Can anybody talk on ham radio?
NO. While anybody can LISTEN to amateur/ham radio frequencies, one must have a license to talk on ham radio frequencies.
How do I get a license?
Unlike General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) where you pay a $35 fee to the Federal Communication Commission (FCC), with amateur radio, you must take a 35-question multiple choice exam and then pay a $35 fee to the FCC after passing your exam.
Is the exam difficult?
Relatively speaking it can be difficult if you are not familiar with the material. The entry level exam (Technician class) comprises 35 multiple choice questions. These questions come from a pool of 400, which are broken up into 10 sections. There are anywhere from 2-6 questions per section.
What are the 10 sections on the Technician test?
The 10 sections include: Commission rules, Operating procedures, Radio wave propagation, Amateur Radio practices, Electrical principles, Electrical and electronic components, practical circuits, Signals and emissions, Antennas and feed lines, and Safety.
Is there an age restriction for amateur radio?
No. The youngest ham radio operator is believed to be 5 years old. Ages do vary in the hobby and while most people may be older, it is certainly inviting to younger people.
How can I get started studying for my exam?
The Androscoggin Amateur Radio Club has current study guides to help people study for their exam. We have the ARRL Technician, General and Extra books. Please come to a meeting to learn more about borrowing these publications. Hamstudy.org is a great resource to study for your test. You can sign up for a free account and take practice tests. When you are logged in to hamstudy.org, your progress can be tracked. It is recommended that after selecting the test element (Technician, General or Extra) that you click on STUDY MODE. You can either randomly see questions or focus on specific sections of the test. It is recommended that after you have seen all of the questions on the exam, once you are scoring 85-90% consistently on your practice exams, you should be ready to take your test. Josh, callsign KI6NAZ, from Youtube’s Ham Radio Crash Course, has great videos for each subelement of the Technician exam to help you study.
Where do I take my test?
The Androscoggin Amateur Radio Club offers in-person testing. Please come to a club meeting to learn more. Alternatively, you can take your exam online from the comfort of your own home. The folks with the WM7X testing team are available on demand to test you remotely.
How much does it cost to take a ham radio test?
The ARRL VEC (Volunteer Examination Coordinator) charges $15 for the exam. Part of this fee goes to the American Radio Relay League and the other part goes to support the testing team (which helps pay for their equipment and resources). If you fail your exam, you must pay another $15 testing fee to retake your exam. There is no waiting period to retake your exam.
Once you pass your exam, the FCC will send you an email requesting a $35 processing fee for your license. Please be sure to pay this using a laptop or desktop (the FCC site is not optimized for mobile devices).
So as not to recreate the wheel, WM7X offers a great explanation on how to prep for your exam, which requires registering for a FCC Registration Number (FRN). Please read the information here.
How long is a ham radio license good for?
Your amateur radio license is good for 10 years before you need to renew it. There is a 2 year grace period to renew, but once it expires, you cannot operate (cannot transmit until it is renewed). If you fail to renew after 12 years, you must take your exam to get your license again.
If I have a GMRS license, do I still need to pay a $35 fee to the FCC for my amateur radio license?
Yes. GMRS is a different radio service than Amateur Radio so a $35 fee still applies.