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Amateur radio
What ham radio is, the three license classes, how testing works, and where to take your exam.
What is amateur radio?
Amateur radio, or ham radio, is a licensed radio service for people who want to talk, experiment and serve their communities over the air. Hams build and operate their own stations, bounce signals off the ionosphere to reach other continents, relay messages when phones and power are down, and talk to astronauts on the ISS. It’s not for business or broadcasting, and the license is free of any subscription: once you pass an exam, the airwaves are yours for ten years at a time.
Talk to the world
HF and FT8
Voice, Morse code and digital modes like FT8 reach other countries when the Sun cooperates. See today’s conditions.
Serve when it counts
Emergencies
ARES and RACES volunteers provide communications for hospitals, shelters and emergency managers during disasters.
Watch the sky
SKYWARN
Hams report severe weather to NWS Cleveland in real time. Check the local forecast.
Reach space
ISS and satellites
With a Technician license and a handheld radio you can work amateur satellites and hear the ISS. Track it now.
Build and experiment
Homebrew
Antennas, kits, software-defined radio and microcontrollers. Learning by building is at the heart of the hobby.
License classes
The FCC issues three license classes today. Each one adds privileges, and you must pass every exam below the class you want. Morse code isn’t required for any of them.
Entry level
Technician
- Exam
- Element 2
- Questions
- 35, pass with 26
- Question pool
- 2026–2030
All amateur bands above 50 MHz, including local repeaters, 6 m and satellites. On HF: Morse code on parts of 80, 40 and 15 m, plus voice and data on part of 10 m.
The big step up
General
- Exam
- Element 3
- Questions
- 35, pass with 26
- Question pool
- 2023–2027
Everything a Technician has, plus most of every HF band for worldwide voice, FT8 and other digital modes.
Full privileges
Amateur Extra
- Exam
- Element 4
- Questions
- 50, pass with 37
- Question pool
- 2024–2028
Every amateur frequency, including the Extra-only segments at the bottom of the HF bands where rare DX stations often operate.
Which license do you need? Check what you want to do.
Pick one or more to see which class covers it.
What it costs
$35–$50
- FCC application fee
- $35
- Exam session fee
- $0–$15
- Upgrades
- No FCC fee
- License term
- 10 years
The FCC emails you a payment link after you pass. Upgrades to a higher class don’t carry the FCC fee.
How testing works
From studying to your call sign
- Study the question poolEvery exam question comes from a public pool. Free tools like HamStudy drill you until you’re ready. Use materials marked 2026–2030 for Technician.
- Get an FCC Registration Number (FRN)Register free in the FCC CORES system. Examiners need your FRN; they can’t accept a Social Security number.
- Sign up for an exam sessionVolunteer examiner (VE) teams test in person at clubs, libraries and hamfests, and some test online over video.
- Take the examBring a photo ID, your FRN and the session fee. Three volunteer examiners grade it on the spot, and you can often try the next element the same day.
- Pay the FCC feeWatch for an email from the FCC and pay the $35 fee online.
- Look up your call signYour license usually shows up in the FCC database within a few days. Once it’s there, you can get on the air.
Try a practice round
Take your exam
Northeast Ohio
Find a session near Cleveland
Volunteer examiner teams test regularly across Northeast Ohio. Tap to see upcoming sessions, dates and registration.
See local sessions
Search every VE team
HamStudy sessions
Search in-person and online exam sessions from all volunteer examiner coordinators by ZIP code.
ARRL exam finder
ARRL VEC
Find ARRL-sponsored exam sessions near you, including remote online exams.
Free exams
Laurel VEC
Laurel-accredited VE teams charge nothing to test you, at any license class. You still pay the FCC’s $35 licence fee directly, and Laurel is known for getting new callsigns into the database quickly.
Official question pools
NCVEC
Download the current Technician, General and Extra pools straight from the committee that writes them.
Local testing
W8CRC VE Testing
Sign up for an upcoming license exam session with the W8CRC volunteer examiner team.
