ARA Testing Section

To obtain or upgrade a ham radio license, you must attend an exam session administered by a Volunteer Examiner (VE) team. The ARA offers test multiple times a year. 

COST :    $15

WHERE:  

WHO:     

WHAT to bring:

• A legal photo ID (driver’s license, passport); if no photo ID is available, two forms of identification, which may include: non-photo ID/driver’s license (some states still have them), birth certificate (must have the appropriate seal)
• library card, utility bill, bank statement or other business correspondence that specifically names the person; or a postmarked envelope addressed to the person at his or her current mailing address as it appears on the Form 605.
• Students/minors may bring any of the above items and/or a school ID, minor’s work permit, report card, or a legal guardian may present a photo ID.
• your Federal Registration Number (FRN) -- Your Social Security Number (SSN) is NO LONGER PERMITTED!! Please register with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to get a Federal Registration Number (FRN). The FCC now requires VEC’s to submit your FRN number with your license application form. For instructions on how to register your SSN with the FCC and receive a FRN, visit the FCC’s FAQ page and the FCC’s registration instructions page.
• If applicable, bring a photocopy of your current Amateur Radio license, or a reference copy printed out from the FCC website. You may also print out your license information from websites such as ARRL.ORG or QRZ.COM. You may also submit the original and a photocopy of any Certificates of Successful Completion of Examination (CSCE) you may hold from previous exam sessions. If the FCC has already issued your license, the CSCE is not needed. Photocopies will not be returned.

ALSO bring:

• Two number two pencils with erasers and a pen.
• A calculator (with the memory erased and formulas cleared).
• You may not bring any written notes or calculations into the exam session. Slide rules and logarithmic tables are acceptable, as long as they’re free of notes and formulas.
• Cell phones must be silenced and/or turned off during the exam session; phones' calculator function may not be used.
• Check, money order or cash to cover the $15 ARRL exam session fee. You will pay the $35 FCC application fee directly to the US Gvmt; the FCC will email you with instructions on how and when to pay.

You may pre-register by contacting the Voluntary Examiner Team at "veteam@antietamradio.org" -- If you would like a callback, please leave your phone number, otherwise, we will reply to your email as quickly as possible.

RESOURCES

This content was born from an effort to help a new ham that had reached out. This request motivated us to work on the ARA site, and to include a short list of different options that I had used or with which I was already familiar (W5YI.ORG, ARRL.ORG, and KB6NU.COM).

• The W5YI Group (When the ARA holds its own classes, we use their books).
• KB6NU.com (I found his tech and general books very helpful).
• HamStudy.org (This site has just about everything that you would ever need, including links to other, unaffiliated, study sites).
• ARRL Exam Study Prep (always an option).