GENERAL RADIOTELEPHONE OPERATOR LICENSE

A PG (GROL - General Radiotelephone Operator License) is required to adjust, maintain, or internally repair FCC licensed radiotelephone transmitters in the aviation, maritime, and international fixed public radio services. It conveys all of the operating authority of the MP. It is also required to operate the following:

• any maritime land radio station or compulsorily equipped ship radiotelephone station operating with more than 1500 watts of peak envelope power.
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• voluntarily equipped ship and aeronautical (including aircraft) stations with more than 1000 watts of peak envelope power.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Be a legal resident of (or otherwise eligible for employment in) the United States.
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• Be able to receive and transmit spoken messages in English.
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• Pass a written and/or telegraphy examination(s) as described below under Examinations.

TERM OF LICENSE

A PG is issued for the holder's lifetime.

HOW TO OBTAIN A LICENSE

Submit FCC Form 605 along with the appropriate Proof of Passing Certificates (for the requisite written examination elements). Use the FCC Form 605 and the FCC Form 159 (fee processing form) to replace a lost, stolen, or mutilated license. Many Commercial Operator License Examination Managers (COLEMs) file these documents for applicants who test with them. Ask your COLEM if it provides this service to its customers.

EXAMINATIONS

To obtain an FCC GROL Commercial Operator License, applicants must submit, to the Commission, proof of passing written exam Elements 1 and 3.

CURRENT QUESTION POOL START DATE

June 25th, 2009

WRITTEN EXAM ELEMENTS

Element 1: Basic radio law and operating practice with which every maritime radio operator should be familiar. To pass, an examinee must correctly answer at least 18 out of 24 questions.

Element 3: General Radiotelephone. Electronic fundamentals and techniques required to adjust, repair, and maintain radio transmitters and receivers. To pass, an examinee must correctly answer 75 out of 100 questions, from the following categories:

• operating procedures
• radio wave propagation
• radio practice
• electrical principles
• circuit components
• practical circuits
• signals and emissions
• antennas and feed lines

Element 8: 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. To pass, an examinee must correctly answer at least 38 out of 50 questions.

PRACTICE EXAMS ONLINE

It is important to have confidence before taking a license examination. Therefore its critical to understand the material presented and having a comfort level. Study the question pool carefully with several reviews. The idea of correct answers opposite the questions as opposed to a multiple choice offered in other study guides is the ability of the correct answer to be easily spotted during the actual exam. After remedial study, the next step is to test what you've learned in a practice exam. A good practice exam is like a yardstick to indicate when you are ready to take the real examination. When you are able to 'ace' the practice exam several times, you can then proceed to taking the actual examination. A good online practice examination is offered by FCC Licensee Preparation by Technical Services Limited. As of publication date, the cost for subscriptions to the online practice test is as follows; 3 Months = $10, 6 Months = $20, 1 Year = $30. You can pay for the service with the following charge or debit cards; VISA, Discover, Master Card, American Express and eCHECK. We would urge you to use a check debt card to avoid unwanted interest rates. Press here for the Practice Test Exams offered by Technical Services Limited;

PRACTICE EXAMS BY TECHNICAL SERVICES LIMITED

However, we encourage you not to order the online practice exam until you feel complete confidence in your ability in answering all the questions correctly on the first try. Study first!    

QUESTION POOLS & STUDY GUIDES

Examination question pools, with answers, are available for downloading here. The question pools can also be purchased through the Commission's duplicating contractor, Best Copy and Printing, Inc., Portals II, 445 12th Street, S.W., Room CY-B402, Washington, DC 20554, telephone (202) 488-5300 or (800) 378-3160, facsimile (202) 488-5563 or via e-mail at fcc@bcpiweb.com.

The FCC does not certify schools or review study materials, and the FCC does not recommend any particular school or publication.

EXAMINATION PROCEDURES

Use of reference materials in commercial operator license examinations is not permitted. Do not bring any books, papers, notes, study guides, or other unauthorized aids or devices to an examination. In other words, just bring a few well sharpened number 2 pencils and nothing else.

TESTING SITES & INFORMATION

The FCC does not administer commercial operator license examinations. To obtain a new or upgraded FCC commercial operator license, you must pass an examination administered by a COLEM. The COLEMs listed below are authorized by the FCC to administer examinations nationwide and, in some instances, at foreign sites. Upon passing the examination(s), the COLEM will issue you one or more Proof of Passing Certificates (PPCs) that you must include with your license application (unless the application is filed electronically by the COLEM).