What Is Ham Radio? A project of the National Amateur Radio Alliance

Getting started in ham radio

You do not need any electronics background, any equipment, or anyone's permission to begin. Here is the whole path, in order, with roughly how long each part takes.

  1. Have a listen - this week

    You can listen to amateur radio without a licence. Borrow a radio at a club meeting, or use one of the free online receivers that let you tune the shortwave bands from a web browser. Hearing real contacts makes everything else make sense.

    What is ham radio?

  2. Find your local club - this week

    Clubs are free or nearly free to join, meet monthly, and exist largely to help new people. They will lend you equipment, run classes, and quite often host the exam. Turning up once will save you months of guessing.

    Find activity near you via USNARA

  3. Study for the Technician exam - two to four weeks

    Every possible exam question is published in advance. Free practice tests will get you there in a few sessions a week. When you are consistently scoring in the 80s, book the exam.

    Free practice tests · the four steps in full

  4. Register with the FCC - 15 minutes

    You need an FRN before exam day. It is free and takes a few minutes online.

    Get your FRN at FCC CORES

  5. Take the exam - one evening

    35 multiple-choice questions, 26 to pass, graded on the spot, in person or over video. It is far friendlier than it sounds.

    What exam day is like · find a session

  6. Buy a first radio - the price of a night out

    A dual-band handheld is the standard first purchase. Ask the club which ones work well locally before you order anything.

    Your first handheld

  7. Make your first contact - a few days later

    Your callsign appears in the FCC database a couple of business days after the exam. Then you say it out loud on a local repeater, and you are a ham.

    Your first contact, word for word

Total: about a month, and less than the cost of a phone

Studying is free, the exam fee is small, the FCC application fee is one-off, and a first radio is inexpensive. The licence then lasts ten years and renewing it costs nothing.

Starting as a family, a class or a group?

Groups do this well - everyone studies together and sits the exam on the same day. We have guides for parents, for schools, Scout troops and clubs, and for people who want radio for camping, hiking and the outdoors.

How to get licensed Still not sure what it is?