One page FCC Marine/Aeronautical License Intro

International regulations require that the FCC properly license all U.S. ships/boats carrying VHF or SSB radios operating outside of U.S. waters. FCC regulations also require that any U.S. ship/boat operating within U.S. waters carrying a marine SSB radio must have a station license. Two FCC licenses are required to be properly licensed; a Ships Station License (the official call letters for the boat), and a Restricted Radio Operators Permit (a license for the person operating the radio). The current fees and periods of validity for these licenses are:

Required FCC Marine Radio Licenses
Marine Licenses Recreational & Commercial Shipping / Boating Operators Permit & Ships Station License	License	Period of Validity	FCC Fees Effective 01 Oct. 2005
	Ship Radio Station License	10-years	$160	Renewal & New Licenses
	Restricted Radio Operators Permit	Lifetime of the Holder	$60	-----
	Attn. Cruisers If your Ships Radio License will expire within the next 90-days, DockSide Radio can file the license renewal application for you. Simply fill out the one-page online FCC License Worksheet and let DSR do the rest. Filing fees are the same as filing for a new license. The benefit to renewing an existing license is that you're able to keep your current call sign. You must have a ships call sign before you can sign up for a Sailmail account.

International regulations require that US Pilots and US registered aircraft landing in foreign countries or communicating by radio with foreign ground radio stations, e.g., Bahamas, Canada, Mexico, be properly licensed by the FCC. While the aircraft owner is responsible for securing the proper radio licenses for the aircraft, pilots are responsible for securing and having in their possession a Restricted Radio Operators Permit. The current fees and periods of validity for these licenses are:

Required FCC Aeronautical Radio Licenses
Aeronautical Licenses Commercial and General Aviation Pilot's Operators Permit & Aircraft Station License	License	Period of Validity	FCC Fee Effective 01 Oct. 2005
	Aircraft Radio Station License (Aircraft owning entity is responsible for securing this license)	10-years	$110 (per aircraft)	Renewal & New Licenses
	Restricted Radio Operators Permit (Pilot's are responsible for securing their Permit)	Lifetime of the Holder	$60	-----

There are two ways of filing for these licenses; via the mail, and over the Internet. When filing by mail it can take from four to six weeks to received your license and assigned call from the FCC. The actual time required depends upon how long it takes the mailed application to reach FCC offices, and the internal processing time at the FCC. When properly filed through the Internet, you can expect to receive your license within a day or two of filing.

Filing online is a complicated and time-consuming process. The interactive online form has many java applets that must be downloaded and run on your computer, and there are more than 100 choices for you to consider. If you want to learn about unfamiliar issues such as FRN’s and ULS’s, etc., have lots of time on your hands, enjoy the challenge of figuring out how to deal with government bureaucracies, and have a high-speed Internet connection, this is the exercise for you. If on the other hand, you are getting ready to go cruising or applying for a flight position and time is short, or you have a slow 56K phone modem, for $95 DockSide Radio will do the filing for you.

IIf you are short on time and need your license in a hurry, click on Marine Licenses or Aeronautical Licenses to access the appropriate one-page worksheet, or give us a call at 941.661.4498. Either way, get the information to us and we'll make it happen.

A note of caution: If you are considering submitting an application by mail, be sure to use the current version of FCC form 605. Applying for a FCC license on any form other than the current version of FCC form 605 will result in no action being taken on your application and the probable forfeiture of the submitted license application fee (in other words the FCC keeps your $$ and you don't get your license).