticket
Extra adds the remaining slices of spectrum, popular for contests and for chasing rare stations. The exam goes deeper into theory, circuits and rules. There is no rush: take it when the extra frequencies would actually be useful to you.
You can take more than one exam in a sitting
Exam teams will let you attempt the next license in the same session, usually at no extra charge if you passed the one before it. If you feel confident, study for two and try both. How upgrading works.
Common questions
Do I need to learn Morse code?
No. The United States dropped the Morse code requirement for all license classes in 2007. Plenty of operators still learn CW because they enjoy it — and if you are under 20 and reach 20 WPM, you can apply for our Alfred Vail 20-20 Young Keyers Award.
Is there a minimum age?
No. There is no minimum or maximum age. Licensed operators in the US include children in elementary school and people in their nineties.
What does it cost?
Study material can be free. Exam sessions are usually about $15, and the FCC charges a $35 application fee for a new license. The license lasts ten years, and the same application fee applies when you renew it.
Can I test online?
Yes. Several VE teams run remotely proctored exams by video, so you can test from home in the evening.
Do I need to buy a radio first?
No, and we suggest you do not. Get licensed, visit a club and try other people’s equipment before spending money.
What exam day is like
Amateur exams are run by volunteers who are radio operators themselves. They want you to pass. It is nothing like a driving test.
What to bring
- Photo ID — a driver’s license or passport.
- Your FCC FRN — get this in advance; the team cannot file your license without it.
- The exam fee — usually a small amount. Check how the team wants to be paid.
- A basic calculator (optional) and a pen. No phones during the exam.
How the session runs
You sign in
The team checks your ID and FRN and gives you an answer sheet. Expect anything from three people in a library room to fifty at a hamfest.
You take the test
35 multiple-choice questions for Technician, and you need 26 right. There is no time pressure in practice — most people finish in 20 to 30 minutes.
It is graded on the spot
Three volunteer examiners grade it while you wait. You normally find out within minutes.
You can try the next one
If you passed, they will usually let you attempt the General exam straight away, often for no extra fee.
Testing online
Many teams now run exams over video call, so you can test from home in the evening. You will need a webcam, a phone or second camera showing your room, and a quiet space.
If you do not pass
You can retake it the same day at most sessions, usually for another fee. Very few people need to — the entire question pool is published in advance, so if your practice scores are consistently in the 80s you are ready.
After you pass
The team files the paperwork electronically. Your callsign appears in the FCC database in a couple of business days, and the FCC emails you about its application fee — pay it and the license is issued. You may not transmit until your callsign is actually in the database.
Where to go next
Amateur radio wiki
Bands, equipment, antennas, operating practice and propagation, written and edited by licensed operators.
What is ham radio?
A plain-English introduction for anyone still deciding whether the hobby is for them, and a ten-question taster exam.
Find a club near you
Clubs run classes, lend equipment and sit new operators down in front of a radio. Most of them will walk you through your first contact.