Actually, I've been keeping a secret from you. I've had my amateur radio license for almost a year now.
Close friends of mine urged me to get it years ago. At the time, I felt I had too many hobbies and didn't really want to take on another one. It's funny how peer pressure can change things. Pretty much everyone in my group of close friends had theirs and I didn't want to be the last guy not to have his "ticket", as an amateur radio license is sometimes called. (I kept my licensure a secret from most of them as well.)
Settle in for a long ride if you're so inclined, because I'm going to talk about several different facets of this adventure. There are probably also going to be some rants (by which I mean "of course there will be rants").
Let's start at the beginning.
Paperwork
Everything involving the government, or any government agency for that matter, is going to involve paperwork. You may find that even the paperwork has paperwork.
The first step to getting one's amateur radio license in the United States (as of this writing) is to file paperwork with the Federal Communications Commission to get an FRN. You've got to have that before anything else can happen.
At the time I was planning to do this in late 2025, a government shutdown came along and upended everything for almost two months. Thankfully, the government did eventually reopen and within a few days of that, the FCC's web site was again functional. (Or, more honestly, it was as functional as it ever is. I swear that thing must be served by an overcooked pasta noodle with as slowly as it responds. I suppose this is another hazard of hiring the lowest bidder to do something.)
I filed for my FRN as soon as I was able to do so.
Finding Out Where To Sit For The Licensing Exam (and sitting for it!)
Getting your amateur radio license here in the United States (and any other place where amateur radio is allowed) involves passing a multi choice examination. As of this writing, technician and general class license exams consist of thirty five multiple choice questions. You have to answer at least 70% of these correctly to pass.
Some testing locations (particularly those associated with the Laurel VEC organization) offer the test at no fee. Most places charge around $15, which is strictly for administrative costs. You'll also have to pay a fee of $35 (again, as of this writing) to the FCC after you've passed your examination.
Not knowing about where to sit for the exam, I found an area amateur radio club and approached them. I'm disappointed to say that this was a pointless endeavor. At the time, it was also frustrating. Those people I spoke to all mentioned that they'd been licensed for decades (some for more than fifty years!) and all they could say was that "things have changed" since they sat for their tests. Which, while true, is not helpful.
This is the first of my rants. Any amateur radio club should be better prepared than this, and able to answer a potential new operator's questions. In my opinion, they should also have a group of folks offering the exams on a scheduled basis. None of the clubs I approached seemed to have a clue, although the people there were usually friendly and welcoming. If this hobby is to survive (of which more later), there need to be people standing at the ready with the information someone needs to get started and get licensed.
I don't remember exactly now how I managed to find a testing group in my part of the world. It may well have been through the directory published by SignalStuff. I still had questions, so I wanted to reach out to the lead volunteer examiner (often abbreviated as "VE"). Finding their e-mail address was another needlessly difficult task.
Eventually I did get to the point where I had conferred with that person, felt that I had all my ducks in a row and was ready to test. I signed up for a testing slot to take place and then I waited.
As the day grew closer, reports of very bad weather came along. We got the bad weather. Now, if I'd have had to do so, I would have gone to the exam come hell or high water. If leaving two hours early, driving there in a blizzard with snow packed roads at 20 miles an hour in four wheel drive was what it took, that's what I'd do. Unfortunately, the lead examiner had also come down with the flu. The examination would be pushed back to some then unknown future date.
Fearing another government shutdown could be right around the corner, I didn't want to wait any further.
That left testing online. There are numerous places that offer this service, and most seem to have something of an attitude about them. It felt as though if you even so much as looked askance at the computer screen, they'd kick you out of the exam. Then they'll tell the FCC and quite possibly your mother about sins both real and imagined that will subsequently end up on your permanent record! Passing your amateur radio test will then be the least of your worries.
I found one group, called DX Exams, that wasn't like this at all. Their web site was very welcoming and when I spoke to the lead examiner on the phone, he was quite friendly. So I scheduled with them and sat for the technician exam. I later also sat for the general class license exam with them and the experience there was also excellent. If you're in the US and want to get your amateur radio license, I'd highly recommend them when you feel ready to test. They were a class act.
