Written by Rick @ buytwowayradios.com
Step 1. Register for a Username
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Note: If you already registered in CORES, you can skip this step.
To register for an FCC Username, go to the FCC Universal License System (ULS) page, and under the Filing sub-heading, click New User Registration. This will take you to the FCC Registration Login page. Select the option Register under the column header Need a Username?. This will take you to the online FRN registration form.
Before you fill out the form, you will need to perform a search to verify that the you are not already registered. Enter your email address in the field and click the button marked Check Availability. This will be your username. If your email address is unavailable, follow the instructions in the latter part of this video to retrieve your existing password.
If your email address/username is not already listed, proceed to the form. Fill out the form with your name and address, and choose a password. The FCC requires the password have a minimum of 12 characters and a maximum of 15 characters, and must meet all of the following criteria: at least 1 lower case letter, 1 upper case letter, 1 number, and 1 punctuation mark/special character.
Next, select a personal security question, enter an answer and click Submit. After the form is submitted, there will be a process by which your email address/username needs to be verified. Once verified and accepted, click on the button GoToCores to continue with step 2, where you will need to register for an FRN number.
Step 2. Register for an FRN number
Note: If you already have an FRN number, you can skip this step.
Before you apply for any FCC license, you will need an FCC Registration Number, commonly referred to by the Commission as an FRN. Your FRN is a 10 digit number that identifies you when conducting financial transactions with the FCC. As a social security number identifies you as a taxpayer with the IRS, an FRN identifies you as a fee payer with the FCC. Ironically, the form will require your SSN as well, so be ready for that.
The important thing to remember is that your FRN will be used for all license applications, changes, renewals and upgrades. Once you have an FRN, it's your number for life.
To apply for an FRN, click on the button mentioned at the end of step 1 or go to the FCC Universal License System (ULS) page, go to the Filing sub-heading and under the Username Login section, login with your Username and password. Either method will take you to the User Home page.
Now, here's where it gets interesting. On this page you will find the following six options:
- Associate Username to FRN - Link your registered username to an existing FRN.
- Manage Existing FRNs | FRN Financial | Bills and Fees - View & Pay Regulatory Fees, Application Fees, and Bills | View Red & Green light status.
- Register New FRN - Register and receive a new FRN (including Restricted Use Frn).
- Reset FRN Password - Reset/update your FRN password.
- Search for FRN - Search for public FRN information.
- Update your username profile.
If you already have an FRN, skip to step 3. For the rest of us, the one to click on is the third item, Register New FRN. This will take you to a box with radio buttons for registration options.
This will take you to the actual online FRN registration form. yeah, another form. Fill out the form with your name and address.
After the form is submitted and accepted, you should be taken to a page with your FRN registration information, along with your assigned FRN number, which should appear at the top of the information box. It is important to write this number down and keep it in a safe place for reference later, as this is the number for which you laboriously applied.
As an important side note, if you already have existing FRNs, you must associate them with your username before you can manage them. To do so, go back to the User Home page, click on Associate Username to FRN and fill out that little form.
Step 3. Apply for the license
Once you have your FRN number, you can begin the actual license application process. Go to the FCC Universal License System (ULS) page and under the Filing sub-heading Click File Online. This should take you to the License Manager login page. Enter your new FRN number and password to log in.
You should now be on the My Licenses page. Click the link on the left sidebar labeled Apply for a New License. This will take you to another page with a drop-down to select the service license for which you want to apply. You will want to choose the option ZA - General Mobile Radio (GMRS). Click the continue button, Choose No for all three drop-downs on the next page, click continue again and will be taken to - you guessed it - another form. Fill out that one, submit it, and it should take you to the page Manage Existing FRN(s).
This page has a lot of intimidating looking red type, and four options from which to choose:
- Manage FRNs
- FRN Financial
- Regulatory Fee Manager
- ULS Pay Fees
Thought you were done? Not quite. Now you have to pay the fee. On a normal web site, this would actually be a simple and intuitive step at the end of the application process. fill out the application, click pay, and you're done. But this isn't a normal web site. It's the domain of the FCC. This means that for some convoluted reason it has to be unnecessarily complicated. We've already filled out two forms with what was basically the same information. Now we're off to yet another area of the FCC website.
Step 4. Pay the license application fee
On the Manage Existing FRN(s) page, click on FRN Financial. This will take you to the page where you begin the fee payment process. It should list your FRN number on the left and the link View/Make Payments to the right. Click the link to go to yet another page with the FRN listed under the tab Awaiting Payment Confirmation and a Make Payment link to the right. Click that link, fill out the payment form, and submit. Now you're done.
The FCC should issue your GMRS callsign within a few days. To check the status of your license and callsign, simply log into the ULS License Manager.