It’s official, the new $35 FCC license application fee for Ham & GMRS radio services were formally adopted by the agency for the Part 95E General Mobile Radio Service & Part 97 Amateur Radio Service (and other commercial radios services), having now been officially published in the Federal Register on 03/19/21.
As widely anticipated for GMRS users, the new $35 license fee changes will go into effect 30 days from the date of publishing in the Federal Register, which means they will now be in effect on 04/19/21.
UPDATE: The FCC has finally published a note that the new fees will finally be active on the FCC ULS (Universal Licensing System) website on 04/19/22, an entire year after the new fees were actually approved.
While some on the Amateur Radio / Ham Radio community are not happy about the addition of this $35 fee for what used to be essentially free for ARS license applications, the new fees bring a 50% reduction in fees for the GMRS community.
For a GMRS license, the changes include the same 10-year license terms, the same inclusion of your entire immediate family under the same license, and a new reduced license application fee of $35. That’s only 29 cents per month, and even less if you share the license with any family members!
The new lower fees comes at the perfect time for a major influx of new GMRS applicants and an overall increase in awareness about emergency radio communications on all radio services and bands, for disaster preparedness and SHTF prepping.
It also comes at a time when there are finally several more options for quality handheld radios such as the Wouxun KG-UV9GX GMRS Two-Way Radio & SHTF Scanner, co-designed by Mark Lindsey (K6LED/WQXR567) and sold exclusively by BetterSafeRadio.
The new fee schedule was originally proposed to be $50 per application, but due to public comment, the FCC agreed to lower the fee to $35 for the personal radio services. Other commercial and broadcast radio services are also affected by the new changes. See the published FCC rule changes for all the details.
What do you think about the new changes? Chime in below.
Cheers and Be Safe!
How do I get a Ham Radio License without taking the test? And could you give me instructions on programming my hand held emergency radio?
Hi Pierre, there is no way to get a legal amateur radio license without taking and passing the test, which are administered by Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (sometimes online though, such as at HamStudy.org). It’s good to take the test so you can learn about some basic operating and safety guidelines for the service.
I can probably give you some tips on programming depending on what radio you have (especially if it’s a Wouxun), but that would be easier to do on chat or email – see my Contact page.
Cheers, -Mark
Where do go to find a application for GMRS radios ??
Hi John, if you are talking about an FCC GMRS License, you have to get that from the FCC website. Here’s a nice tutorial on how to navigate that, created by one of my BSR Affiliates: https://www.notarubicon.com/how-to-get-a-gmrs-license-easy-guide-to-gmrs-licensing-on-the-fcc-website/ – I hope that helps.
Cheers, -Mark
As mentioned, good for GMRS (should have never been $70, $35 is better. But ARS was $13 then $20, then $Free and now $35 I am glad I renewed at the last $FREE time. But if you don’t know the $70 was for 5 years now $35 and 10 years, that is more like a 75% reduction which is even better. If you like the idea of a 2 way radio in the car or truck or house, then it might be great for you. When there is an emergency and cell service doesn’t work, communications are even more important. Antennas are small, and radios are much cheaper.