Part
97 Rules
Code of Federal Regulations
Title 47, Volume 5, Part
97
PART
97--AMATEUR RADIO SERVICE
Subpart
A--General Provisions
Sec. 97.1
Basis and purpose.
The rules and regulations in this part are designed to
provide an
amateur radio service having a fundamental purpose as expressed in the
following principles:
(a) Recognition and enhancement of the value of the amateur
service
to the public as a voluntary noncommercial communication service,
particularly with respect to providing emergency communications.
(b) Continuation and extension of the amateur's proven
ability to
contribute to the advancement of the radio art.
(c) Encouragement and improvement of the amateur service
through
rules which provide for advancing skills in both the communication and
technical phases of the art.
(d) Expansion of the existing reservoir within the amateur
radio
service of trained operators, technicians, and electronics experts.
(e) Continuation and extension of the amateur's unique
ability to
enhance international goodwill.
Sec. 97.3 Definitions.
(a) The definitions of terms used in part 97 are:
(1) Amateur operator. A person
holding a written authorization to be
the control operator of an amateur station.
(2) Amateur radio services. The
amateur service, the amateur-
satellite service and the radio amateur civil emergency service.
(3) Amateur-satellite service. A
radiocommunication service using
stations on Earth satellites for the same purpose as those of the
amateur service.
(4) Amateur service. A
radiocommunication service for the purpose of
self-training, intercommunication and technical investigations carried
out by amateurs, that is, duly authorized persons interested in radio
technique solely with a personal aim and without pecuniary interest.
(5) Amateur station. A station in an
amateur radio service
consisting of the apparatus necessary for carrying on
radiocommunications.
(6) Automatic control. The use of
devices and procedures for control
of a station when it is transmitting so that compliance with the FCC Rules is
achieved without the control operator being present at a control point.
(7) Auxiliary station. An amateur
station, other than in a message
forwarding system, that is transmitting communications point-to-point
within a system of cooperating amateur stations.
(8) Bandwidth. The width of a
frequency band outside of which the
mean power of the transmitted signal is attenuated at least 26 dB below
the mean power of the transmitted signal within the band.
(9) Beacon. An amateur station
transmitting communications for the
purposes of observation of propagation and reception or other related
experimental activities.
(10) Broadcasting. Transmissions
intended for reception by the
general public, either direct or relayed.
(11) Call sign system. The method
used to select a call sign for
amateur station over-the-air identification purposes. The call sign
systems are:
(i) Sequential call sign system.
The call sign is selected by the
FCC from an alphabetized list corresponding to the geographic region of
the licensee's mailing address and operator class. The call sign is
shown on the license. The FCC will issue public announcements detailing
the procedures of the sequential call sign system.
(ii) Vanity call sign system. The
call sign is selected by the FCC
from a list of call signs requested by the licensee. The call sign is
shown on the license. The FCC will issue public announcements detailing
the procedures of the vanity call sign system.
(iii) Special event call sign system.
The call sign is selected by
the station licensee from a list of call signs shown on a common data
base coordinated, maintained and disseminated by the amateur station
special event call sign data base coordinators. The call sign must have
the single letter prefix K, N or W, followed by a single numeral 0
through 9, followed by a single letter A through W or Y or Z (for
example K1A). The special event call sign is substituted for the call
sign shown on the station license grant while the station is
transmitting. The FCC will issue public announcements detailing the
procedures of the special event call sign system.
(12) CEPT
radio-amateur license. A license issued by a
country
belonging to the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications
Administrations (CEPT) that has adopted Recommendation T/R 61-01
(Nice 1985, revised in Paris 1992 and by correspondence August 1992).
(13) Control operator. An amateur
operator designated by the
licensee of a station to be responsible for the transmissions from that
station to assure compliance with the FCC Rules.
(14) Control point. The location at
which the control operator
function is performed.
(15) CSCE. Certificate of successful
completion of an examination.
(16) Earth station. An amateur
station located on, or within 50 km
of, the Earth's surface intended for communications with space stations
or with other Earth stations by means of one or more other objects in
space.
(17) EIC. Engineer in Charge of an
FCC Field Facility.
(18) External RF power amplifier. A
device capable of increasing
power output when used in conjunction with, but not an integral part of,
a transmitter.
(19) External RF power amplifier kit.
A number of electronic parts,
which, when assembled, is an external RF power amplifier, even if
additional parts are required to complete assembly.
(20) FAA. Federal Aviation
Administration.
(21) FCC. Federal Communications
Commission.
(22) Frequency coordinator. An
entity, recognized in a local or
regional area by amateur operators whose stations are eligible to be
auxiliary or repeater stations, that recommends transmit/receive
channels and associated operating and technical parameters for such
stations in order to avoid or minimize potential interference.
(23) Harmful interference.