It is here that I'll note for little more reason than I can (and maybe for some humor value) that I took the tests in my bathroom. 😃
License and Call Sign
With the technician exam behind me, that left waiting on the FCC to determine what my call sign would be (as you may know, this is a unique alphanumerical identifier that all radio stations, amateur and otherwise, are given). I was told this could take a few weeks. Much to my amazement, I was notified of receiving a call sign about twelve hours after passing the examination. That's especially amazing considering that it was a Saturday morning! At that point, I could legally operate within the confines of what a technician class amateur radio license allows (limited privileges on HF, 3-30 MHz, and full privileges for VHF and UHF operations).
Later, I would move up to the general class license, allowing much more use of the HF bands.
I'm still studying for the extra class license. It may be a while before I attempt to sit for that examination.
Radio Equipment
You can spend a lot of money in a big hurry on the way in to amateur radio. (I know. I have, even though it's been nothing like I think many people do, especially those who are particularly serious about the hobby. I am not (yet, if ever) one of those folks.) Fortunately, getting started doesn't have to be expensive. If you have $40 or so to spend, you can get on the VHF and UHF airwaves after you are licensed.
For better or worse, inexpensive radios from primarily Chinese manufacturers are readily available at low cost. Some people would malign these radios, and I'd say that was fair for the earliest examples. While perhaps still not to the standard of a big name amateur radio manufacturer, the Quanshengs, Baofengs, Anytones and more beside have all gotten a lot better.
My first piece of radio equipment was a gifted Quansheng UV-K5 (8) handheld transceiver. Flashable with alternative firmware, I think this is an outstanding radio for the money. Newer versions than the one I have (with more flash memory) exist and the third party firmware for these offers up an amazing array of capabilities. For what these inexpensive radios lack in fine reception circuit design, the capabilities of aftermarket firmware more than makes up for it. Their transmitter sections have improved tremendously and if something awful happens to a $40 radio, it's hardly the end of the world.
Since that time, I've invested in some "big name" handheld transceivers. I've also acquired a Yaesu FT-891 HF/6 meter radio that I might talk about more in a future posting. Even with a general class license opening up many more possibilities for operation on the HF (high frequency, 3-30 MHz) bands, I have yet to do anything there.
Operating
Here comes another rant, and some of you may really take issue with this one. If you think that might be you, the "back" button (or simply closing this particular tab or window awaits). I'm not here to upset anyone, and while I'm always interested in even spirited discussion, poor behavior, abuse toward myself or other commenters, politics and harassment are not allowed. So don't go there.
There are a short three quarter of a million licensed amateur radio operators in the United States. By comparison (as of this writing in late 2026), there are over 341 million people living in the US (and likely its possessions and territories). Source: Wikipedia.
It's certainly true enough that new operators are getting licensed all the time. (I will call shenanigans on the linked page's accuracy, because some of the operators listed appear to have been so for a long time. I'm not sure if it counts license class upgrades as being newly licensed, though I don't think it did so for me.)
Though I have no basis in fact for it, I'd say there are more people in the United States who own CB radios than have their amateur radio license, own amateur radio equipment and actually operate. I strongly suspect many of those newly licensed operators will never operate, or may do so for only a short time before losing interest. My father would be one of them, were it not for the fact that I made him operate one day as we were trying to find circuit breakers and what they controlled.)
There's been a lot said about this (do your own research) and probably far better put than I have. It is also a subject of rather lively debate at times.
Thus far, I've spent nearly all of my time operating on the 1.25 meter, 2 meter, and 70 centimeter bands because it's easy to do with a truly handheld and thus portable radio. (As with the above about doing your own research, I'm industrial strength lazy material. I also don't have a place in my home to really set up a proper "shack" for HF and other radio operations.)
(How many of you out there know the 1.25 meter band -- at least here in the US -- is a thing? Along those lines, how many of you own radio equipment capable of such and have operated there. I do, and I have.)
I have spent a lot of time monitoring area repeaters on VHF and UHF. I've also spent time on the nationwide calling frequencies (146.520 and 446 MHz), sometimes with enough transmitter power to be heard over a decent distance. In the short year it's been since I was licensed, I've been responded to exactly once on 146.520. (While I am about the furthest thing from Riley Hollingsworth that there is, I've also heard people using the VHF FM calling frequency improperly, having long conversations rather than switching to another and certainly available frequency. I suppose they think it's OK because nobody is on there. I do very much believe that the rules of amateur radio should be followed.)
