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Chapter 7RA of 6
GMDSS Fundamentals for Sea Area A1
What the RG License Covers
The Restricted GMDSS Radio Operator's License (RG) lets you operate GMDSS equipment in Sea Area A1 only, and only the VHF GMDSS sub-systems. Sea Area A1 means staying within roughly 20 nautical miles of a VHF shore station that provides continuous DSC alerting. If the vessel needs MF/HF or INMARSAT GMDSS, or sails beyond A1, the operator needs the full, unrestricted DO license (FCC Elements 1 and 7).
⚠️ RG is a narrower license, not a lighter version of the DO. It never authorizes you to operate MF/HF or satellite GMDSS equipment, no matter how well you actually know those systems.
Why a Restricted License Exists
Plenty of vessels never leave coastal waters and never get out of VHF range. They don't carry MF/HF or satellite GMDSS gear at all. The RG license lets their operators get a GMDSS qualification that matches what the vessel actually carries and where it actually goes. Nobody has to master HF propagation or INMARSAT terminals they'll never touch.
The Functional Requirements, Scaled to A1 and VHF
The usual GMDSS functions still apply: distress alerting, SAR coordination, on-scene communications, MSI reception and the rest. The difference is the equipment you use to carry them out. An RG operator handles alerting and coordination with VHF DSC and VHF voice, and receives safety information with VHF or MF-receive gear such as NAVTEX. A DO operator on an offshore vessel has to know the MF/HF and satellite systems as well.
License and Equipment Requirements
Just like under the DO license, GMDSS equipment has to be type-approved for GMDSS. An ordinary VHF radio doesn't meet the carriage requirements, however capable it is.
In normal operations, an RG operator's authority stops at what the license covers: VHF, within A1. A vessel that regularly goes beyond that needs a DO-licensed operator.
None of this changes the long-standing rule about real emergencies. In a genuine distress situation, any station may use any means and any equipment available to call for help. Licensing limits don't stop you from making a distress call outside your normal scope.
Sample Questions
10 questions drawn from across the course. Pick an answer for each, then check your score.
1.What voyage limitation applies to a vessel operating under the RG license?
2.Which VHF channel is used exclusively for DSC distress, safety, and calling, with voice transmission prohibited?
3.Which proword indicates a distress condition requiring immediate assistance?
4.What language is used for international NAVTEX broadcasts on 518 kHz?
5.What frequency does a 406 MHz EPIRB use for final homing by search-and-rescue aircraft?
6.What is the correct procedure for correcting an error in the GMDSS radio log?
7.What GMDSS equipment scope does the RG license authorize?
8.Does an RG-licensed operator's DSC knowledge extend to MF DSC (2187.5 kHz)?
9.How many times is a distress, urgency, or safety proword spoken at the start of the corresponding call?
10.Why might an A1-restricted vessel still carry NAVTEX receiving equipment despite NAVTEX not being a VHF system?
Answer all 10 questions to see your score.
What's in the full course
- 📖 All 6 study chapters
- ✏️ All 42 questions, with answers and references
- ⏱️ Timed mock exams that match the real test
- 7RAGMDSS Fundamentals for Sea Area A1
- 7RBVHF DSC Operating Procedures
- 7RCDistress, Urgency, and Safety Communications
- 7RDNAVTEX
- 7RESART, EPIRB, and Survival Craft Equipment
- 7RFWatchkeeping and Logkeeping