This is for Amateur (Ham) Radio in the US. Other countries have their own rules/regulations, although most of the usable frequencies are common. If one of our international members would like to get a license in their country but doesn't know where to start, PM me or post here. We'll try to give you a hand. Viewers (non-members) can always join the forums and then ask. :)
So why should you consider getting a Ham License?
- We advocate obeying local state and federal laws, rule and regulations and do not support unauthorized transmissions.
- Power: The "blister pack" handheld radios are typically 0.5 to 2 watts. CB Radios are 4 watts. Typical Ham handhelds (VHF/UHF) are 5 watts and base/mobile stations are 50-100 watts. Power amplifiers can take ham radios up to 1,500 watts for most bands and are against FCC rules for CB and FRS radios
- It's not as hard as you think. The secret weapon of one of the ham organizations I belong to is an eight year old who has a General license. If they can do, you can too.
- It's cheap. Taking the test is either free or limited to $15. Registering you license with the FCC is $35 and it's good for 10 years. That's $5/year. You can spend money on classes or books, but there are plenty of free online instruction and practice exams.
- Amateur radio is actually orientated toward preparedness as we usually provide support services in the recovery from hurricanes, floods, tornadoes and other disasters/emergencies.
- Experience and Training
- Frequencies – hams get privileges from below shortwave (HF or High Frequencies) as we call it all the way to microwave.
- Cost – you'll pay just about the same for a 25-50 watt Ham mobile radio as you will a 4 watt CB
- We advocate obeying local state and federal laws, rule and regulations and do not support unauthorized transmissions. (yes, I said that twice)
Common Questions about Ham Radio:
- Do I need to learn Morse Code? No, that requirement was removed in 2007.
- Do I need to build/repair radios? No, you can if you really want to but very few people do.
- How expensive is it to get started? Handheld radios (with programming cables and such) range from about $50-300 new, base/mobile stations run from about $600 to over $10,000 new and about half that used. Like any hobby you can spend as much as you want on it.
- Is it just sitting at home or in the car talking to people? No, there are numerous get out there are do things you can do. Examples are:
- ARES/RACES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service/Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service
- SKYWARN a national network that supports the national weather service and started as a tornado warning system.
- MARS (Military Auxiliary Radio System)
- Parks On The Air (POTA) you go to a designated state/national park and set-up a temporary station (sound prepper related?)
- Summits On The Air (SOTA) you pack your gear to a designated hill/mountain summit and set up a temporary station. (Summits are chosen so you can't just drive to the top – also prepper related)
- Pumpkin Patrol – our local Ham community coordinates with local law enforcement and has observer teams watching bridges around Halloween to report anyone who might be considering throwing pumpkins or anything else at passing cars.
- Bike and foot races usually use Hams at checkpoints to coordinate resupply or notify first responders if there is an emergency.
- Fox Hunting is where someone hides a transmitter (usually in a park) and people try to find it.
- Field Day is a national emergency preparedness exercise where individuals or groups set up (preferably off grid) and make as many contacts as they can. (It not a contest – they just have categories, you make points, can submit your scores and the results are published in a national magazine – but there's no prize so it's not a contest)
Classes of Licenses:
- Technician is the lowest and gives all VHF (50 MHz) and above privileges. There is a small band just above CB frequencies you can do voice on. There are several HF (Shortwave) bands you can do Morse Code on if you know it. (You can get software to run on a computer if you don't and want to do it anyways.)
- General is the next level and gives you privileges (Morse code, voice and data) on all of the HW band. This is a great license for a prepper, as the HF band give you long range (hundreds to thousands of miles) communication.
- Extra is very similar to General, but you get some additional frequencies on the bands already available to Generals.
Passing the Exam:
- The exams are all multiple choice and have 4 answers (A, B, C & D).
- For each question on the exam there are several "pool" questions, usually around 7 to 10 and only 1 of them will be on the exam. The entire pool of questions is published, with the answers.
- Technician and General each have 36 questions and you need to get 26 correct to pass.
- Extra has 50 questions and you need to get 37 right to pass.
- COVID changed Ham exams like everything else. Now you've an option to take the exam in person or online. I've never taken an online exam, so I'm not positive how they work but it sounds like they're Zoom or some other meeting and you probably have to share your screen so they make sure you don't cheat.