Interference which endangers the
functioning of a radionavigation service or of other safety services or
seriously degrades, obstructs or repeatedly interrupts a
radiocommunication service operating in accordance with the Radio
Regulations.
(24) IARP.
International Amateur Radio Permit. A
document issued
pursuant to the terms of the Inter-American Convention on an International
Amateur Radio Permit by a country signatory to that Convention, other
than the United States. (Montrouis, Haiti. AG/doc.3216/95).
(25) Indicator. Words, letters or numerals
appended to and separated
from the call sign during the station identification.
(26) Information bulletin. A message directed
only to amateur
operators consisting solely of subject matter of direct interest to the amateur
service.
(27) International Morse code. A dot-dash code
as defined in
International Telegraph and Telephone Consultative Committee (CCITT)
Recommendation F.1 (1984), Division B, I. Morse code.
(28) ITU. International Telecommunication Union.
(29) Line A. Begins at Aberdeen, WA, running by
great circle arc to
the intersection of 48 deg. N, 120 deg. W, thence along parallel 48 deg.
N, to the intersection of 95 deg. W, thence by great circle arc through
the southernmost point of Duluth, MN, thence by great circle arc to
45 deg. N, 85 deg. W, thence southward along meridian 85 deg. W, to its
intersection with parallel 41 deg. N, thence along parallel 41 deg. N,
to its intersection with meridian 82 deg. W, thence by great circle arc
through the southernmost point of Bangor, ME, thence by great circle arc
through the southernmost point of Searsport, ME, at which point it
terminates.
(30) Local control. The use of a control
operator who directly
manipulates the operating adjustments in the station to achieve
compliance with the FCC Rules.
(31) Message forwarding system. A group of
amateur stations
participating in a voluntary, cooperative, interactive arrangement where
communications are sent from the control operator of an originating
station to the control operator of one or more destination stations by
one or more forwarding stations.
(32) National Radio Quiet Zone. The area in
Maryland, Virginia and
West Virginia Bounded by 39 deg. 15'N on the north, 78 deg. 30'W on the
east, 37 deg. 30' N on the south and 80 deg. 30' W on the west.
(33) Physician. For the purpose of this part, a person who is
licensed to practice in a place where the amateur service is regulated
by the FCC, as either a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) or a Doctor of
Osteopathy (D.O.)
(34) Question pool. A series of examination
questions for a
designated written examination element.
(35) Question set. A series of examination on a
given examination
selected from the question pool.
(36) Radio Regulations. The latest ITU Radio
Regulations to which
the United States is a party.
(37) RACES (radio amateur civil emergency
service). A radio service
using amateur stations for civil defense communications during periods
of local, regional or national civil emergencies.
(38) Remote control. The use of a control
operator who indirectly
manipulates the operating adjustments in the station through a control
link to achieve compliance with the FCC Rules.
(39) Repeater. An amateur station that
simultaneously retransmits
the transmission of another amateur station on a different channel or
channels.
(40) Space station. An amateur station located
more than 50 km above
the Earth's surface.
(41) Space telemetry. A one-way transmission
from a space station of
measurements made from the measuring instruments in a spacecraft,
including those relating to the functioning of the spacecraft.
(42) Spurious emission. An emission, or
frequencies outside the
necessary bandwidth of a transmission, the level of which may be reduced
without affecting the information being transmitted.
(43) Telecommand. A one-way transmission to
initiate, modify, or
terminate functions of a device at a distance.
(44) Telecommand station. An
amateur station that transmits
communications to initiate, modify or terminate functions of a space
station.
(45) Telemetry. A one-way transmission of
measurements at a distance
from the measuring instrument.
(46) Third party communications. A message from
the control operator
(first party) of an amateur station to another amateur station control
operator (second party) on behalf of another person (third party).
(47) ULS (Universal Licensing System). The
consolidated database,
application filing system and processing system for all Wireless
Telecommunications Services.
(48) VE. Volunteer examiner.
(49) VEC. Volunteer-examiner coordinator.
(b) The definitions of technical symbols used
in this part are:
(1) EHF (extremely high frequency). The
frequency range 30-300 GHz.
(2) HF (high frequency). The frequency range
3-30 MHz.
(3) Hz. Hertz.
(4) m. Meters.
(5) MF (medium frequency). The frequency range
300-3000 kHz.
(6) PEP (peak envelope power). The average power
supplied to the
antenna transmission line by a transmitter during one RF cycle at the
crest of the modulation envelope taken under normal operating
conditions.
(7) RF Radio frequency.
(8) SHF (super-high frequency). The frequency
range 3-30 GHz.
(9) UHF (ultra-high frequency). The frequency
range 300-3000 MHz.
(10) VHF (very-high frequency). The frequency range 30-300
MHz.
