Getting on the air starts here.
The Technician license is the starting point for most new amateur radio operators — and earning it is probably more manageable than you think.
Meet the Technician license.
If you're brand new to amateur radio, this is where most people begin.
The Technician license is the entry-level amateur radio license in the United States. It gives you the ability to get on the air, start learning by actually doing, and explore a surprisingly large part of the hobby.
And despite the name, you don't have to be a "technician" to earn one. You don't need an electronics background, you don't need to already own a radio, and you don't need years of experience before taking the exam.
You learn the basics, pass the exam, receive your callsign and then the real learning begins.
Talk locally.
Use VHF and UHF frequencies to communicate directly with other operators or through amateur radio repeaters. For many new hams, this is their first experience getting on the air.
Get involved with the club.
Check into local nets, participate in club activities, work with other operators and start gaining real operating experience instead of only reading about it.
Explore more than repeaters.
Amateur satellites, digital communications, radio direction finding, portable operating and other parts of amateur radio are available to Technician-class operators too.
Even get on HF.
Technician operators have privileges on portions of the HF amateur bands, including voice privileges on part of the 10-meter band and additional CW privileges. Your first license can take you farther than you might expect.
Think of it as permission to start learning amateur radio the fun way — by actually getting on the air, trying things, meeting other operators and figuring out which parts of the hobby you enjoy.
The test is more manageable than it sounds.
Nobody expects you to walk into your first amateur radio exam already knowing everything about radio. The Technician exam is designed to make sure you understand the basics you'll need as a new operator.
Questions
Your Technician exam contains 35 multiple-choice questions.
Correct Answers
Answer 26 of the 35 questions correctly and you've passed the exam.
Can Be Wrong
You can miss as many as nine questions and still walk away with a passing score.
The questions are public.
The Technician exam questions come from a published question pool. That means you can study the same kinds of questions you'll encounter when you actually sit for the exam.
The goal isn't to trick you. It's to make sure you understand some basic radio theory, operating practices, regulations and safety before you receive your callsign.
Mostly the basics.
Callsigns, frequencies, operating procedures and the basic FCC rules amateur radio operators need to follow.
Basic concepts about radios, frequencies, antennas, electricity and how amateur radio communication works.
Repeaters, simplex communication, good operating practices and what to expect when you begin making contacts.
Electrical, antenna and RF safety so you can build and operate a station responsibly.
You'll learn considerably more about radio after you receive your license than you ever could by studying for the test.
For most new hams, it's $50 total.
There are two separate fees involved when you earn your first amateur radio license through an ARRL VEC exam session: the examination fee and the FCC application fee.
ARRL VEC Exam Fee
This is the fee for taking your amateur radio examination at an ARRL VEC coordinated exam session.
FCC License Fee
After you pass and your application is submitted, the FCC charges a separate application fee to issue your new amateur radio license.
Your First License
For most adult applicants taking an ARRL VEC exam, that's the typical total cost to take the exam and receive a new Technician license.
How the payment works.
Pay the applicable examination fee when you take your Technician exam.
Your successful examination information is processed and submitted to the FCC.
Once your application reaches the FCC, you pay the $35 application fee directly through the FCC system.
After the FCC processes your application, your new amateur radio license and callsign are issued.
Getting young operators licensed costs even less.
Candidates younger than 18 who test through an ARRL VEC exam team pay a reduced $5 examination fee.
For a new license, the $35 FCC application fee is still paid to the FCC first, but qualifying applicants can have that fee reimbursed through the ARRL Youth Licensing Grant Program after the license is issued.
LEARN ABOUT THE YOUTH LICENSING GRANT →Once the FCC creates your application, you have 10 calendar days to pay the required FCC application fee. Once that payment is processed and your license is granted, you'll receive your callsign and can start operating.
So, how should you study?
There's no single right way to prepare for your Technician exam. Some people like a book. Some want a class. Others would rather work through practice questions until the material starts making sense.
Pick the approach that works for you. The important part isn't how you study — it's getting comfortable enough with the material that you're consistently passing practice exams before you take the real one.
Let your practice exams tell you.
Don't worry about getting every question right. You don't need a perfect score on the real exam, and you don't need one while you're studying either.
What you're looking for is consistency. When you're repeatedly passing full Technician practice exams — not just getting lucky once — you're probably getting close to being ready.
On practice exams
Give yourself a little breathing room above the 74% score required to pass the actual exam.
Try to understand some of it too.
Yes, the question pool is public. And yes, you'll probably recognize plenty of questions when you sit down for your exam.