Study resources:
Right here – they're a number of experienced Hams here so post specific questions (to the Technician or General topic)
Local Ham community – many will have study groups, leave a post if you can't find one and we'll do what we can to help you.
HamTestOnline™ (https://www.hamtestonline.com/study.jsp)
https://hamradioprep.com/ (https://hamradioprep.com/)
Amazon.com : ham radio license manual arrl (https://www.amazon.com/s?k=ham+radio+license+manual+arrl&language=en_US&adgrpid=1224856957804048&hvadid=76553691233838&hvbmt=bb&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=105748&hvnetw=s&hvqmt=b&hvtargid=kwd-76553826915909%3Aloc-190&hydadcr=26863_11735941&msclkid=b54f89340aea13002652ecf5562db567&tag=txtstdbgdt-20&ref=pd_sl_4cbou180i5_b)
HamStudy.org: Cutting edge amateur radio study tools (https://hamstudy.org/)
HamExam.org: Free Amateur Radio Practice Tests with Flash Cards (https://www.hamexam.org/)
Getting Your Technician License (arrl.org) (https://www.arrl.org/getting-your-technician-license)
Upgrading to a General License (arrl.org) (https://www.arrl.org/upgrading-to-a-general-license)
How to find Hams in your AO
https://www.radioreference.com/db/browse/ (https://www.radioreference.com/db/browse/)
select your state
select your county
select Amateur Radio (on the upper left)
Scroll down to Callsigns by ZIP Code
Select your ZIP code
Before you take the exam, you need to create an account with the FCC and get a FCC Registration Number (FRN) – this is relatively new and I didn't have to do it when I was originally licensed. To go thru the process can be painful, but the FCC actually has a good walk thru. After you pass your test, you need to log back in and pay the $35 for the 10 year license.
FCC Getting FRN - Help
Getting an FCC Registration Number (FRN) in the Universal Licensing System (ULS) | Federal Communications Commission (https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/support/knowledge-base/universal-licensing-system-uls-resources/getting-fcc-registration)
Creating Account
FCC Registration - Login (https://apps.fcc.gov/cores/userLogin.do?csfrToken=)
Username needs to be a valid email address (I created an email account for just ham radio activity)
Record information (however you secure it – you might not need to login for another 10 years)
Taking the Exam:
Find an Online Exam Session (arrl.org) (http://www.arrl.org/online-exam-session)
Find an Amateur Radio License Exam in Your Area (arrl.org) (https://www.arrl.org/find-an-amateur-radio-license-exam-session)
Outstanding post Z.O.R.G! Super comprehensive and will be very helpful to a lot of people for a very long time. It's obvious that you put a lot of time and effort into putting this together. Thank you!
@majorhavoc Thank-you and it's my pleasure to get more people on the air. I'm working on the Technician topic now. Hopefully I'll get it up in the next few days.
I expect to finally be in a position to put time to this soon and I really, really appreciate this post.
I have a question about call signs. I assume I would get a call sign upon passing the Technician test, but I also see that call signs vary based on level attained for the Sequential Call Sign System. Do you get a whole new call sign each time you advance to a more advanced license?
https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/bureau-divisions/mobility-division/amateur-radio-service/amateur-call-sign-systems
You would start with a sequential callsign from Group D, since Group C is exhausted. Group B is reserved for Advanced Class license holders, but those stopped being issued about 25 years ago, so that Group is not currently issued. Group A is reserved for those operators holding Amateur Extra Class licenses.
If you choose to never change it, you can keep your original callsign as long as you keep your license current. Nothing says you need to change it once you go up high enough to merit changing class (which would currently only happen upon reaching Amateur Extra. However, there are also Vanity callsigns.
Those are callsigns that were previously issued, but their former owner no longer needs them. Those were often Silent Keys (deceased hams), or those whose licensed expired, were revoked, etc. There is a whole system around seeing what callsigns would be available to you, the licensed operator, once you chose to pursue this at some point following the issue of your sequential callsign. I chose a Vanity call to replace my original sequential one around the same time I passed the exam for Amateur Extra.
Quote from: Anianna on October 01, 2026, 02:29:37 AMDo you get a whole new call sign each time you advance to a more advanced license?
