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The Toolbox — Standards
Licensing
FCC commercial operator license requirements and amateur radio Part 97 standards.
FCC Commercial Operator Licenses
| Specification | Value / Notes |
|---|---|
| Marine Radio Operator Permit (MROP) | Element 1 — 24 questions, 75% to pass |
| General Radiotelephone Operator License (GROL) | Elements 1 + 3 — 75% each element to pass |
| GMDSS Radio Operator License | Elements 1 + 7 — required for GMDSS vessel operators |
| Restricted GMDSS Radio Operator License | Elements 1 + 7R — for Sea Area A1 (VHF) operations |
| MROP validity | Lifetime — does not expire |
| GROL validity | Lifetime — does not expire |
| GMDSS Radio Operator License validity | Lifetime — does not expire |
| Element 1 question pool size | 144 questions — 24 drawn for exam |
| Element 3 question pool size | Approximately 600 questions — 76 drawn for the exam |
| Passing score all elements | 75% correct |
| Exam administrators | FCC-authorized COLEMs only |
Amateur Radio (HAM) — FCC Part 97
| Specification | Value / Notes |
|---|---|
| Technician license exam elements | Element 2 — 35 questions, 74% to pass (26/35) |
| General license exam elements | Elements 2 + 3 — 35 questions each, 74% to pass |
| Amateur Extra license exam elements | Elements 2 + 3 + 4 — 50 questions for Element 4 |
| HAM license validity | 10 years — must be renewed |
| Maximum power — HF (below 30 MHz) | 1,500 watts PEP |
| Maximum power — VHF/UHF | 1,500 watts PEP |
| Maximum power — Technician on HF | 200 watts PEP |
| Standard 2m repeater offset | ±600 kHz (depends on band segment) |
| Standard 70cm repeater offset | ±5 MHz (+5 MHz most common in the US) |
| 2m simplex calling frequency | 146.520 MHz |
| 70cm simplex calling frequency | 446.000 MHz |
| Station identification requirement | Every 10 minutes during contact and at end of contact |
| APRS frequency (US) | 144.390 MHz |