Overview
The Federal Communications Commission licenses new hams in one of three classes: Technician, General and Extra. The Technician class is entry level, while General is the next step up. Extra is the highest class with full transmit privileges.
If you’re new to the hobby and want to get licensed you’ll start with getting your Technician License.
We’re here to help!
We love helping future hams get licensed. We test at least once a month, and have members who can answer any questions you may have as you prepare for your exam. You can see when our next test session will be on our main page.
Study Aids
We recommend the following resources to help future hams prepare for their exam:
- The Easy Way series of books by Craig “Buck” K4IA https://www.easywayhambooks.com/
- https://hamstudy.org/
I’m ready to test, now what?
Once you’re ready to test you can do the following to get tested:
- Obtain an FRN number from the FCC website.
- Go to the above FCC website and follow their instructions.
- Keep your password written somewhere! It is difficult to reset.
- Register for an exam.
- You can register for our next exam session by clicking here.
- You can also contact us and inquire about other test sessions in the area coming up.
- You can also search for other test sessions on hamstudy.org/sessions
- What to bring
- On the day of your exam bring the following: 1) a photo ID, 2) your FRN number, 3) your exam fee (typically $14 or $15).
Once you’ve passed your exam
- Pay your exam fee on the FCC Pay Fees Site
- You can check on your application’s progress with the FCC Application Search
- You can also look up your callsign’s status for license upgrades with the FCC License Search
License Renewal
Amateur radio licenses are good for ten years, after which they must be renewed with the FCC. W5YI now offers a Complete Renewal Service. This is a concierge service where W5YI will file a application for renewal, pay the FCC application fee ( currently $35) and then print and USPS mail your renewed license along with a copy suitable for framing. For more information see the W5YI Renewal Form.