FCC commercial exam · Element 7R
GMDSS Radio Operating study guide
Element 7R: operating the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System.
You pay through Stripe. Your download link appears on the next page and arrives by email.
In the PDF
What you get
- All 900 questions in the pool, each with its answer.
- A short study note at the start of each topic.
- Acronyms spelled out. Where I changed a question's wording to do that, it's in italics.
- 14 sections. The contents page shows each one's question count and reading time.
The exam
- Questions asked
- 100
- To pass
- 75 right (75%)
- You can miss
- 25
- Questions in the pool
- 900
- Pool per question asked
- about 9 to 1
Contents
What's covered
| Section | Topic | In the pool | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7RA | GMDSS Communications | 78 | ~22 min |
| 7RB | GMDSS Equipment | 72 | ~19 min |
| 7RC | GMDSS Operating Procedures | 78 | ~25 min |
| 7RD | Distress & Safety Communications | 96 | ~25 min |
| 7RE.1 | Satellite Communications (Part 1 of 2) | 60 | ~20 min |
| 7RE.2 | Satellite Communications (Part 2 of 2) | 60 | ~17 min |
| 7RF.1 | NAVTEX & MSI (Part 1 of 2) | 72 | ~22 min |
| 7RF.2 | NAVTEX & MSI (Part 2 of 2) | 24 | ~8 min |
| 7RG | DSC Operations | 60 | ~17 min |
| 7RH | Watchkeeping | 48 | ~13 min |
| 7RI.1 | Regulations & Administration (Part 1 of 2) | 66 | ~22 min |
| 7RI.2 | Regulations & Administration (Part 2 of 2) | 60 | ~20 min |
| 7RJ.1 | Practical Operations (Part 1 of 2) | 60 | ~20 min |
| 7RJ.2 | Practical Operations (Part 2 of 2) | 66 | ~24 min |
Planning
How long it takes
Reading the whole guide once is about 4.6 hours. Working the questions takes longer. Packed into days without splitting a section:
| Per day | Days to read once |
|---|---|
| 30 minutes | 12 |
| 60 minutes | 6 |
| 90 minutes | 4 |
Day by day at 60 minutes
- Day 1 · 7RA, 7RB (41 min)
- Day 2 · 7RC, 7RD (50 min)
- Day 3 · 7RE.1, 7RE.2, 7RF.1 (59 min)
- Day 4 · 7RF.2, 7RG, 7RH, 7RI.1 (60 min)
- Day 5 · 7RI.2, 7RJ.1 (40 min)
- Day 6 · 7RJ.2 (24 min)
Questions
Before you buy
Which exam is this for?
This is for an FCC commercial radio exam, not a ham exam. The ham guides (Technician, General, Extra) are on the amateur shelf.
How do I get it after I pay?
You pay through Stripe. When the payment goes through you land on a page with a download button, and I email you the same link. The link keeps working, so you can download the PDF again later.
Is the guide enough on its own?
It has the whole pool with notes. Before the exam, work through all the questions with the answers covered, and go back over the ones you miss.
Can I print it?
Yes. It's laid out for letter-size paper, with page numbers.
Found a mistake, or the link doesn't work?
Email guides@w9ay.com and I'll sort it out.
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