The Hog County Amateur Radio Association is proud to be able to host VE Test Sessions here locally in Sumter County, FL.
Date: The first (1st) Saturday of each month.
Time: 11:00 AM ET
Location: Cross Connection Church – 1451 West County Road 476, Bushnell, Florida 33513. This is approximately 4,180.22 feet, 0.789 miles or
Cost: $15.00 – for the ARRL administration fee to be paid prior to taking the test; cash only.
Cost: $35.00 – The FCC fee for obtaining your Amateur Radio License – see below.
For additional information or to RSVP for an exam, please email SumterVE@gmail.com, and someone will get back to you.
Bobby Smalley – KX4RS is our VE Team Liaison and Leader for our VE Team.
VE Team Members: Ted Crafton – KK4FYN, Gail King – KJ4GEK, Gene King – KI4LEH, Bill Burgner – W4WWB, and Wendy Stevens – WW4LS.
If you are a licensed amateur operator, we will also encourage you to become a Volunteer Examiner (VE). It is not too hard; you go to the ARRL website, download the free PDF VE Manual, you study, and when you are ready, you print off and take the “Open Book” test, scan it and email it, fax it or snail mail it to ARRL for grading, and of course, you pass it. Then in a few weeks, ARRL will send you your VE Credentials, and you will be ready to help us out by helping to test new or upgrading amateurs.
Amateur Radio Testing: What you will need to bring.
What to Bring to an ARRL Exam Session:
1. MANDATORY BEFORE THE EXAM
FCC Registration Number (FRN): Examinees are required by
the FCC to submit your FRN with your license application form.
New license applicants must create an FCC user account and
register their Social Security Number (SSN) in the FCC Commission
Registration System (CORES) before attending exam sessions.
Registrants will be assigned an FRN, which will be used in all license
transactions with the FCC. For instructions on how to register your
SSN and receive an FRN from the FCC, visit the CORES Registration
page and the FCC’s Registration instructions page.
Per FCC rules, a valid email address is also mandatory on the
application form to receive FCC correspondence, including the official
copy of your Amateur Radio license.
2. One legal photo ID (identification):
a. State Driver’s License
b. Government-issued Passport
c. Military or Law Enforcement Officer Photo ID card
d. Student School Photo ID card
e. State Photo ID card
3. If no photo ID is available, two forms of identification:
a. Non-photo State ID card (some states still have them)
b. Birth certificate (must have the appropriate seal)
c. Social Security card
d. Employer’s wage statement or Minor’s work permit
e. School ID card
f. School or Public Library card
g. 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
Form 605.
4. Students/minors without a photo ID need to bring only one of the
above items if a legal guardian presents their photo ID; otherwise
two non-photo IDs are required. ARRL will cover the one-time FCC
application fee for new license candidates younger than 18 years
old for tests administered under the ARRL VEC program.
Candidates younger than 18 years old would pay a reduced exam
session fee of $5 to the ARRL VEC VE team at the time of the exam.
Visit the Youth Licensing Grant Program webpage for more
information and for reimbursement instructions.
Minor children (under the age of 18) may be accompanied in the
room by an adult during the test.
5. If applicable, bring a printed copy of your Amateur Radio license
or be able to show proof of the license in the official FCC database.
Acceptable copies or printouts of licenses are available from the
following sources: the official license or reference license printed
from the FCC website or license data printed from the ARRL website
or QRZ website. The original(s) and photocopy(s) of any Certificates
of Successful Completion of Examination (CSCE) you may hold from
previous exam sessions. If your license has already been issued by
the FCC, the CSCE showing license credit is not needed. The
candidate is required to show proof of the current license to the team
, but the team is no longer required to submit the proof to the VEC.
Expired license proof must be submitted to the team and to the
VEC for processing to FCC. These photocopies will not be returned.
Instructions on how to obtain an official FCC license copy are on
our Obtain License Copy web page.
6. Two number-two pencils with erasers and a pen for in-person sessions.
7. A calculator with the memory erased and formulas cleared is allowed.
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 or turned off during
the exam session, and the phones’ calculator function may not be used.
In addition, iPhones, iPads, Androids, smartphones, and Blackberry devices
and all similar electronic devices with a calculator capability may NOT
be used.
8. Bring cash ($15.00) to cover the exam session fee(s).
Check the ARRL VEC’s current exam fees.
9. Be aware that some information about you will be made publicly available
on the FCC’s website (FCC Licensee Privacy), including a felony conviction
status. All applicants must answer the Basic Qualification Question (felony
conviction status question) on the 605 Form at the exam session.
Applicants that answer “YES” to the question must follow these FCC
procedures: FCC qualification question instructions
Ready to Take the Exam?
