Get a US ham radio licence (Technician)

1Get an FRN before anything else

An FCC Registration Number is your identity in the FCC's system and it is mandatory on the exam paperwork.

• Go to the FCC CORES site (apps.fcc.gov/cores) and create a username account.
• Register a new FRN under that account. It is issued immediately and is free.
• Write the ten-digit FRN down; you will need it on exam day and for the payment step.

2Study the current question pool, not last year's

The Technician (Element 2) pool in force from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2030 has about 410 questions across ten subelements: rules, operating, radio waves, station setup, electrical principles, components, antennas, safety and so on.

• Pick one study tool built on the 2026–2030 pool: HamStudy.org (free, web and app), the ARRL Technician manual, or Ham Radio Prep.
• Drill until practice exams sit consistently above 85%. The pass mark is 26 of 35 (74%); a margin absorbs exam nerves.
• Give the "radio wave characteristics" and "safety" subelements a real read — they carry the most questions people guess at.

Two to four weeks of 20–30 minutes a day is the usual budget for someone with no electronics background.

3Find an exam session

Exams are given by Volunteer Examiner (VE) teams of three or more licensed amateurs, coordinated by a VEC such as ARRL or W5YI.

• Search the ARRL exam finder or the W5YI-VEC session list for an in-person or remote (video) session.
• Register with the team in advance; remote sessions in particular are pre-scheduled and capped.
• Ask what the session fee is. Many ARRL-VEC teams charge $15; some clubs charge nothing.

4Sit the exam

• Bring photo ID, your FRN, and a pencil. Calculators are allowed if their memory is cleared.
• Answer all 35 questions. There is no penalty for wrong answers.
• If you pass, you can immediately attempt the General exam at the same session for no extra charge — many candidates do, having studied both pools.

You leave with a Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination (CSCE). It is not the licence yet.

5Pay the FCC's $35 within 10 days

The VE team files your application electronically. The FCC then emails the address on your FRN with a payment link.

• Watch the inbox (and spam) for the "Notice of Application Fee" email — usually within a day or two of the session.
• Pay $35 through the FCC's Universal Licensing System (ULS) payment page. Only the FCC takes this fee; nobody at the session does.
• Miss the 10-day window and the application is dismissed and you re-file.

6Get your callsign and get on the air

• Search the ULS licence database for your name a few days after paying; the callsign appears there before any paper arrives.
• Download the official licence PDF from ULS (the FCC no longer mails paper by default).
• Program a local repeater into a handheld and make your first contact. Your licence is good for ten years.