GROL License acquired

[KE4ZNR]

A few folks around here know this but the actual paper licenses finally showed up in the mail the other day. Last month I passed Elements 1 (with a 92) and 3 (with an 85) to earn my General Radiotelephone Operators License. My brain cells are still trying to recover after being fried after some late night study sessions but I am honored to place the GROL beside my Amateur Ham License.


If there is someone out there considering working in the two way radio/communications/telecommunications industry I can tell you having the GROL on your resume helps out a lot.
I just hope I can mentor others in the hobby and industry as others have helped me along the way.
Happy Monitoring
Marshall KE4ZNR

[kayn1n32008]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (BlackBerry; U; BlackBerry 9780; en-US) AppleWebKit/534.8+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/6.0.0.600 Mobile Safari/534.8+)

Congrats Marshall

[KE4ZNR]

Originally Posted by kayn1n32008

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (BlackBerry; U; BlackBerry 9780; en-US) AppleWebKit/534.8+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/6.0.0.600 Mobile Safari/534.8+)

Congrats Marshall

Thanks brother and all the best to you.
Marshall KE4ZNR

[radioman2001]

Too bad you aren't looking for a job in the NYC area. I have 2 positions for radio maintainer right now.

[KE4ZNR]

Originally Posted by radioman2001

Too bad you aren't looking for a job in the NYC area. I have 2 positions for radio maintainer right now.

I appreciate your consideration but I love the municipal radio shop
I work for presently. I have known my boss for 20+ years and he is
patient enough to put up with my presence here at RR (as long as everything at the shop gets done!). I hope you are able to find dedicated enthusiastic folks for the spots soon! And I hope soon life will come back to some semblance of normal for yall up there. Gosh knows I know it has been difficult.
Marshall KE4ZNR

[ad5kl]

What materials/classes did you use? I have the W5YI guide - but are there online resources to help with the formulas, that is my main stumbling block.

Congratulations on your license - that's a great accomplishment.

[KE4ZNR]

Originally Posted by ad5kl

What materials/classes did you use? I have the W5YI guide - but are there online resources to help with the formulas, that is my main stumbling block.

I used the W5YI guide along with various online testing sites like:
Online FCC license practice exams

I did a combination of both. I also had a coworker that was trying to pass his as well so we tag teamed up and helped each other out. Areas that I was weak in he tended to be strong in, and vice versa. The night before the exam I was almost in a panic state worried about the next day but then I remembered that it is only a test. If I failed it did not mean that I am a failure just that there were parts of the exam that I needed to study more on.

Originally Posted by ad5kl

Congratulations on your license - that's a great accomplishment.

Thanks. I really appreciate it. I just hope I can be a good "elmer" or mentor to others hoping to achieve some of the same goals!
Marshall KE4ZNR

[radioman2001]

The main trick to passing the GROL is knowing what is the correct answer for the question. You don't even have to know all the formula's and such. I had to go back after 30 years and retake my license, since my original was the old FCC one with a 5 year expiration, and my new job required I get the GROL. After beating my brains out for nearly a year trying to do it on my own I went to a FAA school in Riverside Cal. There I was shown to match the right answer to the question. I had allocated 5 days to get it done and with this schools insight I did it in less than one day, I even went back for element 8 Radar since I had so much time left.
Maybe when I retire I'll apply for a job down your way, I am going to the coast in an area called St James Plantation.

[KE4ZNR]

You could go that route but I wanted to learn the actual formulas...having my GROL means something special to me (like my Ham License) and I personally felt that the way I handled my GROL exam means that I can be proud of achieving this difficult goal.
And that is not to take anything away from anyone else or any other way of studying for the exam elements I just had my own reasons for going this route of learning all the formulas and theories.
Besides I am glutton for punishment and this fits neatly into that
I am honored to be in the GROL recipient club with you radioman2001!
Marshall KE4ZNR

Originally Posted by radioman2001

The main trick to passing the GROL is knowing what is the correct answer for the question. You don't even have to know all the formula's and such. I had to go back after 30 years and retake my license, since my original was the old FCC one with a 5 year expiration, and my new job required I get the GROL. After beating my brains out for nearly a year trying to do it on my own I went to a FAA school in Riverside Cal. There I was shown to match the right answer to the question. I had allocated 5 days to get it done and with this schools insight I did it in less than one day, I even went back for element 8 Radar since I had so much time left.
Maybe when I retire I'll apply for a job down your way, I am going to the coast in an area called St James Plantation.

