GROL study plan
GROL · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
FCC rules and regulations: licensing, operator responsibilities, frequency allocations, and international agreements
Map the FCC license structure and identify which operator license/endorsement classes exist and what each authorizes
List the core operator responsibilities (station identification, control point, logkeeping, permissible communications) and state them in your own words
Reproduce the ship and aircraft frequency allocation bands from memory and match each band to its primary service
Explain the ITU Region structure and how international agreements constrain domestic operation
Your checkpoint
A one-page handwritten 'rules card' covering license classes, ID requirements, and 10 key frequency bands, self-quizzed to 90% accuracy
FCC rules and regulations: licensing, operator responsibilities, frequency allocations, and international agreements & Electronic fundamentals: DC and AC circuits, components, and semiconductor devices
Work through 60+ FCC-rules practice items and log every miss with the rule concept it tested
Distinguish distress/urgency/safety rule obligations from general operating rules
Solve series/parallel resistance, Ohm's law, and power calculations without a formula sheet
Define voltage, current, resistance, capacitance, and inductance and give the unit and symbol for each
Your checkpoint
A rules missed-question log with 100% of entries re-answered correctly, plus a 20-problem DC circuit worksheet scored at 85% or better
Electronic fundamentals: DC and AC circuits, components, and semiconductor devices & Practical circuits: power supplies, amplifiers, oscillators, and troubleshooting
Compute reactance, impedance, and resonant frequency for simple LC combinations
Describe the behavior of diodes, bipolar transistors, and FETs in terms of bias and current flow
Trace a linear power supply stage by stage from transformer to regulator and identify the failure signature of each stage
Identify common amplifier classes and oscillator configurations and state one application for each
Your checkpoint
A labeled block diagram of a regulated DC power supply and a 25-item components/semiconductors quiz scored at 85% or above
Practical circuits: power supplies, amplifiers, oscillators, and troubleshooting & Signals, emissions, and modulation: signal analysis, modulation types, and emission designators
Diagnose 10 described circuit faults (no output, low output, oscillation, distortion) and name the most probable cause for each
Explain how a transistor oscillator sustains oscillation and what determines its frequency
Classify modulation types (AM, FM, SSB, PM, pulse) and write the correct emission designator for each of 10 given signal descriptions
Relate bandwidth, deviation, and sideband structure to the numbers embedded in an emission designator
Your checkpoint
A 30-item mixed Domain 4/5 quiz at 85% or better, plus a table of 10 decoded emission designators
Signals, emissions, and modulation: signal analysis, modulation types, and emission designators & Radio operating procedures and practices, including distress, urgency, and safety communications
Sketch the spectrum of AM, SSB, and FM signals and label carrier, sidebands, and occupied bandwidth
State the correct priority order and phrasing for distress, urgency, and safety calls, including MAYDAY, PAN-PAN, and SECURITE
Write out a complete distress call and a complete urgency call from a given scenario without notes
Identify which frequencies and channels are reserved for distress and safety traffic
Your checkpoint
Two written radiotelephone scripts (distress and urgency) produced cold in under 10 minutes and checked against the procedural checklist
Milestones
Week 4: Score 80% or better on a 50-question practice test restricted to Domains 1, 3, 4, and 5
Week 6: Score 80% or better on a 40-question practice test covering Domains 2, 5, 6, and 7, and explain each missed item aloud
Week 8: Score 85% or better on two full-length mixed practice exams taken under timed conditions