HAM license renewal

Snal~

Snal~

I Run A Tight Shipwreck (Tragic Boating Accident)
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Boy, they put you through the wringer on the online renewal!
The process should be simple, but they have it like you're driving from Asheville to Charlotte via Australia! The process would not
recognize my FRN number even though it was right there in my profile and HAD been linked to my call sign.
I finally had to call the help line. They found that I had never checked the box for financial transaction approval under my FRN profile.
I asked the lady if she could do my renewal while we were on the phone and she said no. She had to send me the instructions
for updating my profile. The "click here" titled links in the instructions were nothing that indicated that I was trying to modify
or upgrade my profile. Strange.
Finally got it done.
 
What is this pay you speak of.
I've had mine 42 years come March. Never paid a fee.
 
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I just did mine last year and I think it was pretty straight forward. IIRC
Although, it does seem to be an antiquated system. But, it's the FCC, so....
 
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Apparently you guys have incomes above $400,000. Pay the $35! 😂

 
The ham radio licensing system is run by volunteers and the nominal testing fees, typically $15 or less, cover the costs of conducting the test sessions (mostly supplies like paper, pens, calculators, file folders, etc and while most refuse it the examiners are allowed mileage reimbursement). Ham radio operators also police their own air waves. Ham radio operators are also known for stepping up and volunteering to assist in their communities with groups like CERT an Auxcomm. On top of all this, the license processing is automated and done by computer, which incurs very little cost.

Given the contribution that ham radio operators make to charge a fee for a license is an absurd insult.
 
Holy Hell!

Thanks for the heads up @Snal~!

I'd advise anyone doing it from here on out to keep this tutorial up while doing the renewal:


It saved my sanity for sure. And I swiped it right out of the thread on QRZ that @Cocked & Locked mentioned. It was a blood pressure saver for sure!
 
Received this email yesterday. Gotta love the idea of being taxed $35 to be "officially" included in the FEMA emergency response plans. :rolleyes:

Amateur Radio Included in FEMA Guide for National Emergency Preparedness

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has released a final version (March 2023) of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Functional Guidance. The guidance, which provides a framework for communications resources within incident management, officially includes support from amateur radio operators. The expanded Communications Unit (COMU) structure now includes the Auxiliary Communicator (AUXC) role, which covers personnel from services that provide communications support to emergency management, public safety, and other government agencies. This includes amateur radio.

NIMS guides government, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector to work together to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters and other emergencies. “This is a major step in the recognition of the need and usefulness of amateur radio and other communications services in our national preparedness,” said Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, Director of Emergency Management for ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio®. “It also gives official guidance to pave the way for future training and education of volunteers in ARRL’s Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES®),” Johnston added.

The NIMS ICT guide (PDF) is available at https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_ict-functional-guidance.pdf.
Click to expand...
 
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