• Jack-it Night: April 2024 RS Meeting Hey Guest: Wed. April 3rd is the next Rising Sun meeting, and you won't want to miss it. We're doing our annual offroad recovery equipment demonstration and trail skills training aka "Jack It Night." Meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. (early) Click here for all the details.

New First Time Licensing Step

DaveInDenver

Rising Sun Ham Guru
Joined
Jun 8, 2006
Messages
12,948
Location
Grand Junction
Anyone considering their ham ticket needs to know that the FCC is changing the way they handle license applications. You're going to need to get an FCC ID and FRN (FCC Registration Number) ahead of time to give the VECs at the exam session.

Up until now when you passed your exam the FCC would generate a call sign but really didn't need to bother with the CORES system until you needed to do something such as change call signs (like a vanity), renew or update contact information. You could see all the pertinent information publicly without actually registering, although I'd think most everyone did set up an account so it's not really a foundation shift. It seems to be the FCC trying to get fully into the 20th century with electronic communications (you now also must provide an email address, for example).

This doesn't really change anything with respect to GMRS since that's already all done online so you'd have already set up an FCC account to get that issued.

 

Johnny Utah

Rising Sun Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2015
Messages
1,068
Location
Arvada
Thanks @DaveInDenver I just recently passed my technician license and this was communicated to me in the email from Mile-high VE Team and Ham Radio Outlet, which proctored the exam. I did not know this was a new requirement. They sent me a link, https://apps.fcc.gov/cores/userLogin.do , I created a username and password and then received my FRN. I was asked to bring a copy of my FRN to the exam.
 
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