A FCC issued operating license is required for the Amateur Radio Service. Exams are administered by a network of Volunteer Examiners (VE) and are routinely scheduled by many VE groups.

The FCC currently issues three different license class designatons: Technician, General, and Extra. The Technician Class license is the entry level license. Morse code is not a requirement for the Technician Class license. From a question pool of about 400 items, the exam is 35 multiple choice questions. The questions check basic knowledge on FCC regulations, radio, electronics, and operating practices. Passing the exam requires answering 26 questions correctly.

OSCAR is offering a free, in person, license class. The class sessions to earn a Technician Class license begins 24-Mar-2026. Classes will be held on consecutive Tuesday and Thursday nights:

Session will take place at the Owatonna Fire Department (107 West Main Street). OSCAR Technician license classes utilize the ARRL License Manual. This manual includes all of the possible questions and answers that may appear on the Technician Class license exam. If you purchase the license manual, be sure you purchase the most current edition. The 5th Edition is valid for the Question Pool through June, 2026.

The ARRL also offers ARRL Exam Review. This free resource provides sample exams to check knowldege and build confidence for the exam. ARRL Exam Review includes all of the questions (and possible multiple choice answers) for the current FCC exam pools and provides different review options. You can choose to review by chapter of the ARRL study manual or by question pool topic.