But understanding why an answer is correct will make things considerably easier when you actually start operating. Callsigns, repeaters, frequencies, safety and basic operating practices aren't just things you need for the test — you'll actually use them.
Don't feel like you have to understand everything, though. Nobody finishes the Technician exam knowing everything about amateur radio.Sometimes five minutes with somebody who has actually used the thing you're studying makes more sense than another hour staring at the question pool.
Your path to getting licensed.
There are a few steps between deciding you want to become a ham and making your first contact, but none of them are particularly complicated. Here's the whole process.
Get your FCC Registration Number.
Before taking an amateur radio exam, you'll need an FCC Registration Number — usually called an FRN. You'll use this number on your license application instead of providing your Social Security number to the exam team.
GET AN FCC FRN →Study for the Technician exam.
Use an online study tool, a licensing book, a class or whatever combination works best for you. Take practice exams along the way so you know where you stand.
REVIEW STUDY OPTIONS →Schedule your exam.
Once you're consistently passing practice exams, it's time to take the real thing. GSARA's Volunteer Examiner team can help you through the examination process.
TAKE YOUR EXAM WITH GSARA →Take the 35-question test.
Answer at least 26 questions correctly and you've passed your Technician examination. Your exam team will take care of processing the successful exam paperwork.
Watch for the FCC email.
After your successful application reaches the FCC, you'll receive instructions for paying the FCC application fee. Complete that payment within the required payment window so your application can continue processing.
Get your callsign.
Once the FCC grants your license, your new callsign will appear in the FCC database. That's the moment you've officially become a licensed amateur radio operator.
Get on the air.
Your callsign isn't the end of the process — it's the beginning. Find a radio, make your first contact, check into a net, come to a GSARA event and start figuring out which parts of amateur radio interest you.
Get the license. Get on the air. Then start exploring. GSARA can help with the rest.
Take your exam with GSARA.
You've studied. You're passing practice exams. Now you just need to make it official.
GSARA's Volunteer Examiner team helps prospective amateur radio operators take the next step from studying for the test to earning their license.
You don't need to know everything about amateur radio before you show up. That's not what the exam is asking you to prove. Come prepared, take the test, and we'll help you understand what happens next.
We'll help you through the process.
Our exam information explains what you'll need before your session so you can arrive prepared.
We'll walk you through the examination process so you're not trying to figure everything out when it's time to test.
Complete your Technician examination with a Volunteer Examiner team and find out whether you passed.
Passing the test is a big milestone, but there are still a couple of steps before your callsign is issued. We'll make sure you know what to watch for.
Let's get that callsign.
Our exam page has the current GSARA testing information, registration details, what you'll need for your session and everything else you need before exam day.
Keep studying, take another practice exam, come to a GSARA meeting or ask one of our members for help. There isn't a deadline for getting licensed, and we'd rather help you understand something than have you get frustrated and walk away from the hobby.
FIND SOMEONE WHO CAN HELP →Congratulations. Now the fun starts.
Passing the Technician exam doesn't mean you're supposed to suddenly know how to do everything.
Your license gives you permission to start learning amateur radio the way most of us really learned it — by getting on the air, trying things, asking questions and occasionally wondering why something that worked perfectly yesterday refuses to work today.
Don't try to learn the entire hobby at once.
Find your callsign.
Once the FCC grants your license, your callsign appears in the FCC database. That's when you're officially licensed and can begin operating.
Don't immediately buy everything.
Before building the station you think you need, spend some time around other operators. See different radios, antennas and operating styles before deciding where you want to spend your money.
Make that first contact.
Your first transmission can feel strangely intimidating. That's normal. Find a local repeater, join a net or have another ham sit with you and make that first call.
Come do something.
Meetings are useful, but amateur radio makes a lot more sense when you're actually doing it. Come to a club activity, activation, Field Day, fox hunt or another GSARA event.
Keep asking questions.
Nobody expects a new Technician to know everything. Find experienced operators who enjoy the same parts of amateur radio you want to explore and learn from them.
Figure out what you enjoy.
Repeaters might be your thing. Maybe it's satellites, portable operating, digital modes, building antennas, CW, emergency communications or something you haven't discovered yet.
Your first year with GSARA may be on us.
Qualifying new amateur radio operators who earn their initial license through a scheduled GSARA Volunteer Examiner session may receive a complimentary one-year GSARA membership.
Because getting the callsign is only the first part. Having people around who can help you figure out what to do with it is considerably more useful.
LEARN ABOUT GSARA MEMBERSHIP →None of us are.