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While no license is required to monitor the amateur radio bands, to legally transmit on those bands in the United States requires an amateur radio (ham) license issued by the Federal Communication Commission or FCC. There currently are three classes of licenses that progressively offer additional operating privileges on the bands allocated in the US to amateurs. Those license classes are Technician (Element 2), General (Element 3) and Amateur Extra (Element 4). The license exams must be passed progressively. There is no longer a code (CW) requirement for any license class. Also, the older Novice and Advanced licenses are no longer issued.
There are many ways to prepare for an amateur radio license exam. Many people successfully self-study. Others take advantage of various classes offered by several clubs and organizations. There are also many opportunities to take actual simulated exams to test one's knowledge. This page contains links to resources that may be useful to those seeking a license.
The American Radio Relay League offers a very helpful line of study guides for all license classes. They are available at the following link.
These are also available on Amazon.
The Cascade Radio Club does not currently offer licensing classes, but other clubs and organizations do. The ARRL link below can be used to locate a class in your area.
Find an Amateur Radio License Class
Many hams do successfully self-study for their license exams. In addition to the above ARRL study guides there are other resources available. Below are some popular choices.
When conducting in-person classes in the past, we had good results with materials from Ham Radio School.
These are two options. The Cascade Radio Club does not make an endorsement for a particular course.
The amateur radio exams are composed of questions developed by other hams. These question pools for the three license classes are available on-line from multiple sources. For the sake of brevity, here is a link to the ARRL's question pools. There are others and there are practice tests from several sources. Links provided to two options.
WARNING: These question pools are revised on a rotating cycle for all three license classes. If you obtain study materials, especially from other hams or used sources, make sure you have the correct materials for the current exam pool for license class you plan to obtain.
When you are ready to test, you will need attend a test session sponsored by a Volunteer Examiner (VE) team. This link provides information on available classes, training and testing sessions.
Western Washington Amateur Radio Licensing Classes, Training Classes and Examination Sessions
The Cascade Radio Club currently sponsors a monthly VE test session the third Thursday of every month except December. The test session begin at 5:30 but we are a bit flexible on that given the nature of local traffic. The test sessions are held at the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management, 720 80th St. S.W., Bldg. A, Everett, WA 98203. The current test fee set by the ARRL is $15.00 and the exact change is very helpful. We cannot process electronic payments. You also will need an FCC Registration Number or FRN. That can be obtained at the FCC's website. You may obtain an FRN at this site.
It is suggested that you obtain your FRN as soon as possible. You must also provide a photo identification. If you currently have a license, it is helpful if you bring a copy that we can keep and forward to the ARRL with the upgrade files.
2026 Cascade Radio Club VE Session Dates:
No January session
February 19
March 19
April 16
May 21
June 18
July 16
August 20
September 17
October 15
November 19
No December session
Registration is not required and walk-in candidates are welcome. If you need additional information, please contact Rick at w7rmh1@gmail.com. We love helping people get licensed or upgraded!
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