Renewing an amateur radio license online

[Jeffhs]

My amateur radio license (WB8NHV) will expire next year. I would like to be able to renew it when the time comes, but every time I try to use the FCC's ULS site I am sent back to the fields which ask for my user name and password. I am entering my correct information in every field, but I always get the same response, running me around in circles. However, now there seems to be something else going on to thwart my efforts to renew my license, namely, an error message: "504 Gateway Timeout." What is this, and why is it getting in the way of my renewing my license?

I would try to file a hard-copy license application with the FCC, but the ULS website states the Commission is not accepting paper forms any longer. I do not think this is fair, since there may still be amateurs who do not use computers for whatever reason. I do not want to have to give up amateur radio just because I do not seem to be able to renew my license online or by mail at this time.

I realize this is the Internet age and all, but being unable to renew my amateur radio license online is almost ridiculous. I would think the FCC would have a backup system for use in case their computer networks go down, and to accomodate those amateurs whose own computers fail for any reason. Again, I do not want to have to give up ham radio after having been in the hobby since 1972, but if I cannot find a solution to this problem with license renewal, I may have no choice but to do just that when my license expires in April 2024.

Thank you so much for reading this; I appreciate it.

[old_tv_nut]

Are you using an up-to-date browser?

Do you have a pop-up ad blocker installed? If so, you may need to disable it.

[old_tv_nut]

Note: just the other day, I had trouble buying postage on line with Chrome (where I have installed a pop-up blocker). Same type of re-requesting info as you described. Microsoft Edge (without a blocker add-in) worked fine.

[jr_tech]

Renewal apparently is now only available on line. If you haven’t already, you must set up an account with user name and password. This link may be helpful:

https://apps.fcc.gov/cores/userLogin.do

Note: There is now a $35 charge for renewal of a ham license.

73, jr

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by jr_tech

Renewal apparently is now only available on line. If you haven’t already, you must set up an account with user name and password. This link may be helpful:

https://apps.fcc.gov/cores/userLogin.do

Note: There is now a $35 charge for renewal of a ham license.

73, jr

jr:

Thank you very much for that link, and for the reminder that the license renewal fee went up. (I had no idea it had increased that much; I remember when renewals were free). I am now registered with the FCC's CORES program and should have no problems from now on using the program. The problems I was having trying to log in were really bothering me; as I mentioned, I do not want to lose my amateur radio license for any reason--I worked too hard to get it in the first place, and besides, ham radio is one of my favorite hobbies (been in it now since I was 16 years old in 1972). Started out as Novice class WN8NHV, was off air 11 months, finally upgraded to Technician in 1975, to General shortly thereafter, and the rest is history. Amateur radio is a great hobby; believe me, I intend to stay with it the rest of my life, if at all possible.

73,

[kf4rca]

I had trouble renewing mine also. I got 2 phone calls from a lady there telling me what I needed to so. Finally I got an email from itguy@fcc.gov saying he was expediting it.
There's a number of threads on QRZ.com in the forums section of people having the same problem.
At one point I almost gave up!

[Ed in Tx]

$35 fee is supposed to make up for the cost to the FCC of renewing. Hey I have an idea! Make the licenses LIFETIME and do away with the renewal expenses altogether! Like they did with the old First Class - Second Class that became the General Radiotelephone Operator License, issued for the holder's lifetime. Very disappointed the ARRL failed the Ham community when they didn't fight for "lifetime".

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by Ed in Tx

$35 fee is supposed to make up for the cost to the FCC of renewing. Hey I have an idea! Make the licenses LIFETIME and do away with the renewal expenses altogether! Like they did with the old First Class - Second Class that became the General Radiotelephone Operator License, issued for the holder's lifetime. Very disappointed the ARRL failed the Ham community when they didn't fight for "lifetime".

I agree 100 percent, but the FCC obviously has other ideas, especially if they increased the renewal fee as much as they did. Amateur licenses should be absolutely lifetime once the license is issued, no expiration date. We work hard to get the license, so it makes perfect sense to me to do away with renewals altogether. I was able to upgrade from Novice to Technician in 1975, but unfortunately had to take the General test twice. The second time was the charm, as I passed the test with flying colors. As I have said, I worked too doggone hard to get the Technician, then the General, and do not want to ever go through that again if I can avoid it. Amateur radio is a grand hobby, as I have found after having been in it since 1972. (When I lived in a Cleveland suburb and still had my HF station, I came within several states of getting ARRL's Worked All States award.) I don't want to give up this hobby if I can avoid it. I am a member of the Lake County (Ohio) Amateur Radio Club, and check into their Thursday night 2-meter net whenever I can (I sometimes get busy around the time the net begins, as it starts at 7 PM Eastern time, but I will try to make up for lost time tomorrow evening [Thursday, January 22]). The local repeater here, N8BC/R, 147.81-21, is an excellent machine with good coverage of the Greater Cleveland area and also portions of the outlying area; in fact, their net is two days from now.

