Weld Amateur Radio Society

- Getting Started

Interested in getting an amateur radio license? It is easier than you might think to get on the air with your very own FCC issued amateur radio callsign.

How easy you ask? There is NO Morse code requirement. The entry-level exam is a 35 question multiple-choice test from a pool of 428 publicly available questions and answers. You only need to answer 26 of these questions correctly and you will be issued your very own FCC Technician Class Amateur Radio license.

- Study - Practice - Test

Follow these 3 simple steps to get your license.

- Study Material

Dan, KB6NU, offers a free Technician Class study guide that you can use to pass your Technician class license exam. The Technician Class exam contains 35 multiple choice questions. The cost for the exam varies from free up to $15.
More on this in the - Find an exam near you section below.

- KB6NU's Tech Study Guide

There are other license preparation materials available. The two most popular are the ARRL license books and the Gordon West series of test prep books. These can be purchased from Amazon or often can be found at your local library. Don't worry if the manual is a few years old or out of date. Only a few questions (out of hundreds) change every four years and you will cover them by taking some online tests (next section).

- Practice Makes Perfect

Once you have read through the study guide a few times you should be ready to take some online practice tests.

Ron, NA0Q, provides a great resource free of charge that will help you get licensed. From the HamExam.org site:

This site learns which questions you understand and which ones you don't. It does this by tracking your answers to every question. It then applies a weight to each question.....Using this system, you are guaranteed that you will eventually see all of the questions from a given test. You are more likely to see questions that you need help with again and again until you get them right.

Practice tests are a great way to ace your license exam. These sites all offer practice tests that will help you ace your exam.

- HamStudy.org website
- HamExam.org website
- AA9PW.com Amateur Radio Practice Site

There are also a ton of Ham Radio Exam Practice apps for Android and Iphone. Just search your app store for "Ham Exam". Many are free and work great while in the checkout line, the waiting room at the doctor's office, or whenever you are taking a small break.

- Find an exam near you

All US amateur radio exams are administered by volunteer examiners. The FCC has designated a number of official Volunteer Examiner Coordinators to prepare and administer amateur radio license exams. All volunteer examiners are affiliated with one of these VECs. VECs are allowed to charge a fee for taking the exam however some offer free exam sessions.

You can find exam sessions near you at HamStudy.org or at the ARRL website.

- HamStudy exam session lookup
- ARRL exam session lookup

The Weld Amateur Radio Society has partnered with the Patriot VE Team to provide free Greeley area Amateur Radio License Exams. These sessions will take place on the third Saturday of even numbered months at 10 a.m. The Longmont Amateur Radio Club sponsors free Patriot VE Team test sessions on the third Saturday of odd numbered months.
You can register for future Greeley and Longmont area exam sessions at HamStudy.org

- Congratulations!

After you pass your exam you will be issued a callsign by the FCC and you can get on the air.

Now the door to amateur radio has been unlocked and you can step inside the hobby. What next?

Join WARS or another amateur radio club near you. The Weld Amateur Radio Society will welcome you and our members will be happy to share our knowledge on enjoying the many different aspects of amateur radio.