Getting your FCC Amateur Radio License

Why do you need a license?

The radio portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, which includes visable light as well as invisible to the eye x-rays, infrared and ultraviolet, is finite. Each country regulates the use of the spectrum. In the United States, the regulatory agency is the Federal Communication Commission (FCC).

For the frequencies allocated for amateur radio use, you must pass a FCC exam and obtain a license.

This process might seem daunting at first but it is simple once you begin to explore the process.

Exams are given and monitored by Volunteer Examiners authorized by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL). The ARRL website is a prime source of information for all things in Amateur Radio.

This ARRL describes the three licenses Technician, General and Extra in detail here:

http://www.arrl.org/getting-licensed

Register for an FRN number with the FCC. The FRN number is unique to you and is used in all communication with the FCC, including the processing of your license exam. Here is where you get the FRN number. https://apps.fcc.gov/coresWeb/publicHome.do

Study for the exam(s). There is a modest fee charged for sitting for an exam. However, you may take as many exams as you want at the same exam period as long as you pass the exams in sequence, Technician, General and Extra. Many people pass the Technician and General in one session. The General license gives almost all amateur privileges. The Extra license give extra slivers of spectrum on the bands but requires much more study to pass.

The pool of questions is in public domain and many be downloaded here:

http://www.arrl.org/question-pools

Note: The current question pool will change beginning in July 2022.

Of course, it is possible to memorize the answers to the questions in the pool. Exams draw questions from the pool of questions. However, little learning takes place.

Fortunately there are numerous online study course that present content and then offer test questions from the pool based on the content just learned.

One such system that I used to pass the Extra exam is here:

https://www.hamradiolicenseexam.com/index.html

The fees are modest and success on the exam is guaranteed or your money back.

Another online study system, which is free is https://hamstudy.org/. This study method also offers apps, which allow study without an Internet connection. https://hamstudy.org/appstore

The KB6NU study guide for the Technician license is found here.

AD7FO has created a source of study materials for all three licenses.