GROL Study Guide (Elements 1 & 3)

1. FCC Rules, Licensing & Procedures (Element 1)

GROL is issued by the FCC for commercial radio operation above 30 MHz, marine, and aviation communications.
License Required For: Ship/aircraft radio operators, operate/maintain/repair certain marine/aviation radios.
Application Process: Apply via FCC ULS, pass Element 1 (rules, operating procedures) and Element 3 (electronics/radio theory).
License Terms: 10 years, renewable. No Morse code required.
Station License: Every radio station (except some low-power, ship portable radios) must be licensed.
Station Identification: State official call sign at least every 15 min or end of transmission.
Authorized Transmissions: No false distress, no unauthorized messages.
Operator Log: Required for ships/aircraft (times, distress, events).
Change of Operator: Outgoing must sign off/incoming sign on (in log).
Penalties: Fines, loss of license, or criminal prosecution for violations.

VHF Marine Channel 16: 156.800 MHz, emergency/calling.
DSC (Digital Selective Calling): Used for distress (MMSI number needed).
Distress Calls: "MAYDAY" (life-threatening), "PAN-PAN" (urgent), "SECURITE" (safety/weather).
Distress Message Format: "MAYDAY, MAYDAY, [your vessel], [position], [nature], [assistance], [number persons]."
Silence Period: "Seelonce Mayday"—clear the channel for distress.
Ship Station License: Required for most vessels (except some small, non-commercial U.S. boats).
EPIRB: Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon, transmits on 406 MHz and 121.5 MHz.

Color Code Table:

Color	1st Digit	2nd Digit	Multiplier	Tolerance
Black	0	0	x1
Brown	1	1	x10	±1%
Red	2	2	x100	±2%
Orange	3	3	x1k
Yellow	4	4	x10k
Green	5	5	x100k	±0.5%
Blue	6	6	x1M	±0.25%
Violet	7	7	x10M	±0.1%
Gray	8	8	x100M	±0.05%
White	9	9
Gold			x0.1	±5%
Silver			x0.01	±10%
No band				±20%

Rectifier: AC to DC. Half-wave (1 diode), full-wave (4 diodes).
Filter capacitors: Smooth pulsating DC.
Voltage regulator: Keeps DC voltage steady.
Battery Types: Alkaline, zinc-carbon (primary), lead-acid, NiCd, Li-ion (secondary).
Car battery: 12V (6 × 2V).
Series: Adds voltage; Parallel: Increases current.

See resistor color code in Section 4.
Common Units: Current (A), Voltage (V), Resistance (Ω), Capacitance (F), Inductance (H), Frequency (Hz), Power (W).

Dipole: ½ wavelength, center-fed.
Whip: Omnidirectional.
Yagi: Directional.
Loop: Directional or omni.
Impedance: 50Ω typical. VSWR: 1:1 is ideal.
Balun: Matches balanced/unbalanced.
Propagation: Ground wave (<3MHz), Sky wave (3–30MHz), Line-of-sight (>30MHz).
HF: 3–30MHz, VHF: 30–300MHz, UHF: 300–3000MHz.
Channel 16: 156.8 MHz VHF (marine).
Dipole length (ft): 468 / freq (MHz). Example: 14MHz ⇒ 33.4 ft

Fuses: Series, protect from overcurrent.
Heatsinks: Dissipate heat from power parts.
Grounding: Safety and less interference.
EPIRB: Emergency beacon (ships).
Shock: AC > 30V is dangerous.
RF burns: High power RF can burn.
RF exposure: Keep distance from high-power antennas.
Troubleshooting: Inspect, check continuity, voltage, replace suspected parts.

International Phonetic Alphabet

Letter	Word	Letter	Word	Letter	Word
A	Alpha	J	Juliett	S	Sierra
B	Bravo	K	Kilo	T	Tango
C	Charlie	L	Lima	U	Uniform
D	Delta	M	Mike	V	Victor
E	Echo	N	November	W	Whiskey
F	Foxtrot	O	Oscar	X	X-ray
G	Golf	P	Papa	Y	Yankee
H	Hotel	Q	Quebec	Z	Zulu
I	India	R	Romeo

Abbreviations: AC: Alternating Current, DC: Direct Current, RF: Radio Frequency, IF: Intermediate Frequency, AF: Audio Frequency, CW: Continuous Wave, FM: Frequency Modulation, AM: Amplitude Modulation, SSB: Single Sideband, kHz: Kilohertz, MHz: Megahertz
Common Formulas:
- V = I × R (Ohm’s Law)
- P = V × I (Power)
- 1kΩ = 1,000Ω, 1MΩ = 1,000,000Ω
- XC = 1 / (2πfC), XL = 2πfL, f = 1 / (2π√(LC))
Safety Quick Reference:
- Channel 16 VHF: 156.8 MHz
- Distress: “MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY”
- EPIRB: 406 MHz & 121.5 MHz
- US SSB: LSB below 10 MHz, USB above 10 MHz
- Keep away from high-voltage and high-power RF sources.