How To: GMRS - ZA FCC LICENSE

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SS308

Rank V
Member

Advocate I

1,864
Cheyenne, WY, USA
First Name
Randy
Last Name
Miller
Member #

29772

Ham/GMRS Callsign
KF7QFH
Service Branch
USMC
That’s what I paid for my Ham and GMRS license yesterday. They might be trying to update another license with it, if it’s close to expiring.
 
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M Rose

Local Expert
Mod Team
Member

Advocate III

5,584
Northeast Oregon, United States
First Name
Michael
Last Name
Rose
Member #

20990

Ham/GMRS Callsign
W7FSB
Service Branch
US ARMY Retired
So, I just went through the hoops getting my ULS, FRN and so forth today (5-13-21). Got to the fee page and guess what?? It's still $70.00 for a GMRS license. I guess I'll just wait a month and check back.
Check back in July/August... FCC still hasn’t sent the announcement for the fee change (currently tied up in Congress) . Once the proposed process is confirmed by congress and the new fee system is adopted by the FCC it will be 30-60 days before the process is implimented and we see a change in the fees.
 
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OffroadRD-1

Rank I

Contributor III

154
Olympia,WA
First Name
Don
Last Name
Headley
You are correct ! Just got off the phone with the FCC Help Desk. The change in fee schedule is currently hung up in Congress. They currently have no idea when the new schedule will be adopted. Guess I'll just have to pony up.
 

Ovrlandtrekerusa

Rank II
Member

Enthusiast I

There's been lots of talk here about making sure we're all licensed for the radios that we operate, but not a lot of specifics on how to go about that. Since a lot of us are interested in GMRS (our needs are beyond FRS but not to the point of HAM) I wanted to share what I learned while applying for my ZA license:


General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS)
General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS)


Ok, it looks harder than it is, but you need to;
a) sign up with the FCC ULS system
b) then file for a ZA license
c) pay your fee, and in a day or two you'll have your license.

Basically the same thing as above:
https://www.prismli.com/prism-blog/gmrs-radio/36-how-to-get-your-gmrs-license

Getting started:
New Users Guide To Getting Started With Universal Licensing System (ULS)

Sign up for ULS (registering as an individual with the FCC) and get FRN:
FCC Registration System

Once you have your FRN (why is everything acronyms with these guys?), go back to the home page and select "Online Filing" Log in:
Universal Licensing System

Then select Apply for New license (top left), select ZA GMRS in the drop down and follow the instructions.

It got a little confusing for me at the payment stage.


There are three different ways to proceed, but "Payer FRN" is what I was told to use. I tried several times to get past this point and I needed to call the FCC Help Line to figure it out. Thankfully, they got to me very quickly and it only took two separate calls to figure out that the FCC site doesn't seem to like the Chrome browser. Firefox ended up working for me .

Beyond this page is where you can specify how to pay. At least this part was totally straight forward and a breeze.

I hope this has been helpful for anyone who's interested in getting their FCC ZA license!
 
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shansonpac

Rank V
Member

Traveler III

1,995
Bakersfield, CA, USA
First Name
Stephen
Last Name
Hanson
Member #

30447

There's been lots of talk here about making sure we're all licensed for the radios that we operate, but not a lot of specifics on how to go about that. Since a lot of us are interested in GMRS (our needs are beyond FRS but not to the point of HAM) I wanted to share what I learned while applying for my ZA license:


General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS)
General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS)


Ok, it looks harder than it is, but you need to;
a) sign up with the FCC ULS system
b) then file for a ZA license
c) pay your fee, and in a day or two you'll have your license.

Basically the same thing as above:
https://www.prismli.com/prism-blog/gmrs-radio/36-how-to-get-your-gmrs-license

Getting started:
New Users Guide To Getting Started With Universal Licensing System (ULS)

Sign up for ULS (registering as an individual with the FCC) and get FRN:
FCC Registration System

Once you have your FRN (why is everything acronyms with these guys?), go back to the home page and select "Online Filing" Log in:
Universal Licensing System

Then select Apply for New license (top left), select ZA GMRS in the drop down and follow the instructions.