FCC Application Fee Instructions
FCC $35 Amateur Application Fees Effective April 19, 2022
The FCC released a Public Notice on March 23, 2022, stating that the amateur radio application fees, including those associated with Form 605 application filings, are effective April 19, 2022. The Federal Communications Commission’s authority to impose and collect fees is mandated by Congress.
The $35 application fee applies to new, renewal, rule waiver, and modification applications that request a new vanity call sign. The fee is per application.
Administrative updates, such as a change of name, mailing or email address, and modification applications to upgrade an amateur radio licensee’s operator class or to request a sequentially issued call sign, are exempt from fees.
Filing Online with the FCC: For license applicants filing online directly with the FCC in the ULS License Manager System, if a payment is required, the system will automatically open a page asking how the applicant wants to pay and will walk the applicant through the payment process.
Filing with a VEC: If paying a fee for an application filed by a VEC organization, please use the CORES FRN Registration System (CORES – Login). The candidate will have 10 calendar days from the date of the application file number being issued to pay. Login and pay as soon as the application is in the FCC system. CORES payment system information.
The FCC staff has suggested that applicants for vanity call signs should first ensure the call signs requested are available and eligible for their operator class and area and then request as many call signs as the form allows to maximize their chances of receiving a call sign.
Additionally, the FCC stated that the fee for applications processed and dismissed will not be refundable. This includes vanity requests where the applicant does not receive the requested call sign. However, returned applications that are missing information will not require an additional fee if the missing information is submitted to the FCC within the proper amount of time.
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VECs and Volunteer Examiner (VE) teams should not collect the $35 fee at exam sessions. The FCC fee must be paid online directly to the FCC, not to the VE team or organization processing the application form. VEC and VE team licensing procedures are unchanged. New applicants will pay the $15 exam session fee to the ARRL VE team as usual and pay the $35 application fee directly to the FCC by using the CORES FRN Registration System (CORES – Login). CORES payment system information.
When the FCC receives the examination information from the VEC, it will email a link with payment instructions to each qualifying candidate. The candidate will have 10 calendar days from the date of the application file number being issued to pay. After the fee is paid and the FCC has processed an application, examinees will receive a second email from the FCC with a link to their official license or, in very rare instances, an explanation for why the application was dismissed or denied. The link will be valid for 30 days.
** Applicants do not have to wait for the FCC email to pay the fee. They can look up their application in the FCC application search system using their FRN: https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/ApplicationSearch/searchAppl.jsp
If the applicant has a pending application in the system, that means the VEC has submitted the application to the FCC, and the fee can be paid by logging into the CORES system. **
If an applicant fails to pay within the 10-day window, the application will be dismissed by the FCC. The application will have to be refiled to the FCC, which will restart the 10-day window.
Exam candidates do not have to retest if the 10-day payment window is missed. An application can be refiled to the FCC, by the coordinating VEC, at any time before the CSCE expires. Contact the VEC listed on your CSCE to have the application refiled to the FCC.
Per usual procedures, examinees that pass multiple exams at one session will have one application transmitted to the FCC reflecting the highest level license class earned. Again, our VEC procedures have not changed. The new license candidates have an extra step before the license is issued. VE teams can point candidates to our FCC Application Fee webpage. Our new ARRL VEC CSCEs also include information about the application fee and points candidates to the webpage. The FCC rule pertaining to CSCEs will not change. CSCE credit will continue to be valid for 365 days, starting from the date of issuance.
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Fees effective April 19, 2022
The FCC fee must be paid online directly to the FCC, not to the VE team or organization processing the application form.
FEE FILING GUIDE:
INDIVIDUALS
$35 FEE: new, renewal, rule waiver, and modification applications that request a new vanity call sign. The fee is per application.
NO FEE: administrative updates, such as a change of name, mailing or email address, modification applications to upgrade an amateur radio licensee’s operator class, or to request a sequentially issued call sign and license cancellation.
AMATEUR RADIO CLUBS
$35 FEE: new, renewal, rule waiver, and modification applications that request a new vanity call sign. The fee is per application.
NO FEE: administrative updates, such as a change of name, change of trustee, mailing or email address, modification applications to request a sequentially issued call sign, and license cancellation.
Español – Instrucciones de la tarifa de solicitud de la FCC – updated April 25
FCC Registration Help:
https://apps.fcc.gov/cores/publicHome.do?help=true
Personal Service and Amateur Application Fees – Fee Filing Guide:
https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/systems-utilities/universal-licensing-system/wireless-fees/personal-service-and-amateur
To access CORES with a (Payer) FRN:
https://apps.fcc.gov/cores/paymentFrnLogin.do
FCC CORES Video Tutorials:
https://www.fcc.gov/licensing-databases/fcc-registration-system-cores/commission-registration-system-video-tutorials
K4HOG 