FAQs

Your mailing address must be in the United States, with a US Zip Code. Foreign applicants must obtain or borrow a US mailing address to hold a US license.

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Volunteer Examiners (VEs) are US licensed Radio Amateurs holding a General Class license or higher, who offer their time to administer the FCC licensing exams through a FCC authorized Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC) organization. The ARRL VEC is the largest VEC organization in the US.  A team of three or more ARRL VEs are able to test candidates applying for a new license or upgrading an existing license.

For more information please visit http://www.arrl.org/volunteer-examiners.

 

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VE stands for Volunteer Examiner

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The FCC went paperless in February 2015.  In order to streamline procedures and save money, the FCC stopped routinely printing and mailing licenses.

There are a number of ways a license holder can obtain an official FCC copy of their license. The official license will display the FCC logo and the watermark “Official Copy” will be printed across each page of an official authorization from FCC.  Please note that FCC stopped using distinctive paper stock to produce hard copy licenses and has been printing these on “standard, white recycled paper.” The Bureau noted that the distinctive paper stock it had used was six times more expensive than the plain recycled paper it now uses.

For more in depth information please visit the ARRL article on “How to Obtain an Official FCC License Copy

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If you’ve been continuously licensed, you need to show proof that you held a Technician license before 21 March 1987. This can be accomplished by the following:

    1. Bring in the original, or a copy of the original license, showing issuance before 21 March 1987.
    2. Bring in a copy of a Call Book issued Spring of 1987 or before.
    3. Get a letter from the FCC stating that you held a Technician license before 21 March 1987.

If you have not been continuously licensed, then you must retake element 2 (the present Technician exam) . You will be grand-fathered for element 3(General theory) .

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Since 23 February 2007, the F.C.C. dropped all code requirements for all amateur licenses.

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365 days, Day one is the day it was issued. Example: In a non-leap-year, a CSCE issued on 1 July expires at midnight 30 June of the following year.

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Only if your station license will expire within the next 90 days or if you’re in the two year grace period for renewal.

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If your license has been expired less than 2 years, you can renew it online.  Go to www.fcc.gov/uls  and log onto your account. Alternatively,  file FCC Form 605 (this is different from the NCVEC 605 form used by Volunteer Examiners) by mail to: FCC, 1270 Fairfield Rd, Gettysburg PA 17325-7245.   Also, any VE team can handle this; but there is a $15 ARRL processing fee. To reinstate a license after the two year grace period is exhausted, come to a VE session and successfully pass the Technician exam.  If your expired license was Novice or Technician, you will get a new Technician License (note: Technician licensees have the same HF privileges as Novice licensees.)   If you had a higher class license, and if you provide to us with proof that you held that license, you may get credit for the General and Extra exams you passed years ago. Remember, while your license is expired, you cannot operate using the call sign on-the-air.

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  • Proper identification. The best form of ID should provide your picture and signature. Normally, applicants provide a driver’s license or a student ID with their picture on it.
  • FRN, Social Security Number (SSN), or Taxpayer ID number (TIN) if you are not eligible for a SSN.
  • If you presently have an Amateur Radio license, we will need the original plus a photocopy.
  • If you have a CSCE, we must see the original plus a photocopy.
  • Pen and pencil.
  • You may bring a calculator as long as the memory can be “flushed” before you take the exam. Calculators in PDA’s, cell phones, and computers are not allowed.

 

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If you can let us know a few days before the test session, we may be able to verify that you have a license and its class. Upon passing, we can then issue you a CSCE for your upgrade. If we can not verify your license status you can still take the exam, but will have to wait for the FCC to grant your new privileges. We will only give the CSCE for the element passed, not the upgrade in license.

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There are two excellent sources for information. The ARRL has a vanity section on their web page describing all the do’s and don’ts about vanity licensing. There is even a section on how to fill out the application. Another good source of information is the FCC. They, too, have a faq page devoted to vanity licensing.

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No, you must have an FCC issues call sign before you can apply for a vanity call sign.

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That depends upon whether the exam team has another exam with them, and whether they have the time available.  Ask them.  Remember, it will cost you another $15.

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Yes! If you have special requirements, all we ask is that you give us a couple of days’ notice. This will allow us to make sure we have adequate help to accommodate you.

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Testing at Nellis AFB requires pre-registration, and you need a pass to get through the gate.

The other exam teams allow walk-ins with no appointment.  But if you could drop us an email it would be nice. If we find that we have more applicants than we’re normally prepared for, this simple notification would give us time to properly prepare.

If you have a handicap that requires special assistance, we require that you notify us a few days earlier so we can make sure we can accommodate you.

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The cost is $15 per element. If you pass the test for one element, you may take the test for the next element at no extra cost, during the same test session. If you fail, it will cost an additional $15 to take another exam.

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Applicants must provide a legal photo ID. This is usually a driver’s license, but it can be a passport or another legal identification card with the applicant’s photo on it.
When no photo ID is available, the applicant must present any two of the following:

  • Nonphoto ID/driver’s license(some states still have them)
  • Social Security Card
  • Birth certificate (must have the appropriate seal)
  • Minor’s work permit or school report card
  • Utility bill, bank statement, or other business correspondence that specifically names the person
  • Postmarked envelope addressed to the person at his or her current mailing address as it appears on the Form 605

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