Scheduled Classes
Information on our classes...
Schedule and fees for our license prep classes
Class Start: promptly at 8:30am (for Technician), 8:00am (for General), and 9:00am (for Extra, both days). Plan to arrive 15 minutes early to sign in and get settled.
We take a short break roughly every hour and about an hour break for lunch. You can bring a lunch to eat there or pop out to get something.
Exam: immediately follows class, and lasts until about 7:00pm.
Class Fee: The class is FREE of charge. (Some churches request a small donation to use their space. If applicable, more on class day.)
Exam Fee: often FREE of charge (and never more than $15).
Application Fee: the FCC now requires you to pay a $35 application fee after you pass the Technician exam.
(The registration process has more info on the details.)
There is no FCC fee for upgrade applications
Tentative/Future Classes
If you couldn’t make previous classes (or they were full) don’t despair!
We have several planned dates not yet firm or open for registration.
Once we get a building and VE team confirmed and reach 90 days before class, we’ll open registration.
We’re always looking for groups to host a class. If you have a number of people in your group that want to get licensed, contact us. For more details, see the Requesting a Class page.
Here’s the schedule (assuming no further major covid outbreaks).
07-Dec-2024 Technician - cancelled
2025 dates are still TBD, but our next is likely to be:
01-Feb-2025 Technician - tentative - TBD
We may have quarterly classes instead of monthly.
Those Dates Still Don’t Work For You?
If you can’t make the dates above and are interested in email for future classes, you can ask to be added to one of our “notify” lists.
We have lists to notify when we announce newly available classes for Technician, General, Extra, and Any class of amateur license.
Note: each list is “county wide”; please do not ask to be notified for classes in a given area (e.g., east county, north county, etc)
Announcements for Technician: Request Tech announcements
Announcements for General: Request General announcements
Announcements for Extra: Request Extra announcements
Announcements for Any and All: Request all announcements
Other Classes in the Area and Online
From time to time other groups and/or instructors let me know that they’re having a class. At this time, I know of no others scheduled.
Online: There are several out there from time to time.
See below for any info we have on upcoming events.
Previous Class Statistics.
See how we’ve done since 2011 (we didn’t keep logs for the first year or three.)
Testing on Your Own (without taking a class)
You don’t need to take a class to take the Amateur Radio License examination. You can always study on your own and sign up for a regular exam session.
In Person Exam-Only sessions are held monthly in 3-4 locations in San Diego county. See Glaarg.org and Sandarc.org for info.
There are also many online sessions available.
See hamstudy.org to list and search for online and local sessions.
General Information
Amateur Radio License Levels
There are three levels of Amateur Radio License.
Technician - entry level (requires FCC Registration Number (FRN))
General - upgrade from Technician (requires Technician license)
Extra - upgrade from General (requires General license)
Eligibility Registration in Advance via email is Required
To be eligible to attend, you must use email, follow emailed registration instructions, have the ability to receive attachments, and be able to follow along in an all-day fast paced slide presentation.
There is no age limit however the pace of this class may be too much for those under 8 or 10. (Contact us for teen and pre-teen considerations),
We must be in direct email contact with each prospective attendee.
Sorry: We cannot accept “proxy” registrations for your friends or family.
Tip: the fastest way to start registering someone is to CC them on your request email so we have their direct email address. They will need to reply per instructions. (We can make an exception for pre-teens who do not yet have their own email and allow their parents to register them.)
We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone who does not follow email instructions properly and in a reasonably timely manner, does not show up on the day of a class for which they’ve registered, or is abusive, combative, disrespectful, etc in their email communications.
Scheduled Classes (open for registration)
Register Well In Advance! Classes can fill 2-3 weeks before class.
Use the registration instruction links below to start your registration.
You will complete your registration by replying per emailed instructions.
Note: If a “Request” link below doesn’t work on your computer,
you can send email to: sandiegohamclasses@me.com
Please include the class date and area in the subject of your email.
For example: “”04-Feb-2019 Miramar area”
We get behind in email sometimes (for example, the week before a class).
Please be patient and wait 3-7 days before resending your request.
Here are the class dates we have open for registration:
As stated above: while it continues to be very unlikely at this point, indoor masking may be requested/required for these classes.
26-Oct+02-Nov-2024 Serra Mesa - Extra upgrade class
NOTE: we WILL hold a 2024 Extra upgrade class after all.
Request Registration Instructions for 26-Oct+02-Nov-2024 Serra Mesa EXTRA Upgrade class.
We’re always looking for class hosts... All we need is a building with parking and rooms to hold the class and exam.
if your group has a number of interested students, please consider hosting a class. Here’s all the info:
A word about Covid-19:
As time passes, it is increasingly unlikely that masking will be needed. We continue to watch San Diego county and Host guidance and may still request masking.
(Note that we have not requested masking since spring 2023.)
That said, face coverings might be required - for everyone, whether or not you are vaccinated. Please act responsibly and take the health of all into consideration.
In addition, please wait for a future class if:
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1.You (or your family) are feeling ill and/or experiencing flu-like symptoms the week before class, or
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2.You will not (or can not) wear a mask.
More info on Other Classes in the Area and Online
Not much to report here at this time.
If you know of one, please let me know and I’l note it here.
For non-entry-level (upgrade) classes, etc.:
General Upgrade Study Materials
Amateur Extra Upgrade Study Materials
Common Topics Advanced Topics .