How to Get Your Ham Radio License
IMPORTANT INFO!!! FCC License Fees Have Increased as of April 19, 2022
Ham License Test Exam Fees are $15. The FCC now requires an additional $35 sent to them after you pass your exam to get your license issued.
Ham License Testing
In order to legally operate a ham radio, you need to get a license. There are three levels of ham radio licenses, Technician, General & Extra. You start and study for your Technician license first and then decide if you wish to go further into ham radio by upgrading your license to the other two levels. It is entirely up to you.
Studying for these tests is not overly difficult, but will be challenging depending on your understanding of the material being taught. However there are excellent study guides available to help you study and pass your exams. We have a few suggestions below that will get your started.
Passing the exam is the part this page covers. What to do the week after it — choosing a first radio, putting a working station together and getting through that first contact — is what Ham Radio for Non-Techies was written for.
Study and Practice Exam Resources
There are numerous online resources for you to use (most are free) in order to help you pass your exams. After you take some time to study for your exams and before you commit to taking them, you should take a couple practice exams to identify where you are strong and weak in your knowledge for the test.
Everyone learns differently and you need to find the way that works best for you to retain the information. We have a few suggestions below for helping you take those practice exams. There are online tools and apps for your phone that will help you along.
Don’t stress out over not having a perfect score your first time around. Pay attention to the data given to you and study the sections were you might be a little weak. Come back and take the practice exam again. If at some point you see your score between 75%-85% consistently, you are most likely good to go and ready to take the test. This is a general consensus in the ham radio community.
Online Resources
- Sign up for FREE Account
- Practice Tests for All Three Exams
- Offers a Study Mode
- Study Progress Charts
HamExam.org
- Sign up for FREE Account
- Practice Tests for All Three Exams
- Flash Cards for Studying
- Practice Exam Stats
- Sign up for FREE Account
- Practice Tests for All Three Exams
- Displays Your Answer Rate Percentage
Practice Apps for Your Phone (FREE)
US Amateur Radio Bands
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Technician Formulas
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The Phonetic Alphabet
Passed? Here is the part nobody prepares you for
Knowing the rules and knowing what to say are two different skills, and the second one is what makes people freeze the first time they pick up the microphone. There is no shame in it — it happens to nearly everybody, and it is the single most common reason a new operator gets licensed and then never actually gets on the air.
So we built the words out for you. Pocket Elmer has fifteen scripts covering your first transmission, calling someone, checking into a net, working a park, and what to do when your mind goes blank halfway through. Your callsign is filled in for you, in phonetics, so you can read it straight off the screen. Practise it in the car. It gets automatic faster than you would think.