FCC Ship Radar Endorsement study guide
FCC Ship Radar Endorsement · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Ship Radar Endorsement is a commercial radio operator credential tied to the FCC Commercial Radio Operator License Program, which is administered under 47 C.F.R. Importantly, the FCC's own program page lists ship radar stations among the facilities you do NOT need a commercial operator license to operate when the radar frequency is determined by a nontunable, pulse type magnetron or other fixed tune device and the radar can be operated exclusively by external controls. The FCC Ship Radar Endorsement study guide has 5 sections and about 2,651 words.
01FCC Rules and Licensing for Ship Radio and Radar Stations (47 CFR Part 13)
47 CFR Part 13 is the FCC's commercial radio operator licensing system, and the ship radar endorsement is a part of it, not a license standing alone. The exam tests three things: who may legally adjust or repair ship radar, how the endorsement is obtained, and how it relates to the vessel's own station authorization under Part 80.
443 words, about 2 min02Radar Fundamentals: Propagation, Pulse Characteristics, Range Resolution and Accuracy
Range from echo delay: R = c·t/2, with c ≈ 300 m/µs, so each microsecond of round-trip delay equals 150 m of range (about 12.35 µs per nautical mile round trip). Range resolution: ΔR = cτ/2 ≈ 150 m × pulse length in µs.
436 words, about 2 min03Ship Radar Transmitter and Receiver Circuitry: Magnetron and Fixed-Tune Designs
The magnetron is a crossed-field oscillator: a cylindrical cavity resonator, pulsed by a modulator that delivers several kilovolts from a pulse-forming network or a switched supply. It oscillates; it is not an amplifier and cannot be driven by a separate RF source.
407 words, about 2 min04Antenna, Waveguide, Display Subsystems and Interfaces to Navigation Equipment
A slotted waveguide array, horizontally polarized, rotated at roughly 20–24 rpm (faster on high-speed craft). Beamwidth θ ≈ 70λ/D: a 1.8 m X-band antenna gives about 1.2°, a 3.7 m one about 0.6°.
447 words, about 2 min05Operation, Maintenance and Repair of Ship Radar Stations
Radar is required under SOLAS V/19 for ships of 300 GT and above, with two sets (including a 3 GHz unit) for 3,000 GT and above; 9 GHz X-band is the baseline. Equipment must meet IMO performance standards and be type-approved for the service.
918 words, about 5 min