General radiotelephone operator license

Last updated

The general radiotelephone operator license (GROL) is a license granted by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that is required to operate certain radio equipment. It is required for any person who adjusts, maintains, or internally repairs FCC licensed radiotelephone transmitters in the aviation, maritime, and international fixed public radio services. [1] It is also required to operate any compulsorily equipped ship radiotelephone station with more than 1,500 watts of peak envelope power, a voluntarily equipped ship, or an aeronautical (including aircraft) station with more than 1,000 watts of peak envelope power. The GROL is not required for engineering jobs in radio and television broadcasting. It is obtained by taking a test demonstrating an adequate knowledge of the legal, technical, and safety aspects of radio transmitter operation.

Contents

The GROL is the most common FCC commercial license, accounting for about 80% of those issued by the commission, because of the wide range of positions that require it. Like all FCC commercial licenses, the GROL is issued for the lifetime of the licensee. The GROL conveys all of the operating authority of the Marine Radio Operator Permit (MROP). An MROP is required to operate radiotelephone stations aboard vessels of more than 300 gross tons, vessels that carry more than six passengers for hire in the open sea or any coastal/tidewater area of the United States, certain vessels that sail the Great Lakes, and to operate certain aviation radiotelephone stations and certain coast radiotelephone stations. [2] The GROL does not confer licensing authority to operate or maintain GMDSS, amateur radio stations, or radiotelegraph (Morse code) commercial stations.

An endorsement that can be added to the GROL, as well as to both the GMDSS Maintainer and Radiotelegraph licenses, is the "Ship Radar Endorsement" that allows the holder to install, service, and maintain radar systems onboard vessels. [3]

History

First Class Radiotelephone License issued in 1964 First Class Radiotelephone License issued in 1964.jpg
First Class Radiotelephone License issued in 1964

The first commercial operator licenses were issued by the Department of Commerce and then later by the Federal Radio Commission under the authority of the Radio Act of 1927. When the FCC was created in 1934, it took over this function. The commission issued First and Second Class Radiotelephone Operator Licenses. In 1953 a Third Class permit was added.

As they developed after World War II, the "First Phone" (Class) license was required to be a chief engineer at a broadcast station and to work on television transmitters. The "Second Phone" certificate was often held by radio transmitter repairpersons, such as those in the aviation and maritime industries. The Third Class permit was required for announcers who had to record meter readings or who operated low-power radio broadcast stations. From 1963 to 1978 an additional simple technical written test added a "Broadcast Endorsement" to the "Third Phone" which allowed announcers to be the sole operators at some limited power radio stations.

Obtaining any of the certificates required passing sequentially written examinations. To obtain the Second Class license required first passing the test for the Third Class permit, which was an easy exam on broadcast rules and operating procedures. To test for the First Class license one had to have passed the exam for a Second Class license. Because it included the entire field of electronics transmission, the examination to earn the Second was generally thought of as more difficult than that of the First, which concentrated on broadcast radio and television.

As technology rapidly changed, transmitters required less skill to manage. In the spirit of deregulation and to reduce its personnel and other associated costs, the FCC progressively yielded more of its control to broadcasters and eased licensing requirements. In 1980 the name of the Third Phone was changed to the Marine Radio Operator Permit and was subsequently renewed under that name. In 1983 testing stopped for the First Class license. Shortly afterward all renewing First and Second Class licenses were issued as GROLs. Like all previous commercial licenses, they were issued with renewable five-year terms, but in 1984 certificates began to be granted or renewed as lifetime documents. [4] Today, the GROL examinations cover FCC broadcast regulations (the old Third Class test elements) and communications electronics (what was once the Second Class exam). However, a license is no longer legally required for work in a broadcast station.

Qualifying for the GROL

Qualifying

To qualify for the GROL, one must:

How to Obtain a License:

To obtain a GROL License, one must submit to the FCC, Form 605 and Form 159 with Proof of Passing Certificates for Elements 1 and 3. (Some Commercial Operator License Examination Managers will submit these forms for the applicant.)

All exam questions are multiple-choice.

Element 1 – Marine Radio Operator Permit (MROP)

Basic radio law and operating practice.

Marine Radio Operator Permit question pool: 144 questions.

To pass one must answer 18 of 24 questions (75%) correctly.

Element 3 – General Radiotelephone Operator License

Electronic fundamentals and techniques are required to adjust, repair, and maintain radio transmitters and receivers.