[Rt169Radio]

Thats cool, congrats! How hard is the test? Alot of math?

[fwradio]

Congrats on getting your GROL. I got mine a few years ago just a few days before they expanded the size of the test. Lot's of brain cells working overtime on those formulas!

[KE4ZNR]

Originally Posted by Rt169Radio

Thats cool, congrats!

Thanks Man I really appreciate it

Originally Posted by Rt169Radio

How hard is the test?

If you can pass the tests needed to be issued an Amateur Radio
License then you can handle the GROL. Just depends on how much
effort and time you put into it.

Originally Posted by Rt169Radio

Alot of math?

Some. More so being able to read schematics and knowing
the electronic "rules of the road" so to speak.

Let me clarify: Element 1 has almost no math whatsoever. It is just questions about Marine radio operation. Element 3 is where you find the schematics and formulas along with some math. I used a cheap scientific calculator to help figure out the answers to the math problems.
Marshall KE4ZNR

[KE4ZNR]

Originally Posted by fwradio

Congrats on getting your GROL. I got mine a few years ago just a few days before they expanded the size of the test. Lot's of brain cells working overtime on those formulas!

Thanks brother. I am honored to be a GROL license recipient beside you. Yeah, when I walked out of the testing session
my brain was just fried. I was just glad to have the test behind me.
Not going to lie part of me was seconding guessing some of the answers
I had come up with but I learned a long time ago to stick with your initial
answer and you should be alright.
I still strongly recommend anyone with a ham license make the effort
to get your GROL as well. You already have the base electronics knowledge
needed and with a little effort you have a great addition to your
resume that looks good during job searches whether in communications
or otherwise.
Marshall KE4ZNR

[KS4VT]

Congrads and I see now the GROL looks like the Amateur license that gives you a decent framable license as well as the wallet size. I got mine in 96 and all they offered was the wallet one that I blew up on the copy machine to put with my amateur license in a small frame.

Not sure if it is worth spending the $$ to ask for a replacement license as I believe that they are not free.

[KE4ZNR]

Thanks Mark!

I do believe you can get a replacement for free. You just have to log into your admin acct page with your FRN and ask to have another copy sent to you. If nothing else in the past when I have updated addresses they always snail mail a copy to me with the update address.
But I am honored to share the privilege of being a GROL recipient
alongside you!
Happy Monitoring
Marshall KE4ZNR

Originally Posted by KS4VT

Congrads and I see now the GROL looks like the Amateur license that gives you a decent framable license as well as the wallet size. I got mine in 96 and all they offered was the wallet one that I blew up on the copy machine to put with my amateur license in a small frame.

Not sure if it is worth spending the $$ to ask for a replacement license as I believe that they are not free.

[KS4VT]

I just checked under my FRN and it is still $60.00 for a replacement GROL license as an individual I am not exempt from fees....I'll pass.

[KE4ZNR]

Originally Posted by KS4VT

I just checked under my FRN and it is still $60.00 for a replacement GROL license as an individual I am not exempt from fees....I'll pass.

Oops! Sorry about that. Guess I was confusing the free updates on the Amateur side of licensing with the GROL.
At least we both know now. And at $60 I am glad I am framing my licenses!
Happy Monitoring
Marshall KE4ZNR

Sent from my Commodore VIC-20 using Tapatalk

[greenthumb]

Can you do an administrative update on it and do a minor change to your address (i.e. change 'St.' to 'Street' or vice-versa) and trigger a new paper license to be mailed that way?

[nd5y]

If you do a FRN administrative update (change of contact info, etc.) on the web site you will recieve a new copy at no charge.
For example if you change your address from 123 Main St. to 123 Main Street it will update that on all of your licenses and mail you new copies.

[nd5y]

Yes that will work. Maybe even retyping the exact same thing in the box will work. I haven't tried that but I have moved several times since ULS was created.