General Radiotelephone Operator License (GROL)
Course syllabus and ten-week instructional outline
Instructor: Christina Mello , N1IR
Delivery: Course materials organized by week
| FCC Elements 3 and 1 |
Revised October 2026
Course Description
This course organizes the supplied GROL lessons, study
resources, supplemental videos, worksheets, and practice examinations to
support preparation for the FCC General Radiotelephone Operator License. Topics
progress from electrical and electronic theory through radio communications
systems, maintenance, and FCC Element 1 marine operating procedures.
Learning Objectives
·
Apply fundamental DC and AC circuit principles
and perform common electrical calculations.
·
Recognize electronic components, semiconductors,
analog circuits, and digital logic.
·
Explain RF propagation, modulation, antennas,
transmission lines, and interference.
·
Describe radio receivers, communication systems,
aviation, marine, radar, and satellite applications.
·
Recognize test equipment, maintenance
procedures, and applicable safety practices.
·
Review the FCC Element 3 technical material and
Element 1 marine operator material.
Course Format
The supplied GROL outline groups lessons across Weeks 1–7,
practice tests and review, and FCC Element 1 study and examination in Weeks
9–10. Week 8 is designated here as a review and practice-test week to make the
sequence continuous. The source does not specify a total instructional-hour
requirement or daily meeting times; none are assumed.
Required and Supplemental References
· GROL book
·
FCC Element 3 question pool:
https://www.fcc.gov/file/11790/download
· FCC Element 1 question pool: https://www.fcc.gov/file/11789/download
· Suggested calculator: TI-30XIIS
Course Topics
DC and AC electricity • Circuit components • Magnetism • RF
waves and spread spectrum • Semiconductors • Reactance and resonance •
Oscillators • Receivers • Amplifiers • Filters • Modulation • Antennas •
Interference • Power systems • Safety • Digital logic • Aviation and marine
communications • Radar • Satellites • Maintenance and test equipment • FCC
Element 1
Week 1 — Electrical Fundamentals and Materials
|
Lesson |
Topic and study resources |
|
Lesson 1 |
Basic DC electricity and electronics — current, voltage, resistance,
power; four supplemental videos |
|
Lesson 2 |
Combining
components — series and parallel resistors; video |
|
Lesson 3 |
Advanced Ohm’s law problems — worksheet |
|
Lesson 4 |
Magnetism —
electromagnetic induction; video |
|
Lesson 5 |
Galvanic corrosion — video |
Week 2 — RF and Electronic Components
|
Lesson |
Topic and study resources |
|
Lesson 6 |
Parts per million — visualization video |
|
Lesson 7 |
Radio waves —
propagation and aviation navigation video examples |
|
Lesson 8 |
Spread spectrum — FHSS and LoRaWAN videos |
|
Lesson 9 |
Capacitors
and inductors — tutorials and demonstrations |
|
Lesson 10 |
Diodes — rectifiers and Zener diodes |
|
Lesson 11 |
Semiconductors
— transistors, MOSFETs, regulators, switching supplies |
Week 3 — AC Theory and Signal Generation
|
Lesson |
Topic and study resources |
|
Lesson 12 |
Waveforms — basic waveforms video |
|
Lesson 13 |
AC
electricity, reactance, impedance, and resonance |
|
Lesson 14 |
Time constants — capacitor charging |
|
Lesson 15 |
Transformers
— operation and failures |
|
Lesson 16 |
Decibels — introductory video |
|
Lesson 17 |
Oscillators —
introductory video |
Week 4 — Receivers and Analog Circuits
|
Lesson |
Topic and study resources |
|
Lesson 18 |
Receivers — radio operation and operating examples |
|
Lesson 19 |
Amplifiers —
amplifier handout |
|
Lesson 20 |
Filters — RC low/high pass; active/passive and response types |
|
Lesson 21 |
Operational
amplifiers — inverting/non-inverting configurations; lab notes |
|
Lesson 22 |
Single-sideband and AM modulation |
|
Lesson 23 |
FM modulation |
Week 5 — RF Systems and Power
|
Lesson |
Topic and study resources |
|
Lesson 24 |
Bandwidth |
|
Lesson 25 |
Antennas and
feedlines — skin effect; directional wattmeter |
|
Lesson 26 |
Interference — ferrite beads and locating RF interference |
|
Lesson 27 |
Batteries and
power supplies — supplemental logic-level reference listed in source |
|
Lesson 28 |
Motors and generators — series DC motor |
|
Lesson 29 |
RMS and PEP |
Week 6 — Safety, Digital Systems, and Specialized Communications
|
Lesson |
Topic and study resources |
|
Lesson 30 |
Safety — RF exposure rules |
|
Lesson 31 |
TTL — logic
gates |
|
Lesson 32 |
Multivibrators and flip-flops |
|
Lesson 33 |
Microprocessors
and memory |
|
Lesson 34 |
Air navigation and communication — ADF, VOR, ILS, DME |
|
Lesson 35 |
Marine
communications |
Week 7 — Advanced Radio Systems and Maintenance
|
Lesson |
Topic and study resources |
|
Lesson 36 |
Radar |
|
Lesson 37 |
Pulse
modulation |
|
Lesson 38 |
Satellites |
|
Lesson 39 |
Repair and
maintenance; test equipment |
Week 8 — Practice Tests and Technical Review
Review and practice-test week (organizational addition;
original outline places these resources after Week 7 without a Week 8 heading).
|
Lesson |
Topic and study resources |
|
Pre-assessment |
http://testmoz.com/11113022 |
|
Quiz figures |
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WpU4UlgEm9nXjeds-zq_tLc7SYJQn76T/edit |
|
Practice test — Part 1 |
50 questions: https://testmoz.com/q/8763932 |
|
Practice test — Part 2 |
50 questions:
https://testmoz.com/q/8764078 |
Week 9 — FCC Element 1: Marine Operator License
Element 1 study book:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/14YoOQQuplHqLBXaA5N4OTg3PsO_mLEKw/view
|
Lesson |
Topic and study resources |
|
Hour 1 |
Equipment requirements; license requirements; watchkeeping; logkeeping;
log entries; miscellaneous rules and regulations |
|
Hour 2 |
Bridge-to-bridge
operations; operating procedures (Parts 1 and 2); distress communications;
urgency and safety communications |
|
Hour 3 |
GMDSS; VHF equipment controls and channel selection; MF/HF equipment
controls, frequencies, and emissions; equipment tests |
|
Hour 4 |
Equipment
faults; antennas; power sources; EPIRBs; SART; survival craft VHF; NAVTEX;
definitions |
Week 10 — FCC Element 1 Review and Examination
Final review and examination. Post-assessment quiz: http://testmoz.com/11113022