Area repeaters are just about dead silent as well. If there's someone on them, it's probably me! It's here that I've had better luck calling on the repeater and striking up a conversation, though far more often than not, the only response I ever get is the repeater's ID. The big exception to this might be nets, or gatherings of operators on repeaters. Most of those are still pretty thinly attended. Twenty people checking in would be phenomenal turnout.
Right about now, there's probably a seasoned ham radio operator saying "all the activity is on the HF bands and that's where you need to be". That is probably true. I don't presently have anything beyond a radio for operating on HF, and it'll be a while before I do. I'll have more to say about operating on HF in just a moment.
In fact, let's get to that now.
I have heard people say, and I very much agree with the statement that taking and passing an amateur radio license exam doesn't actually teach you how to operate. Oh, sure, you will learn from your study materials in broad terms of some things not to do, and what some very general guidelines are. The finer parts of operating are left as learning exercises, be that from books, experiences on the air or learning from other operators.
An amateur radio operator who takes time out of his, her or their day to teach new operators how to do in a professional and proper manner is known as an Elmer.
Operating with an FM handheld radio on VHF or UHF is pretty cut and dried. All you really need to know is which frequencies are suitable for the type of communication you're attempting, and in many cases, one can find that out by consulting the band plan for their country or area of residence. (For me, that mainly comes from the ILRA. In the US, the ARRL and ultimately the FCC are the ultimate determining factor for what operations take place in the parts of each radio band.)
To me, operating on HF still looks a little daunting. I say that even though I have a booklet covering in pretty good detail what happens where on the various HF frequencies that amateur operators can use, and which license classes can use them. I also have the ARRL's band utilization chart. I've even watched people operating on the HF bands to get a feel for what they do and why. All of these things have helped. Yet when I've gone searching for an "Elmer" or asking questions of someone more experienced than I, I've been anything from brushed off ("oh, it's easy", "I don't know", "I haven't operated recently and have probably forgotten") to ignored. This has been true at two area radio clubs so far, and here again, I think it's wrong. (I've also come away with the feeling that I was bothering someone when I wanted to ask them questions about getting started with D-star operations.) I believe that I will do OK when it comes time to venture onto the airwaves in the HF region. I'd just like to feel more confident about it when I do.
It's doing the amateur radio hobby absolutely no favors at all for future growth to treat newcomers this way.
If you're a member of a radio club, ask yourself if you and the club you're a member of are doing things (or will do things) to help new operators get started and keep going. Are you willing to answer their basic questions? You should be! Everyone was a beginner once.
No matter what the above says, I do not for a minute regret having become a licensed amateur radio operator. I've also tried my very best to be welcoming and helpful to those who are seeking to become licensed operators, despite my introverted and shy nature.
Unfortunately, just by the numbers and what I've experienced, I do believe the amateur radio hobby is anywhere from stagnant to gradually dying. I think that's an unfortunate state of affairs and one that could be helped by the suggestions above.
Microphone Fright
You'll probably hear this mentioned when it comes to getting started on amateur radio. I had a little of it myself when I went to key up a transmitter for the first time. It was just a longtime friend of mine and myself operating simplex (that is, radio to radio), yet I was still nervous about saying or doing something wrong that first time. I'm all of shy, introverted and easily embarrassed. (Also, when I was very young, I was afraid of microphones and even big loudspeakers.)
I felt the same way when my first opportunity to participate in a net on a repeater came up. That same friend was there that night, and while I should have felt more at ease as a result, it was quite the opposite. I felt as though I was being watched by a thousand pairs of eyes, just waiting for me to mess up. Fortunately, it could not have gone better. I screwed up my courage, keyed the radio and checked in without issue. That was an enormous confidence builder, and somewhere along the way, I'm sure I will come across the same during HF operations. In spite of the experiences above with seeking guidance to get started, I will say that the majority of amateur radio operators are truly good people.
Morse Code
Some people will say it's a bad thing that amateur radio exams in the US no longer require knowledge of Morse code. I couldn't disagree more. If you want to learn Morse code, yes, I think you should! It will certainly open up many avenues of communication, especially under extremely difficult conditions where no other method will work as well or reliably.