Quote from: airballrad on October 02, 2026, 09:34:36 PMhttps://www.fcc.gov/wireless/bureau-divisions/mobility-division/amateur-radio-service/amateur-call-sign-systems
You would start with a sequential callsign from Group D, since Group C is exhausted. Group B is reserved for Advanced Class license holders, but those stopped being issued about 25 years ago, so that Group is not currently issued. Group A is reserved for those operators holding Amateur Extra Class licenses.
If you choose to never change it, you can keep your original callsign as long as you keep your license current. Nothing says you need to change it once you go up high enough to merit changing class (which would currently only happen upon reaching Amateur Extra. However, there are also Vanity callsigns.
Those are callsigns that were previously issued, but their former owner no longer needs them. Those were often Silent Keys (deceased hams), or those whose licensed expired, were revoked, etc. There is a whole system around seeing what callsigns would be available to you, the licensed operator, once you chose to pursue this at some point following the issue of your sequential callsign. I chose a Vanity call to replace my original sequential one around the same time I passed the exam for Amateur Extra.
Quote from: Anianna on October 01, 2026, 02:29:37 AMDo you get a whole new call sign each time you advance to a more advanced license?
Do I understand correctly that a group D callsign would have six characters and look like either a K or a W followed by a letter, the numeral for my region, and three more letters?
Yes.
As for where in the sequence they currently are for Region 4, KR4PIO was issued yesterday. So, hypothetically, if you were to be the next call issued, you would get KR4PIP. When they run through the KR4's it will probably be KS4XXX
These are known as 2X3 callsigns because they have 2 letters (prefix), one Region number, then 3 letters (suffix).
Incidentally, the Region numbers still matter for sequential issue, but not much else. It used to be if you were moving from one Region to another you'd need to change your callsign. That is no longer the case, and you can pick a Vanity call with a Region number outside your Region.
Quote from: Anianna on October 02, 2026, 11:01:45 PMDo I understand correctly that a group D callsign would have six characters and look like either a K or a W followed by a letter, the numeral for my region, and three more letters?
I'd just like to add something here, knowing your penchant for keeping your address private.
In days past, the FCC required the physical location of your station be on the license, and thus publicly viewable. This is no longer the case. Now you only need a mailing address on the license, a place where FCC documents can be sent to you. It can be a P.O. box, or any other location you choose where you regularly receive and read mail. A relative's house, friend, or even a rental property are all good.
Quote from: Z.O.R.G. on February 19, 2024, 11:37:04 AMIt's not as hard as you think. The secret weapon of one of the ham organizations I belong to is an eight year old who has a General license. If they can do, you can too.
For many years I was a VE, a Volunteer Examiner, a ham specially certified to administer FCC Amateur license exams. As part of my local club we ran a technician class a couple of times per year, with testing on the last day of class, scored by myself or one of the other VEs "while you wait".
It was my distinct pleasure to test a 7-year-old YL, daughter of one of our VEs, and have her pass the full trifecta in one session. She went from unlicensed to amateur extra in about 45 minutes. (yes, her dad sat that testing session out, but he had taught her and tested her at home)
And here is where I'll toss out some free advice. As you study for your technician license you aren't only learning what you need for that exam, you're also getting bits and pieces of the other exams too. By the time you can hit scores of 90+ on the tech exam, your chances of passing the general exam sit around 75-80%. There is no extra fee involved in testing for a higher class license during the same session when you pass a lower class test. So, if you pass tech, test also for general, you stand a good chance of passing, especially if you study the theory and regulations, not just answers to the question pool.
When I passed my tech in 2011 it was after having held a 1st Class Commercial RT&T license back in the 1980s (which I let expire and went into computers instead), so it was mostly just relearning material I already knew, and the new acronyms. A few weeks after passing tech, and without any extra study, I sat for the general exam as "morale support" with a buddy who was really nervous about passing his tech. We both passed. Six months later, after a little more study (and a lot of operating hours under my belt), I sat for and passed my extra exam. My point is that, even if you don't test again right away, the knowledge tends to stay with you, especially if you're active on-air. And while there is nothing that says you have to go for general or extra (my best friend got tech same time I did, and is still a tech), being able to work all the bands at full power is rather nice.