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Amateur Radio Examinations

All amateur radio examination sessions conducted by the WVARA are coordinated through the Laurel Amateur Radio Club VEC.

• There is never any fee for taking an amateur radio examination.
• Licenses are normally uploaded to the FCC the next business day following the test session.
• Pre-registration for an examination session is preferred, but walk-ins are accepted.
• You MUST have an FCC Registration Number (FRN) before you arrive at the examination session.
  • If you currently hold an amateur radio license or any other license issued by the FCC (GMRS, GRO, etc.), then you already have an FRN.
  • NOTE: if you have an FRN that begins with the digits 213, then it is a Restricted Use FRN and cannot be used for an amateur radio license application. You must obtain a regular FRN.

The FCC charges an application fee of $35 for each application to

• Apply for a new amateur radio license
• Apply for renewal of an existing license
• Apply for a vanity call sign

You pay this fee directly to the FCC after the application has been uploaded to the FCC for processing.

There is no application fee to upgrade your current license to a higher class, to change your contact information (name, address, e-mail address, or phone number), or to request a new, sequentially-issued call sign.

Monthly Examination Sessions

Regularly-scheduled amateur radio examination sessions are held every month at 9:30 a.m. on the 2nd Saturday.

The next monthly examination session will held be on December 14, 2024 at 9:30 a.m.

Registering for a session ahead of time will allow some of your paperwork to be prepared in advance and will speed up the check-in process when you arrive at the session.  You may pre-register for a session any time prior to 12 midnight EST/EDT on the Thursday before the session.

All monthly examination sessions are held at:

Additional Examination Sessions

The WVARA VE Team also conducts additional examination sessions throughout the year.

• The WVARA VE Team conducts an examination session at the Dugger Hamfest at 9:00 a.m. EST on the last Saturday of February each year.
• Special sessions may be scheduled as the need arises.

If you wish to pre-register for one of these additional examination sessions, send an e-mail to ve_team@w9uuu.org with your:

• Full name and address.
• Call sign (if already licensed).
• FCC Registration Number (FRN).
• E-mail address.
• Purpose for attending the session - new license, upgrade, renewal, change address, etc.

For further information contact the WVARA VE Team:

On the Laurel VEC website you will find information on Laurel VE Teams world-wide, upcoming exam sessions, and information concerning amateur radio licensing in general, applying for a vanity call sign, links to the FCC rules, and other useful information.