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How to Get a Ham Radio License Plate in Massachusetts

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A red Hyundai Elantra with a “W0ORM” ham radio vanity plate parked next to a river, with a bridge in the background
A red Hyundai Elantra with a “W0ORM” ham radio vanity plate parked next to a river, with a bridge in the background
By Mia Kiesman

Massachusetts amateur radio plates look sick. Here’s how to get one:

  1. Acquire a ham radio license. There are a few ways of doing this, but hamstudy.org is an invaluable prep tool. Tests are often available at university radio clubs, and I even took mine at an FFRDC, so I guess getting that clearance wasn’t for naught. After you pass the test, you’ll be given a number which you input into the FCC ULS to pay the fee and acquire your license.

    Note: This site is often is unavailable so try again at different times of day throughout the week.

  2. (Optional) Apply for a vanity callsign. I highly recommend this, as it is fun and based. RadioQTH is a good resource to find ones available, although be sure to read the instructions at the top as it doesn’t index all available signs. Keep in mind that technician (i.e. lowest level) licenses are limited to 1x3 or 2x3 letter callsigns. After you’ve picked your three choices for callsign, apply in the FCC License Manager, and wait for it to be issued.

  3. Fill out the Application for Ham Radio Operator Plates. “Plate number (if applicable)” implies that you can get these as the first plates for your car, but this seems like a bad idea to me. Not only is initial registration complicated enough here1, but temp plates are only issued at RMV service centers (as opposed to the dealer giving you a plate), and you’d need it for possibly over two months.

  4. Acquire and/or fill out the Massachusetts RTA.

Note: Dunking on government agencies is hack writing, and my interactions with the BMVs/RMVs of the state/commonwealth I have lived in have been almost universally positive. With that said, the idea of “what if we made one form for every possible RMV transaction” is irredeemable, and has resulted in one of the worst forms I have ever interacted with.

I started by my insurance company (GEICO) and requested “an RTA to apply for a vanity plate”. They partially filled out an RTA and sent it to me via DocuSign, along with a list of areas I needed to fill out

Section A: Select the transaction to be performed and provide plate number, if applicable.

Section B: For commercial policy vehicles: complete fields B10-B12

Section C: Current or previous title information; including certificate of origin for new vehicles

Section D: For owned or financed vehicles only, complete: D1, D3, D4, D6, D8 D9 and for co-owners D10, D12, D13, D15, D17 and D18).

NOTE: These fields are not to be completed on leased, business owned or trust vehicles. Section E: For leased vehicles only, complete: E1, (E4, for co-owners).

Section H: Lienholder code, if applicable

Section I: All fields are required to be filled out, either by the dealer or, for private sale, by you.

Section J: All fields are required to be filled out, either by the dealer or, for private sale, by you.

Section L: All fields are required to be filled out, either by the dealer or, for private sale, by you.

Section M: Sign and date only after reviewing ALL of the information for accuracy on the completed RTA.

After spotting a mistake and getting it reissued, I filled out the specified boxes in Docusign, sent it back for the stamp (I think?), then printed the stamped form and signed it. I suspect that this process varies somewhat between insurance companies.

Note: “Plate number” is your CURRENT plate, not your callsign. I also noticed while writing this that the “Previous title” fields had information from both the first title in my name, and the title of the previous owner so uh, I guess no one noticed lmao.

Note: I was told by the person I bought my car from that Massachusetts allows one registration with an out of state license, but I don’t see any evidence of that online, and nothing on the form suggests you can’t re-register with an out of state license2. Your milage (ha!) may vary.

7.Write a 40 dollar check/money order. If you don’t have a check, some banks issue checkbooks for free. Additionally, a bank branch can cut a onetime check for you, or you can purchase a money order at a post office3 with cash or a debit4 card.

8.Hey, since you’re already at the post office for your money order, you can put everything into an envelope it, smack a stamp on it (or buy one-off postage), and mail it to the address specified. I received no confirmation of anything, and it took roughly 9 weeks to receive my plate in the mail, along with the new title. Good luck!

  1. While trying to buy my first car, I got hit with a combination of the CDK Global cyberattack, the Crowdstrike bug, and having to co-purchase the car with an out of state resident due to my credit being fucked up after my name change. It took a month, so maybe I’m out of the norm here. ↩︎

  2. I moved my license to Massachusetts before I did this, which required both renewing my Maine license, and my passport as a second form of ID. This means that the entire process took about nine months and a mid-triple digit dollar amount ↩︎

  3. Or a grocery store I guess? I’ve never been able to get a decent answer of if those money orders are valid for government transactions, or what stores sell them. ↩︎

  4. I guess the feds have learned from the dollar coin debacle ↩︎

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