(11) W. Watts.
(c) The following terms are used in this
part to indicate emission
types. Refer to Sec. 2.201 of the FCC Rules, Emission, modulation and
transmission characteristics, for information on emission type
designators.
(1) CW. International Morse code telegraphy
emissions having
designators with A, C, H, J or R as the first symbol; 1 as the second
symbol; A or B as the third symbol; and emissions J2A and J2B.
(2) Data. Telemetry, telecommand and computer
communications
emissions having designators with A, C, D, F, G, H, J or R as the first
symbol; 1 as the second symbol; D as the third symbol; and emission J2D.
Only a digital code of a type specifically authorized in this part may
be transmitted.
(3) Image. Facsimile and television emissions
having designators
with A, C, D, F, G, H, J or R as the first symbol; 1, 2 or 3 as the
second symbol; C or F as the third symbol; and emissions having B as the
first symbol; 7, 8 or 9 as the second symbol; W as the third symbol.
(4) MCW. Tone-modulated international Morse code
telegraphy
emissions having designators with A, C, D, F, G, H or R as the first
symbol; 2 as the second symbol; A or B as the third symbol.
(5) Phone. Speech and other sound emissions
having designators with
A, C, D, F, G, H, J or R as the first symbol; 1, 2 or 3 as the second
symbol; E as the third symbol. Also speech emissions having B as the
first symbol; 7, 8 or 9 as the second symbol; E as the third symbol. MCW
for the purpose of performing the station identification procedure, or
for providing telegraphy practice interspersed with speech. Incidental
tones for the purpose of selective calling or alerting or to control the
level of a demodulated signal may also be considered phone.
(6) Pulse. Emissions having designators with K,
L, M, P, Q, V or W
as the first symbol; 0, 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9 or X as the second symbol; A,
B, C, D, E, F, N, W or X as the third symbol.
(7) RTTY. Narrow-band direct-printing telegraphy
emissions having
designators with A, C, D, F, G, H, J or R as the first symbol; 1 as the
second symbol; B as the third symbol; and emission J2B. Only a digital
code of a type specifically authorized in this part may be transmitted.
(8) SS. Spread-spectrum emissions using
bandwidth-expansion
modulation emissions having designators with A, C, D, F, G, H, J or R as
the first symbol; X as the second symbol; X as the third symbol.
(9) Test. Emissions containing no information
having the designators
with N as the third symbol. Test does not include pulse emissions with
no information or modulation unless pulse emissions are also authorized
in the frequency band.
[54 FR 25857, June 20, 1989, as amended
at 56 FR 29, Jan. 2, 1991; 56 FR
56171, Nov. 1, 1991; 59 FR 18975, Apr. 21, 1994; 60 FR 7460, Feb. 8,
1995; 62 FR 17567, Apr. 10, 1997]
Sec. 97.5 Station license required.
(a) The station apparatus must be under the physical control
of a
person named in an amateur station license grant on the ULS consolidated
license database or a person authorized for alien reciprocal operation by
§ 9.107 of this Part, before the station may transmit on any amateur
service frequency from any place that is:
(1) Within 50 km of the Earth's surface and at a place where
the
amateur service is regulated by the FCC;
(2) Within 50 km of the Earth's surface and aboard any vessel
or
craft that is documented or registered in the United States; or
(3) More than 50 km above the Earth's surface aboard any
craft that
is documented or registered in the United States.
(b) The types of station license grants are:
(1) An operator/primary
station license. One, but only one,
operator/primary station license grant may be held by any one person.
The primary station license is granted together with the amateur operator
license. Except for a representative of a foreign government, any person
who qualifies by examination is eligible to apply for an operator/primary
station license.
(2) A club station license.
A club station license is granted only
to the person who is the license trustee designated by an officer of the
club. The trustee must be a person who has been granted an Amateur
Extra, Advanced, General, Technician Plus, or Technician operator
license grant. The club must be composed of at least four persons and must
have a name, a document of organization, management, and a primary
purpose devoted to amateur service activities consistent with this part.
(3) A military
recreation station license grant. A military recreation
station license grant may be held only by the person who is the license
custodian designated by the official in charge of the United States
military recreational premises where the station is situated. The person
must not be a representative of a foreign government. The person need
not have been granted an amateur operator license.
(4) A RACES station
license grant. A RACES station license grant
may be held only by the person who is the license custodian designated by
the official responsible for the governmental agency served by that civil
defense organization. The custodian must be the civil defense official
responsible for coordination of all civil defense activities in the area
concerned. The custodian must not be a representative of a foreign
government. The custodian need not have been granted an amateur operator
license grant.
(c) The person named in
the station license grant or who is authorized
for alien reciprocal operation by § 97.107 of this Part may use, in
accordance with the applicable rules of this Part, the transmitting
apparatus under the physical control of the person at places where the
amateur service is regulated by the FCC.
