Element 1 Sample Questions

Questions from each subelement of the FCC's Element 1 pool. Pick an answer to see whether you're right, how everyone else did, and why.

Element 1 exam guide

A Rules & regulations

Shipboard transmitters using F3E emission (FM voice) may not exceed what carrier power?

  1. 500 watts.
  2. 25 watts.
  3. 100 watts.
  4. 250 watts.

Answer: B, 25 watts.. Under 47 CFR 80.215(e)(1), ship stations in the 156–162 MHz VHF band may use at most 25 W, and the set must be able to reduce to 1 W or less. Section 80.215(g) requires fixed (non-portable) VHF ship radiotelephones to run at least 8 W and no more than 25 W carrier power. The low ceiling suits VHF's line-of-sight range and limits interference on shared channels.

What are the mandatory DSC watchkeeping bands/channels?

  1. VHF Ch-70, 2 MHz MF DSC, 6 MHz DSC and 1 other HF DSC.
  2. 8 MHz HF DSC, 1 other HF DSC, 2 MHz MF DSC and VHF Ch-70.
  3. 2 MHz MF DSC, 8 MHz DSC, VHF Ch-16 and 1 other HF DSC.
  4. None of the above.

Answer: B, 8 MHz HF DSC, 1 other HF DSC, 2 MHz MF DSC and VHF Ch-70.. Under 47 CFR 80.1123(a), a GMDSS ship at sea must keep a continuous DSC watch on VHF Ch-70. A ship with MF/HF equipment must also guard 2187.5 kHz (2 MHz), 8414.5 kHz (8 MHz), and at least one other HF DSC frequency (4, 6, 12 or 16 MHz) suited to the time of day and the ship's position. 8 MHz is the fixed HF channel; the second HF channel is chosen by the operator. A scanning receiver may keep this watch.

Who is responsible for the proper maintenance of station logs?

  1. The station licensee.
  2. The station licensee and the radio operator in charge of the station.
  3. The ship’s master and the station licensee.
  4. The commercially-licensed radio operator in charge of the station.

Answer: B, The station licensee and the radio operator in charge of the station.. 47 CFR 80.409(a)(4) states that "the station licensee and the radio operator in charge of the station are responsible for the maintenance of station logs." Responsibility is shared. The licensee answers to the FCC for the station as a whole. The operator in charge answers for the entries made while on duty.

B Communications procedures

What is Distress traffic?

  1. Health and welfare messages concerning property and the safety of a vessel.
  2. All messages relative to the immediate assistance required by a ship, aircraft or other vehicle threatened by grave or imminent danger, such as life and safety of persons on board, or man overboard.
  3. In radiotelephony, the speaking of the word, “Mayday.”
  4. Internationally recognized communications relating to important situations.

Answer: B, All messages relative to the immediate assistance required by a ship, aircraft or other vehicle threatened by grave or imminent danger, such as life and safety of persons on board, or man overboard.. Under 47 CFR 80.325(a), distress traffic consists of all messages relating to the immediate assistance required by the station in distress, not just the first MAYDAY. It covers the whole exchange: acknowledgments, relays and on-scene coordination. It continues until the controlling station announces that normal working may resume. A person overboard whose life is at risk is a recognized DSC distress category.

A ship station using VHF bridge-to-bridge Channel 13:

  1. May be identified by the name of the ship in lieu of call sign.
  2. May be identified by call sign and country of origin.
  3. Does not need to identify itself within 100 miles from shore.
  4. Must be identified by call sign and name of vessel.

Answer: A, May be identified by the name of the ship in lieu of call sign.. Under 47 CFR 80.102(c), a ship station transmitting on any authorized VHF bridge-to-bridge channel, such as channel 13 (156.650 MHz), may identify by the ship's name instead of its call sign. Another bridge can match a name to the vessel it sees much more easily than a call sign. The rule says "may": the name is enough on its own, but the call sign is still allowed.

Ordinarily, how often would a station using a telephony emission identify?

  1. At least every 10 minutes.
  2. At 20-minute intervals.
  3. At the beginning and end of each transmission and at 15-minute intervals.
  4. At 15-minute intervals, unless public correspondence is in progress.

Answer: C, At the beginning and end of each transmission and at 15-minute intervals.. Under 47 CFR §80.102, a station using telephony must give its call sign in English at the beginning and end of each communication with another station. If a transmission lasts more than 15 minutes, it must also identify every 15 minutes. During public correspondence that 15-minute ID may be put off until the exchange ends, but that is an exception, not the normal rule.

