United States amateur licenses are issued by the FCC and tested by volunteers. There are three classes, no Morse code requirement, and no practical/build element — it is a written multiple-choice exam from a question pool that is published in advance.
The whole process is: get an FRN, study, find a session, pass, pay the FCC, receive a call sign. Most people complete it in a month.
License classesTechnician, General and Amateur Extra, and what each one buys.
Getting an FCC FRNThe free FCC registration number you need before you test.
Privacy and the public license recordWhat the FCC publishes about every licensee, what it keeps private, and how to keep your home address off the internet.
