Getting a ham radio license is simpler and less expensive than most people expect. There's no Morse code test, every exam question is published ahead of time, and in most areas you can test in person with a local club or online from home. Here's how to get your amateur radio license in 2026, including the new Technician question pool that took effect this summer.
The Three US Amateur Radio License Classes
The FCC issues three license classes today. Each one requires passing a written exam, called an element, along with any lower elements you don't already hold.
- Technician (Element 2): the entry-level license. The exam has 35 questions and you need 26 correct to pass. Technicians get full privileges on every amateur band above 50 MHz, plus limited HF privileges.
- General (Element 3): 35 questions, 26 correct to pass. General opens up most of the HF bands for worldwide voice and digital contacts.
- Amateur Extra (Element 4): 50 questions, 37 correct to pass. Full privileges on every amateur band and mode.
The Morse code requirement was dropped in 2007, so you don't need to know code to earn any class of license. Plenty of operators learn it later because they want to, not because they have to.
What a Technician License Lets You Do
A Technician license is more capable than its reputation. You can use local repeaters on 2 meters and 70 centimeters, work amateur satellites, run digital voice modes, and operate on 6 meters, where summer openings can carry signals halfway across the country. On HF, Technicians have CW on parts of 80, 40, 15 and 10 meters, and voice on 10 meters from 28.300 to 28.500 MHz. When 10 meters is open, a brand-new Technician can work coast to coast with a modest radio and a wire antenna.
The New 2026-2030 Technician Question Pool
Every exam question comes from a public question pool maintained by the Question Pool Committee of the National Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (NCVEC). The pools are revised on a four-year cycle, one license class at a time.
The current Technician pool took effect on July 1, 2026, and stays in use through June 30, 2030. It contains 409 questions, and your 35-question exam is drawn from it with a set number of questions from each topic area. If you started studying with older materials, make sure your book, app or practice site has been updated for the 2026-2030 pool. The General pool currently in use runs through June 30, 2027, and the Amateur Extra pool through June 30, 2028.
How to Study for the Ham Radio License Exam
There are two popular ways to study, and most people end up using a bit of both.
Learn the material. A license manual or an online course teaches the concepts behind the questions: basic electronics, FCC rules, safety and operating practice. It takes a little longer, but it pays off the first time you set up a station or troubleshoot an antenna.
Drill the question pool. Free practice sites such as HamStudy.org and HamExam.org give you randomized practice exams drawn from the actual pool. When you're consistently scoring well above the passing mark, you're ready.
We've found that the combination works best. Read a section, then drill the questions for that section until they make sense rather than just look familiar. Most people with no electronics background are ready for the Technician exam after a few weeks of evening study. The math is light, mostly Ohm's law and simple power calculations.
Step 1: Get Your FCC Registration Number (FRN)
Before exam day, register with the FCC's Commission Registration System, known as CORES, and get an FCC Registration Number, or FRN. It's free and takes a few minutes online. The VE team will ask for your FRN on your application, and you'll use the same CORES account later to pay the FCC application fee. Using an FRN also keeps your Social Security number off the exam paperwork.
Step 2: Find a Ham Radio Exam Session
Amateur radio exams are given by Volunteer Examiners (VEs), licensed hams accredited by a Volunteer Examiner Coordinator such as the ARRL VEC, Laurel VEC or GLAARG. You can search for upcoming sessions on the ARRL website or on HamStudy.org. Many local clubs hold sessions every month, and several VECs offer remote exams you take from home over video.
Each VE team sets its own session fee, if it charges one at all. It's usually modest, and some teams charge nothing. Check the session listing before you go.
Step 3: Take the Exam
Bring a photo ID, your FRN, and anything else the session listing asks for, such as the fee or a calculator. The exam is multiple choice and the volunteers grade it on the spot, so you'll know before you leave whether you passed. If you pass the Technician exam with time to spare, many teams will let you try the General exam at the same session, and more than a few operators walk out with two elements in one sitting.
Step 4: Pay the FCC Application Fee
After the VE team submits your application, the FCC sends an email with instructions for paying the $35 application fee through CORES. Pay it promptly, because the application isn't processed until the fee is paid. Once it is, your new callsign usually shows up in the FCC's Universal Licensing System (ULS) within a few days. If you're under 18 and test with an ARRL VEC team, the ARRL will reimburse that first $35 fee.
You're allowed to transmit as soon as your callsign appears in the ULS database. You don't need to wait for a paper license, and the FCC doesn't mail one anyway. You can download an official copy from the ULS License Manager whenever you need it.
How Long a Ham Radio License Lasts
An amateur radio license is good for ten years. You can renew it during the 90 days before it expires. If you miss the date there's a two-year grace period to renew, but you can't transmit while you're in it, and once the two years are up the license and the callsign are gone. Renewal carries the same $35 FCC fee.
A deadline that's ten years away is easy to lose track of. QSL Shack reads your license expiration date from the FCC record and sends reminders at 90, 60 and 30 days, by notification and by email.
Upgrading to General and Amateur Extra
Most operators who stay active eventually upgrade. General is the big jump in on-air privileges, opening most of the HF spectrum. Extra adds the remaining band segments, which is often where the rarest DX stations operate. An upgrade follows the same process: study the pool for the next element, test with a VE team, and you're done. An upgrade that keeps your current callsign doesn't carry the $35 FCC fee, and your callsign stays the same unless you choose to apply for a new one.
Your Callsign Is Your Identity on QSL Shack
When your callsign is issued, you can sign up for QSL Shack in under a minute. Enter your callsign and we pull your FCC license data automatically: your name, location, license class, grid square and expiration date. Add an email address and a password and you're in, with a logbook, digital QSL cards and a community of operators ready for your first contact.
Still studying? You're welcome to join now with a screen name and add your callsign the day it's issued. When you're ready to get on the air, our guide on how to make your first ham radio contact picks up where this one leaves off.