I've been trying to learn it myself. It's still very early days yet, and thus I expect the going to be slow. While I can recognize some letters, if anything happens that I fall behind, I can't (yet) recover by any other means than just starting over. I haven't been able to "forget" the missed letter and get synced back up. Perhaps that will become doable with time. I certainly hope so. Radio transmissions don't generally come with a "rewind" button.
I recently communicated with an operator who has Parkinson's disease, and thus cannot operate a Morse code key. I'm sorry to say it hadn't crossed my mind how someone with a disability might have been precluded from getting their amateur radio license, in spite of my own difficulties with processing the code so far. I think it's a major disservice to preclude anyone with a disability from participating in the facets of amateur radio that they can enjoy. For that and other reasons, I'm glad this is no longer a requirement, but rather something that someone can learn as and if they desire to do so.
I'm not trying to change anyone's mind with any of the above, though I'll be glad if I do. Nor am I trying to precipitate a fight or start a hassle with anyone. I'm just glad I can explore the parts of the radio hobby for which I'm capable of doing so right now. I wouldn't want to be held back or kept out because of something I may never be able to learn.
Emergency Operations
Some people are attracted to amateur radio because of its use in an emergency situation. In all honesty, I'm not one of them. I know I'm not the person you want on the radio, or passing radio traffic to other stations, when it all goes to the wall. I'm also just not very interested in emergency communications. Which brings me to...
Contesting
There are also some folks whose primary use of amateur radio is that of making as many contacts with other stations as possible, whether as a standalone endeavor or as part of a greater contest with many other operators. While I have some interest in modes of operation where making lots of contacts is the entire purpose (such as FT8), when I get on the radio, it's because I want to talk with someone else.
I know that probably sounds odd coming from a confessed introvert and shy person.
I've gone on for miles at this point and I'd be surprised if very many people have read down to this point. Though there are probably things I have missed or left some particular nuance out of my commentary, it's probably time that I wrapped this up. I've spent more time than I'd care to admit writing this. (Some people would say I like to hear myself talk, and I won't deny that.) The clock stands at about two hours since I typed the first paragraph.
Summary
To wrap this up, and reach a point of closing, here are my thoughts in condensed form. No, they're not all in order.
- I'm glad I got my amateur radio license. I probably should have done so years ago. Don't let the concerns voiced here lead you to think otherwise, or that I am in any way "condemning" the hobby.
- I've been trying to make up for lost time by jumping in and trying different things as time and finances allow.
- It was much more difficult than it ever should have been to learn how and where to start the licensing process.
- Clubs I've contacted (and even the one I ultimately joined) were usually welcoming and polite, yet none of them were able to guide a newcomer.
- Clubs have also been of limited utility when seeking guidance to getting on the air and doing things properly along the way.
- Anyone who is a leader or a member of an amateur radio club should be asking if they and the club they are a part of are prepared to guide newcomers toward getting their license and operating for the first time. (Perhaps you are an introvert like myself or similarly uncomfortable with this. If so, is someone else available and willing to take the reins?)
- Morse code remains a work in progress for me, if it ever happens. To that end, I'm glad it hasn't precluded me from enjoying any other aspect of amateur radio or higher license classes.
- I don't really have much interest in contesting or emergency operations. Fortunately, there is so much to do beyond those things. (That's also not to say I wouldn't help, only that it'd have to be really, really bad, and I might be more of a liability than an asset under pressure.)
- "Mic fright" is real, but don't let it stop you. Have a script if you think that's what it will take.
- Make a sincere effort to follow the rules of amateur radio, but don't let someone who is acting out and being a jerk put you off of ever operating again.
- Also, for those running or managing a radio club: if your club has a web site, please keep it up to date! I know and am a member of a club who recently revamped their web site. It looks great...and it's been out of date for months. Sigh.
I hope you found some or maybe even all of this posting useful. Please note that it's subject to revision, clarification and additional proofreading in the future as I may see fit. Suggestions from comments may also be incorporated in the future.
As always, I'm certainly interested in your thoughts and constructive criticisms. Outright rude behavior and harassment of anyone (including myself!) is not allowed and will be removed.
Yes, this went on and got a lot more rambly than I intended for it to. It's a common fault of mine, and one for which I make no apologies. Views expressed are strictly my own. Links to other resources are intended for your reference. They're not indications that someone whose information I linked to endorses or agrees with my viewpoints.
