ham radio: Licensing

[last updated: 2022-06-20]
Ham Radio
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• New licenses are issued by the FCC for Technician, General, and Extra classes.
• The ARRL administers the tests and the testing process to earn a license.
  • For each license category - Technician, General, and Extra,
    there is a pool of questions (~ 430 questions for Technician and General, 622 questions for Extra).
    All of the questions in the pools are published and available for study.
  • When you are ready to take your test to earn your license
    the test you take will contain 35 questions (for Tech and General) drawn randomly from the total question pool.
    The Extra exam contains 50 questions.
  • You must get 74% correct to pass the test.
    That's 26 correct for Tech and General, and 37 correct for the Extra.

  • Question Pools:
    Technician: (link to:) Technician question pool
    General: (link to:) General question pool
    Extra: (link to:) Extra question pool

  • License manuals:
    from ARRL, contain in-depth theory and explanations for everything on the tests, including complete question pools.
    • Technician class manual 5th edition, good through 6/30/26
    • General class manual 9th edition, good through 6/30/22
    • Extra class manual 12th edition, good through 6/30/24

  • During Covid, when in-person groups were restricted, many organizations (clubs, schools, etc.) began giving tests online.
    Protocols were developed to guarantee accuracy and honesty, and many of these testing options are still available.
    MIT: (link to:) Info here

• Practice tests:
  These are online sample tests, with questions from relevant question pools, that you can take online for free, and the site will grade them
  and let you know if you passed or not. a good way to study for the licensing exam is to take these online practice tests as often as possible
  until you can consistently pass them.
  • (link to:) Hamexam.org
  • (link to:) QRZ (you must be registered (free) and login)
  • (link to:) hamStudy.org
  • There are others. Search for "ham radio license practice exam."
• If you pass the test, your license call sign should be posted in the FCC database within 8-10 business days.
• A Vanity call sign can be requested after your call sign is assigned, if you want to change it.
• (link to:) ARRL Vanity call information site
• (link to:) ARRL: vanity call sign application process
• You can apply by mail, but online application is way quicker.
• You must have an FCC online account.
  Application requires you to enter your FRN, which, if you didn't previously have one, was assigned to you when you earned your ham license.
  You can find your FRN by searching for your name or call sign on the (link to:) Universal Licensing system Search page.
• Then you must request that a PSQ, "personal security question," be assigned to your FRN.
  Click on Set PSQ (link to:) on this link:
• Then wait 3 days for FCC to contact you. However mine was set immediately. The FCC will send you an email with a link to complete the account application process.
• Then go to this link to reset your password: (link to:) FCC account password reset
• Once all that is done, you can request a vanity call sign online through the Universal Licensing System online systems.
  Go to their login page to start the process: (link to:) FCC account login
  Click on Request Vanity Call Sign in right menu box.
• Processing time for vanity call sign requests is quoted as 18 business days.

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