Element 3 exams will consist of questions in the following categories:

General Radiotelephone Operator License question pool: 600 questions

To pass one must answer 75 out of 100 questions (75%) correctly.

Element 8 – Ship Radar Endorsement

The Ship Radar Endorsement is required to repair, maintain or internally adjust ship radar equipment. It may, as an option, be added to the GROL.

To qualify, one must:

Element 8 – Ship Radar Endorsement

Ship Radar Techniques. Specialized theory and practice applicable to the proper installation, servicing, and maintenance of ship radar equipment in general use for marine navigation purposes.

Element 8 exam consists of questions in the following categories:

Ship Radar Endorsement question pool: 300 questions

To pass one must answer 38 out of 50 questions (76%) correctly.

Study preparation

Study materials

Popular tools used to prepare for the GROL License are:

A book to study for the GROL License, FCC Examination Question Pools Downloads and/or Ham Study FCC Commercial Elements 1 to 9.

Scientific calculator

A non-programmable scientific calculator. Programmable calculators are not allowed to be used during exams.

Preparation software

Many applicants use a software program to help prepare for the GROL exams. Preparation software will create practice tests. Some of the GROL preparation software will find questions in which the applicant is weak and drill more extensively on them.

Commercial Operator License Examination Managers

The actual examinations are given by Commercial Operator License Examination Managers, (COLEMs). Fees typically range from $25–$35 per element.

The FCC site has a page that has links to COLEMs: .

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morse code</span> Transmission of language with brief pulses

Morse code is a method used in telecommunication to encode text characters as standardized sequences of two different signal durations, called dots and dashes, or dits and dahs. Morse code is named after Samuel Morse, one of the early developers of the system adopted for electrical telegraphy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wireless telegraphy</span> Method of communication

Wireless telegraphy or radiotelegraphy is transmission of text messages by radio waves, analogous to electrical telegraphy using cables. Before about 1910, the term wireless telegraphy was also used for other experimental technologies for transmitting telegraph signals without wires. In radiotelegraphy, information is transmitted by pulses of radio waves of two different lengths called "dots" and "dashes", which spell out text messages, usually in Morse code. In a manual system, the sending operator taps on a switch called a telegraph key which turns the transmitter on and off, producing the pulses of radio waves. At the receiver the pulses are audible in the receiver's speaker as beeps, which are translated back to text by an operator who knows Morse code.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AM broadcasting</span> Radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation

AM broadcasting is radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation (AM) transmissions. It was the first method developed for making audio radio transmissions, and is still used worldwide, primarily for medium wave transmissions, but also on the longwave and shortwave radio bands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radiotelephone</span> Communications system for transmission of speech over radio

A radiotelephone, abbreviated RT, is a radio communication system for conducting a conversation; radiotelephony means telephony by radio. It is in contrast to radiotelegraphy, which is radio transmission of telegrams (messages), or television, transmission of moving pictures and sound. The term is related to radio broadcasting, which transmit audio one way to listeners. Radiotelephony refers specifically to two-way radio systems for bidirectional person-to-person voice communication between separated users, such as CB radio or marine radio. In spite of the name, radiotelephony systems are not necessarily connected to or have anything to do with the telephone network, and in some radio services, including GMRS, interconnection is prohibited.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Low-power broadcasting</span> Radio or TV service, 100W or less

Low-power broadcasting is broadcasting by a broadcast station at a low transmitter power output to a smaller service area than "full power" stations within the same region. It is often distinguished from "micropower broadcasting" and broadcast translators. LPAM, LPFM and LPTV are in various levels of use across the world, varying widely based on the laws and their enforcement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WHA (AM)</span> Public radio station in Madison, Wisconsin

WHA is a non-commercial radio station, licensed since 1922 to the University of Wisconsin and located in Madison, Wisconsin. It serves as the flagship for the Wisconsin Public Radio talk-based "Ideas Network". WHA's programming is also broadcast by two low-powered FM translators, and by WERN FM's HD3 digital subchannel. The station airs a schedule of news and talk programs from Wisconsin Public Radio, NPR, American Public Media, Public Radio International, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the BBC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marine VHF radio</span> Radios operating in the very high frequency maritime mobile band

Marine VHF radio is a worldwide system of two way radio transceivers on ships and watercraft used for bidirectional voice communication from ship-to-ship, ship-to-shore, and in certain circumstances ship-to-aircraft. It uses FM channels in the very high frequency (VHF) radio band in the frequency range between 156 and 174 MHz, designated by the International Telecommunication Union as the VHF maritime mobile band. In some countries additional channels are used, such as the L and F channels for leisure and fishing vessels in the Nordic countries. Transmitter power is limited to 25 watts, giving them a range of about 100 kilometres.

The Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) is a worldwide system for automated emergency signal communication for ships at sea developed by the United Nations' International Maritime Organization (IMO) as part of the SOLAS Convention.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KUOM</span> College radio station of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities

KUOM – branded Radio K – is a daytime-only, non-commercial, college radio station licensed to Minneapolis, Minnesota. Owned by the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, the station is operated by students and faculty. It mainly airs alternative rock with other genres of music. The studios are in Rarig Center on the University of Minnesota campus.

From early in the 20th century, the radio frequency of 500 kilohertz (500 kHz) was an international calling and distress frequency for Morse code maritime communication. For much of its early history, this frequency was referred to by its equivalent wavelength, 600 meters, or, using the earlier frequency unit name, 500 kilocycles or 500 kc.

The Radio Act of 1912, formally known as "An Act to Regulate Radio Communication", is a United States federal law which was the country's first legislation to require licenses for radio stations. It was enacted before the introduction of broadcasting to the general public, and was eventually found to contain insufficient authority to effectively control this new service, so the Act was replaced and the government's regulatory powers increased by the passage of the Radio Act of 1927.

A broadcast license is a type of spectrum license granting the licensee permission to use a portion of the radio frequency spectrum in a given geographical area for broadcasting purposes. The licenses generally include restrictions, which vary from band to band.

In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assigned by a government agency, informally adopted by individuals or organizations, or even cryptographically encoded to disguise a station's identity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amateur radio licensing in the United States</span> Licensing of amateur radio in the US

In the United States, amateur radio licensing is governed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Licenses to operate amateur stations for personal use are granted to individuals of any age once they demonstrate an understanding of both pertinent FCC regulations and knowledge of radio station operation and safety considerations. Applicants as young as five years old have passed examinations and were granted licenses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electronics Technicians Association</span>

The Electronics Technicians Association, International, Inc. is a US-based not-for-profit 501(c)(6) trade association founded in 1978. The association provides certifications in industries such as basic electronics, fiber optics and data cabling, renewable energy, information technology, photonics and precision optics, customer service, biomedical, avionics, wireless communications, radar, and smart home. ETA is also one of the 12 COLEMs for U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) testing. ETA works with technicians, educators, and military personnel. ETA also partners with companies such as Motorola Solutions to provide certification to their employees.

The Wireless Ship Act of 1910, formally titled "An Act to require apparatus and operators for radio-communication on certain ocean steamers" and also known as the "Radio Ship Act of 1910" and the "Radio Act of 1910", was the first federal legislation regulating radio communication in the United States. It required certain ocean-going vessels exiting U.S. ports to carry radio equipment, and although it did not require stations or operators to be licensed, it did require certification that operators and radio equipment met minimum standards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broadcast relay station</span> Repeater transmitter

A broadcast relay station, also known as a satellite station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator (U.S.), re-broadcaster (Canada), repeater or complementary station (Mexico), is a broadcast transmitter which repeats the signal of a radio or television station to an area not covered by the originating station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yachtmaster</span>

A Yachtmaster qualification is a certificate of competence of the ability to handle either a sailing boat or motor boat in certain prescribed conditions. Three different titles are specified; Yachtmaster Coastal, Yachtmaster Offshore, and Yachtmaster Ocean which specify the level of competence required and the area of operation certified.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amateur radio</span> Use of radio frequency spectra for non-commercial purposes

Amateur radio, also known as ham radio, is the use of the radio frequency spectrum for purposes of non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, private recreation, radiosport, contesting, and emergency communications. The term "amateur" is used to specify "a duly authorized person interested in radioelectric practice with a purely personal aim and without pecuniary interest"; and to differentiate it from commercial broadcasting, public safety, or professional two-way radio services.

Certified Radio Operator (CRO) is a title granted to an individual in the United States who passes the examination requirements of the certification. The certification is regulated by the Society of Broadcast Engineers. The CRO title is protected by copyright laws.

References

  1. "Commercial Radio Operator Types of Licenses". Federal Communications Commission.
  2. "FCC Marine Radio License Prep and Exams - Mariners Learning System (MLS)". EduMaritime.
  3. "Commercial Radio Operator License Program". 5 May 2016.
  4. "Engineer Exchange - Radio Licenses". Archived from the original on 2009-01-07. Retrieved 2008-01-10.