[Ed in Tx]

Originally Posted by Jeffhs

We work hard to get the license, so it makes perfect sense to me to do away with renewals altogether. I was able to upgrade from Novice to Technician in 1975...

I went from Technician to Advanced and was for years, because I couldn't easily master the 20 WPM and didn't really want to spend the code practice time for "Extra", and I could do just about anything on the ham bands with the Advanced. When they dropped the code requirement to 13 WPM for Extra all I needed was another written element to get Extra Class which I got and still have until 2025 at least. And I paid for each test! That should be good enough. I guess the $35 beats the original proposed $70 to renew. I tried to set up an FCC account when they first decided to do this and was unsuccessful. Maybe by 2025 they will have it straightened out since I am apparently not the only one having issues with their web site.

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by Ed in Tx

I went from Technician to Advanced and was for years, because I couldn't easily master the 20 WPM and didn't really want to spend the code practice time for "Extra", and I could do just about anything on the ham bands with the Advanced. When they dropped the code requirement to 13 WPM for Extra all I needed was another written element to get Extra Class which I got and still have until 2025 at least. And I paid for each test! That should be good enough. I guess the $35 beats the original proposed $70 to renew. I tried to set up an FCC account when they first decided to do this and was unsuccessful. Maybe by 2025 they will have it straightened out since I am apparently not the only one having issues with their web site.

Seventy dollars to renew an amateur license? That sounds to me to be awfully high. I wonder what the FCC had in mind, or maybe there was some technical problem with the site at the time.

I was able to log in to the FCC's ULS site today and reviewed the information I had entered. Everything seems in order, so when the time comes to renew I should have no trouble.

By the year 2025 the site's technical problems should be resolved, and the site should be back to normal. If not, the FCC will still allow amateurs to renew licenses even if said license has expired (the FCC will allow a one-year grace period after 2024). Don't let it go too long, though, otherwise you will have to apply for a new license. Whether or not this means you may or may not lose your current callsign on the renewed license is another matter. This is the first time I have ever run into a problem like this as far as license renewal is concerned; I certainly hope it is the last as well. I've had my licenses (Novice, Tech,and now General) a total of 51 years, and don't want to lose the General if I can help it.

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by jr_tech

Renewal apparently is now only available on line. If you haven’t already, you must set up an account with user name and password. This link may be helpful:

https://apps.fcc.gov/cores/userLogin.do

Note: There is now a $35 charge for renewal of a ham license.

73, jr

I logged in to the CORES website a few days ago and set up an account there, including a user name and password. However, I am wondering exactly how the FCC's renewal site works. Does one still have to wait a certain length of time (in months) before applying for a license renewal? My General class license will expire in 2024. Am I logging in to the correct site to renew the license, or is there a separate site for amateur license renewal? If the latter, I would appreciate knowing the URL (www.fcc.gov, perhaps?) so I can go to it when the time comes for me to renew my license. I do not want to have to apply for a new license if I can avoid it.

Thank you much for reading this.

73,

[jr_tech]

According to one source:
“Note that you can only renew a license 90 days before it expires or within two years after it expires”
I haven’t tried yet, so have no firsthand knowledge.
73,
jr

[Dude111]

Good luck Jeff getting it renewed!!

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by jr_tech

According to one source:
“Note that you can only renew a license 90 days before it expires or within two years after it expires”
I haven’t tried yet, so have no firsthand knowledge.
73,
jr

Thank you so much for the info. I appreciate it.

73,

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by Dude111

Good luck Jeff getting it renewed!!

Why do you say "good luck" getting it renewed? There are currently some 640,000 radio amateurs in the United States; I am sure many amateur licenses are, as I write this, due to expire soon (mine in particular will expire around April 2024). As long as an amateur licensee is in good standing with the FCC, after all, there should be no reason whatsoever why the license will not be renewed. I have held an amateur radio license 51 years and have never had any difficulty having it renewed; I do not expect to have any trouble renewing my license when the time comes.

Also, there is the option to download FCC Form 605. This form will allow renewal of any U. S. amateur radio license by mail, so if the FCC's electronic renewal system fails or does not work for any reason (or if one simply feels better filing a renewal application by mail, as U. S. radio amateurs have done for decades), it will still be possible to renew your amateur license. The FCC and other government agencies which use electronic license document filing keep close tabs on if and how well these electronic systems work, so one can be reasonably certain Form 605 (for example) will allow renewal of an amateur radio license. I for one will be looking forward to trying this option. I tried to download Form 605 about a month ago, but the copy must have gotten lost somewhere, either on my computer or elsewhere (!). I have since found another license download site which will allow downloads of Form 605, so I am not the least bit concerned now, as I write this, as I once was about how I will renew my license. I am very glad the FCC has these two sites, one backing up the other, so the entire system will not be completely useless if one or the other site goes down for any reason. With 640,000 amateur licenses in the United States, not to mention amateur radio's importance to this country, the FCC absolutely cannot afford to have the licensing system fail for any length of time; there are far too many licenses, not only amateur, at stake.