Testing Information

Amateur Radio Testing

From the ARRL

Amateur Radio is regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) under the Communications Act of 1934. It is also subject to numerous international agreements. All Amateur Radio operators must be licensed. In the U.S., there are three license classes. The higher the class of license, the more frequencies are available. Earning each higher class license requires passing a more difficult examination. Although regulated by the FCC, license exams are given by volunteer groups of Amateur Radio operators. Operating under organizations called Volunteer Examiner Coordinators, volunteers administer and grade tests and report results to the FCC, which then issues the license. U.S. licenses are good for 10 years before renewal, and anyone may hold one except a representative of a foreign government.



Testing in the Morongo Basin

Testing is provided by the Morongo Basin Amateur Radio Club on an on-demand basis. If you wish to be tested, please contact the testing coordinator Rob Cloutier wo4rob@gmail.com. Testing is available for all three license classes.



How do I get licensed?

Before you can start using ham radio, you need to be licensed. Fortunately, that isn't hard! Here are the basic requirements:
There are three levels of Amateur Radio license; to get a higher level you must pass the requirements for the lower level plus the exam for the higher level. They are (in this order):
  • Technician Class
  • General Class
  • Amateur Extra Class
Amateur radio licensing is managed by the Federal Communications Commision (FCC). Being licensed means that your name is listed in the FCC Universal Licensing System with an associated ham radio callsign.



Preparing for the Examination

Though there are a huge number of resources dedicated to assist the potential licensee obtain an amateur radio license, the Morongo Basin Amateur Radio Club highly recommends at Ham Study - https://www.hamstudy.org/ for those studying to get their ham radio license. The user account you create there will also give you access to the online testing facility when the time comes to take your exam. PLEASE NOTE when using hamstudy.org that you need to go over ALL of the questions in the question pool, but going straight to “Practice Test” does NOT accomplish this! The Practice Test will give you just 35 questions out of the hundreds of possible questions. Instead please use either:
  • Study Mode with the default All Questions selected.

  • OR

  • Read Questions mode, being sure to step through all the various Sub-Elements and Sub-Topics.

  • …to make sure you see all the questions.

Once you have read ALL the questions in the exam pool and you received an 80% or better on three or more practice exams, then visit the following website to register for an exam session to take your in-person or remote exam.
https://ham.study/sessions/

Contact Rob at wo4rob@gmail.com for more information.



Operating Privleges

License Class Privileges Notes
Technician All amateur privileges above 50 MHz; limited CW, Phone, and Data privileges below 30 MHz None
General Technician privileges plus most amateur HF privileges None
Amateur Extra All amateur privileges Small exclusive sub-bands are added on 80, 40, 20, and 15 meters.



Downloadable Frequency Allocation Charts

Frequency Bands Chart [PDF] (8.5 X 11; grayscale)
Frequency Bands Chart [PDF] (8.5 X 11; black/white)
Frequency Bands Chart [PDF] (8.5 X 11; color)
Frequency Bands Chart [PDF] (11 X 17; color)
Frequency Bands Chart [PDF] VERTICAL (8.5 X 11; color)