C Equipment operations

Which channel is utilized for the required bridge-to-bridge watch?

  1. VHF-FM on Ch-16.
  2. VHF-FM on Ch-13 in most areas of the continental United States.
  3. DSC on Ch-70.
  4. The vessel’s VHF working frequency.

Answer: B, VHF-FM on Ch-13 in most areas of the continental United States.. 47 CFR § 80.309 says vessels covered by the Bridge-to-Bridge Act must keep a watch on the designated navigational frequency, in addition to the channel 16 watch. That frequency is 156.650 MHz, VHF channel 13, across most of the US. § 80.1011 requires the radio to cover channel 13, plus channel 67 on parts of the lower Mississippi. That is why the answer says "in most areas."

The best way to test the Inmarsat-C terminal is?

  1. Send a message to another ship terminal.
  2. Compose and send a brief message to your own Inmarsat-C terminal.
  3. Send a message to a shore terminal and wait for confirmation.
  4. If the “Send” light flashes, proper operation has been confirmed.

Answer: B, Compose and send a brief message to your own Inmarsat-C terminal.. Sending a short message to your own Inmarsat-C mobile number makes it travel the whole route: ship to satellite to land earth station and back to your terminal. When your own message arrives, it proves both transmit and receive work and that you are logged in. It does this without involving any other station.

Which would be an indication of proper operation of a SSB transmitter rated at 60 watt PEP output?

  1. In SITOR communications, the power meter can be seen fluctuating regularly from zero to the 60 watt relative output reading.
  2. In SSB (J3E) voice mode, with the transmitter keyed but without speaking into the microphone, power output is indicated.
  3. In SSB (J3E) mode, speaking into the microphone causes power meter to fluctuate slightly around the 60 watt reading.
  4. A steady indication of transmitted energy on an RF Power meter with no fluctuations when speaking into the microphone.

Answer: A, In SITOR communications, the power meter can be seen fluctuating regularly from zero to the 60 watt relative output reading.. SITOR ARQ sends data in short bursts: the sending station transmits a three-character block at full output, then switches off to listen for the acknowledgment. A good 60 W transmitter therefore shows the meter swinging regularly between zero and the 60 W reading. In J3E there is no carrier, so output appears only when you speak.

D Other equipment

What is the requirement for emergency and reserve power in GMDSS radio installations?

  1. An emergency power source for radio communications is not required if a vessel has proper reserve power (batteries).
  2. A reserve power source is not required for radio communications.
  3. Only one of the above is required if a vessel is equipped with a second 406 EPIRB as a backup means of sending a distress alert.
  4. All newly constructed ships under GMDSS must have both emergency and reserve power sources for radio communications.

Answer: D, All newly constructed ships under GMDSS must have both emergency and reserve power sources for radio communications.. GMDSS ships need both layers of backup power. SOLAS requires an emergency source of electrical power that can also feed the radio installations. 47 CFR § 80.1099(b) separately requires a reserve source of energy on every ship to run the radios after both the main and emergency sources fail. One does not replace the other, because the reserve source is meant for the case where the emergency source is gone.

How do you cancel a false EPIRB distress alert?

  1. Make a radiotelephony “distress cancellation” transmission on 2182 kHz.
  2. Transmit a broadcast message to “all stations” canceling the distress message.
  3. Notify the Coast Guard or rescue coordination center at once.
  4. Transmit a DSC distress alert cancellation.

Answer: C, Notify the Coast Guard or rescue coordination center at once.. A false EPIRB alert reaches rescue authorities by satellite, so you cancel it by telling those authorities directly. Under 47 CFR 80.335(e), if an EPIRB is set off by accident you must immediately contact the nearest U.S. Coast Guard unit or the appropriate rescue coordination center by telephone, radio or ship earth station and cancel the alert. Also switch the beacon off.

What means are used to prevent the reception of unwanted broadcasts by vessels utilizing the NAVTEX system?

  1. Coordinating reception with published broadcast schedules.
  2. Operating the receiver only during daytime hours.
  3. Automatic receiver de-sensitization during night hours.
  4. Programming the receiver to reject unwanted broadcasts.

Answer: D, Programming the receiver to reject unwanted broadcasts.. A NAVTEX receiver can be set to accept only the station letters for the area the ship is in and only the message types it wants. Messages from other stations or in other categories are not printed. Navigational warnings, meteorological warnings and search and rescue information (types A, B and D) cannot be rejected, so vital safety messages always get through.