Southwest Florida Regional Hamfest

FCC License Testing

The Fort Myers Amateur Radio Club (FMARC) will be offering Amateur Radio Licensing Exams at our Hamfest. The exams are conducted by a local team of Volunteer Examiners (VE’s) who are certified by the Laurel VEC. Both the FMARC and the Laurel VEC subsidize the exams and the certification process so there is no charge for the exam.

We do not charge anything to participate in an exam session.  It’s really FREE.  However, the FCC does charge $35 for a first amateur license.  That is NOT collected at the exam session.  Instead, the FCC will email the applicant instructions for remitting their fee.  If the applicant is under age 18, ask about our reimbursement program.

Testing will be on Saturday, January 17, 2026

Walk-ins should arrive at 9:00
Pre-registered people should arrive by 9:45
Testing begins promptly at 10:00

To sit for an exam, you should pre-register no later than Friday, January 16th, at 6:00 p.m. To pre-register, please click here.
Walk-ins will be accommodated as space allows.

Please note that whether or not you pre-register, you will need either a valid amateur license call sign (for an upgrade) or an FCC Registration Number, FRN, (for a first license). For more information on License Exams and how to obtain an FRN, please click here.

If you have any questions, please contact us at: fcc_exams@fmarc.net

Welcome to the home of the Southwest Florida Hamfest!

We are honored to host the ARRL Southern Florida Sectional Convention at the Southwest Florida Hamfest. For more information on the ARRL, click here.

The Fort Myers Amateur Radio Club (FMARC) is the largest amateur radio club in Southwest Florida. We are an extremely active club for those interested in becoming licensed as well as for hams with all levels of experience. Our educational opportunities and special interest groups are just some ways for our members to explore all the facets of amateur radio. For more information, please click here.

LeeARES(r) works closely with the Lee County Emergency Management Organization to provide backup communications in area shelters and with area first responders in the event of a catastrophic communications failure. For more information, click here.

The Southwest Florida Traffic Net (SWFTN) is the local affiliate, and is sponsored by, the ARRL’s National Traffic System. Its primary function is to handle formal Radiogram messages as part of the NTS. For more information, click here.