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I was reading in a book today about the types of FCC licenses. One in particular caught my sight. One would visit the local radio station or FCC office and pick up an application. Fill it out, mail it, and in return you get a license that never expires. All you have to do is pay a fee of $45.00.
What can that license be used for, and could that be used to carry radio programs that otherwise requiI was reading in a book today about the types of FCC licenses. One in particular caught my sight. One would visit the local radio station or FCC office and pick up an application. Fill it out, mail it, and in return you get a license that never expires. All you have to do is pay a fee of $45.00.
What can that license be used for, and could that be used to carry radio programs that otherwise require a license (Syndacated Shows,etc.)?
Total posts : 45366Can you provide more information? In olden days, on the air people needed a FCC license (I think it was a Third Class Radio Telephone License) to get on the air as talent, ie DJ’s and news announcers. Essentially the knowledge needed was don’t transmit personal messages and don’t say objectional words. They took a short test, paid their fee and they were good to go on the air. This license conveyed absolutely no authority to operate a radio transmitter or to place a station on the air. I will stand corrected, but I believe this license has been discontinued.
It appears that this is the license that you are referencing. Station licenses are a whole different situation and we can probably guide you better if we know what license you are referencing.
Don’t spend any money on licenses until you know what you are getting. You will not get a station license for $45.
Neil
Total posts : 45366While I am not an expert, I believe that there are (or at least used to be) several types of specialized “radio operator” licenses that you can obtain without any examination, but simply by mailing in a registration form with a fee (like the $45 you mentioned) to the FCC.
Some examples include licenses for aviation, “business band,” marine, and other specialized two way radio services. I believe that these type of licenses may be required simply if you operate these specialized radio services. These operator licenses generally do not grant licences to the stations themselves. There may be separate licenses for the two way stations themselves.
The probably is more info on the fcc web site. Try a search on their web with the name or form number of the application form that you saw.
What you saw probably was not a license for commercial broadcast operations.
Total posts : 45366The license he is very likely referring to is the General Radiotelphone Operators License (GROL), formerly known as a First Phone License. After July 1980, First Phones (required renewal every 5 years) was changed to the GROL. The license was at that time essentially a license for broadcasters, radar operators and aviation radio technicians. Several years later the 2nd and 3rd Phone licenses were replaced with the Radio Operators Permit and the requirement to have a GROL was removed to engineer broadcast stations. Anymore, the GROL is nice certificate to hang on your wall for broadcast engineers.
Station license applications, on the other hand, have associated fees that start at several hundred dollars (LPFM) and extend to several thousands of dollars for high power television and shortwave stations. And these applications are not for a license. They are fees for an application to “possibly” receive a construction permit for a possible future licensed station. Licensing has another fee associated with it and must be renewed.
And finally, licensing of public peformance of music and syndicated shows is done through a variety of organizations representing the writers, composers and program syndicators. Various parameters ar used to etablish the amount of the annual or monthly usage fee. This licensing now also includes the same usage over the internet under the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) established by Congress and operated by the Library of Congress. Currently, no licensing fees are paid to musicians or artists. They are represented by the RIAA, renown for their present lawsuits against peer to peer music downloading on the internet.
By visiting the http://www.fcc.gov site you should be able to find the information necessary on what you need to know.
Marshall Johnson, Sr.
Senior Pastor, President
Rhema Christian Fellowship, Inc.Rhema Radio – The Word In Worship
AM 1660 – FM 93.5
http://www.rhemaradio.org
Total posts : 45366The license you are talking can’t be had anymore. They did away with it in the mid-90’s. This license was for employees that worked around the technical end of a radio or television station, as stated early on in this section. In the old days, if you forgot to ID a broadcast station, the FCC would fine you, now if you forget, the FCC fines the station. It did not grant the holder a broadcast station or to syndacate programming. The license was also held in the station’s public file. Most (about 99%) broadcasters won’t even ask for it anymore.
If you want to own a broadcast station that is outside Part 15, be advised, you will spend money with the possibility of not getting one. Your best bet is to buy a station that’s currently on the air. Even there, you’ll spend big bucks, even in a small market. I would try first to keep 1610 WGBR a success with your listeners before you do any station buying. A well ran local station is priceless, a poorly ran station is worth more when it’s off the air. true for 50,000 watt stations as well as 100mW stations
Yours Truly
Mark Shannon
AM 1690 WOQ/Omaha’s FUN Station
Total posts : 45366Hi Travis,
I actually HAVE one of these from the old days – it was called a restricted Radiotelephone Operator Permit. Mine was issued on 3/16/1979 and never expires.
As another poster mentions, it was for station employees and some basic guidelines that the FCC required.
At the previous radio position I held at a commercial station, I was the only employee with any kind of permit/FCC license. Nevertheless, I did display it since I was the operations manager!
This license is not related to a “station” license at all.
Total posts : 45366I believe what you’re looking for is : FCC 605 Main Form (Quick Form Application for Authorization in the Ship, Aircraft, Amateur Restricted and Commercial Operator, and General Mobile Radio Services) and the instructions/form for Schedule E.
Both items are downloadable (as of 7/05) as pdfs from the FCC website.
DB52
Total posts : 45366RadioTelephone Third Class FCC Operators License with Broadcast Endorsement – limited operation of radio broadcast stations (non-directional). No longer issued.
RadioTelephone Second Class – As far as broadcast stations go, same as 3rd class. No Longer Issued.
RadioTelephone First Class – Full operation of all radio and television broadcast transmitters No longer issued
Ship Radar Endorsement available (element 8) for 2nd and 1st.
The First Class was done away with. The closest thing left is the General RadioTelephone Operators License which really is just a re-hashed 2nd Class RadioTelephone License.
Total posts : 45366To find out more on the FCC GROL License go to this wiki page.
General radiotelephone operator license
FCC Examination Question Pools can be downloaded here.
As for where to take the FCC GROL exams, you can find COLE managers and test locations, at the following website:
Total posts : 45366If you’d like to see what one looks like HERE ARE MINE.
The General license is top left on the page and an old 3rd class futher down the page.
When I got the 3rd class it included meter reading required for broadcast stations showing that you knew how to read the meters for logging purposes. Apparently, DJ’s also did transmitter logging during those late night programs and had to know how to read the meters.
The electronics school I attended made a field trip of the 3rd class test. Study for the test was on your own.
Total posts : 45366I took my last two years of high school at Scarlet Oaks Voc. School in Sharonville Ohio. That school was very close to VOA’s old radio station and antenna farm.
We had to learn to read the meters then (im about to tell my age) in the late 80’s. I finished in 1989 with the license and a two certificates one wallet size and one wall size.
I remember having a hard time with the math on that test but i managed to figure out what i was doing wrong , fractions are not my friend lol.Ive lost the GROL in a move along the way but im certain that i can get another copy of it with a small fee. I would save a buck or more if i were to get it back now, i own a pair of frs/gmrs radios and would benefit from the higher power.
Anyway my two or three cents worth.
EDIT: Ok i think i messed up, gmrs has it’s own license.
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