It got a little confusing for me at the payment stage.


There are three different ways to proceed, but "Payer FRN" is what I was told to use. I tried several times to get past this point and I needed to call the FCC Help Line to figure it out. Thankfully, they got to me very quickly and it only took two separate calls to figure out that the FCC site doesn't seem to like the Chrome browser. Firefox ended up working for me .

Beyond this page is where you can specify how to pay. At least this part was totally straight forward and a breeze.

I hope this has been helpful for anyone who's interested in getting their FCC ZA license!
Thanks for the invaluable information. Completed my application today. Still $70.
 
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M Rose

Local Expert
Mod Team
Member

Advocate III

5,584
Northeast Oregon, United States
First Name
Michael
Last Name
Rose
Member #

20990

Ham/GMRS Callsign
W7FSB
Service Branch
US ARMY Retired
There's been lots of talk here about making sure we're all licensed for the radios that we operate, but not a lot of specifics on how to go about that. Since a lot of us are interested in GMRS (our needs are beyond FRS but not to the point of HAM) I wanted to share what I learned while applying for my ZA license:


General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS)
General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS)


Ok, it looks harder than it is, but you need to;
a) sign up with the FCC ULS system
b) then file for a ZA license
c) pay your fee, and in a day or two you'll have your license.

Basically the same thing as above:
https://www.prismli.com/prism-blog/gmrs-radio/36-how-to-get-your-gmrs-license

Getting started:
New Users Guide To Getting Started With Universal Licensing System (ULS)

Sign up for ULS (registering as an individual with the FCC) and get FRN:
FCC Registration System

Once you have your FRN (why is everything acronyms with these guys?), go back to the home page and select "Online Filing" Log in:
Universal Licensing System

Then select Apply for New license (top left), select ZA GMRS in the drop down and follow the instructions.

It got a little confusing for me at the payment stage.


There are three different ways to proceed, but "Payer FRN" is what I was told to use. I tried several times to get past this point and I needed to call the FCC Help Line to figure it out. Thankfully, they got to me very quickly and it only took two separate calls to figure out that the FCC site doesn't seem to like the Chrome browser. Firefox ended up working for me .

Beyond this page is where you can specify how to pay. At least this part was totally straight forward and a breeze.

I hope this has been helpful for anyone who's interested in getting their FCC ZA license!
Thanks for the invaluable information. Completed my application today. Still $70.
Yes it’s still $70.00 until April 19th.
 
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M Rose

Local Expert
Mod Team
Member

Advocate III

5,584
Northeast Oregon, United States
First Name
Michael
Last Name
Rose
Member #

20990

Ham/GMRS Callsign
W7FSB
Service Branch
US ARMY Retired
Yes. I called the 877 number and the agent said that the batch processing of online applications has been slowed.
Hmmm I love how no one believes me… it’s not like I don’t talk to the madam chairwoman on a regular basis or anything.
 

ndamico

Rank V
Launch Member

Traveler III

2,595
Sacramento, CA
First Name
Nick
Last Name
D'Amico
Member #

9641

Ham/GMRS Callsign
KK6TBF
it was $35 today. i finally did it today as so many folks don't have ham lol
 
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Nickel

Rank III
Member

Pathfinder II

845
San Diego, CA, USA
First Name
Steve
Last Name
Jones
Member #

28940

I just applied today. Wow that was confusing. Took about 45 minutes to navigate the confusion. Was able to make payment ($35 for 10 years).

I suppose I am now just waiting for license to be emailed?
 
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Sheedy614

Rank VI
Member

Explorer I

3,090
Sunbury, OH, USA
First Name
Alex
Last Name
Sheedy
Member #

31621

I just applied today. Wow that was confusing. Took about 45 minutes to navigate the confusion. Was able to make payment ($35 for 10 years).

I suppose I am now just waiting for license to be emailed?
Yeah it took a few days for me. You’ll probably get it Monday. They will email you your call sign.