(d) A CEPT radio-amateur license is
issued to the person by the country
of which the person is a citizen. The person must not:
(1) Be a resident alien or citizen of the United
States, regardless of any
other citizenship also held;
(2) Hold an FCC-issued amateur operator license nor
reciprocal permit
for alien amateur licensee;
(3) Be a prior amateur service licensee whose
FCC-issued license was
revoked, suspended for less than the balance of the license term and the
suspension is still in effect, suspended for the balance of the license term and
relicensing has not taken place, or surrendered for cancellation following
notice of revocation, suspension or monetary forfeiture proceedings; or
(4) Be the subject of a cease and desist order that
relates to amateur
service operation and which is still in effect.
(e) An IARP is issued
to the person by the country of which the person
is a citizen. The person must not:
(1) Be a resident alien or citizen of the United
States, regardless of any
other citizenship also held;
(2) Hold an FCC-issued amateur operator license nor
reciprocal permit
for alien amateur licensee;
(3) Be a prior amateur service licensee whose
FCC-issued license was
revoked, suspended for less than the balance of the license term and the
suspension is still in effect, suspended for the balance of the license term and
relicensing has not taken place, or surrendered for cancellation following
notice of revocation, suspension or monetary forfeiture proceedings; or
(4) Be the subject of a cease and desist order that
relates to amateur
service operation and which is still in effect.
[59 FR 54831, Nov. 2, 1994, as amended at 62 FR 17567, Apr. 10, 1997]
Sec. 97.7 Control operator required.
When transmitting, each amateur station must have a control
operator.
The control operator must be a person:
(a) For whom an amateur operator/primary station license
grant appears
on the ULS consolidated licensee database, or
(b) Who is authorized for alien operation by § 97.107of this
Part.
[59 FR 54832, Nov. 2, 1994]
Sec. 97.9 Operator license.
(a) The classes of amateur operator licenses are: Novice,
Technician, Technician Plus (until such licenses expire, a Technician
Class license granted before February 14, 1991, is considered a
Technician Plus Class license), General, Advanced, and Amateur Extra.
The person named in the operator license grant is authorized to be the
control operator of an amateur station with the privileges of the
operator class specified on the license grant.
(b) The person named in an operator
license grant of Novice,
Technician, Technician Plus, General or Advanced Class, who has
properly submitted to the administering VEs a FCC Form 605 document
requesting examination for an operator license grant of a higher class, and
who holds a CSCE indicating that the person has completed the necessary
examinations within the previous 365 days, is authorized to exercise the
rights and privileges of the higher operator class until final disposition of
the
application or until 365 days following the passing of the examination,
whichever comes first.
Sec. 97.11 Stations aboard ships or aircraft.
(a) The installation and operation of an amateur station on a
ship
or aircraft must be approved by the master of the ship or pilot in
command of the aircraft.
(b) The station must be separate from and independent of all
other
radio apparatus installed on the ship or aircraft, except a common
antenna may be shared with a voluntary ship radio installation. The
station's transmissions must not cause interference to any other
apparatus installed on the ship or aircraft.
(c) The station must not constitute a hazard to the safety of
life
or property. For a station aboard an aircraft, the apparatus shall not
be operated while the aircraft is operating under Instrument Flight
Rules, as defined by the FAA, unless the station has been found to
comply with all applicable FAA Rules.
Sec. 97.13 Restrictions on station location.
(a) Before placing an amateur station on land of
environmental
importance or that is significant in American history, architecture or
culture, the licensee may be required to take certain actions prescribed
by Sec. 1.1305-1.1319 of the FCC Rules.
(b) A station within 1600 m (1 mile) of
an FCC monitoring facility
must protect that facility from harmful interference. Failure to do so could
result in imposition of operating restrictions upon the amateur station by
an EIC pursuant to Sec. 97.121
of this part. Geographical coordinates of
the facilities that require protection are listed in Sec. 0.121(c) of this
chapter.
(c) Before causing or allowing an amateur station to transmit
from
any place where the operation of the station could cause human exposure
to RF electromagnetic field levels in excess of those allowed under
Sec. 1.1310 of this chapter, the licensee is required to take certain
actions.
(1) The licensee must perform the routine RF environmental
evaluation prescribed by Sec.
1.1307(b) of this chapter, if the power of
the licensee's station exceeds the limits given in the following table:
| Wavelength Band |
Evaluation
Required if Power* (watts) Exceeds |
|
| MF | 160 meters | 500 |
| HF | 80 meters | 500 |
| 75 meters | 500 | |
| 40 meters | 500 | |
| 30 meters | 425 | |
| 20 meters | 225 | |
| 17 meters | 125 | |
| 15 meters | 100 | |
| 12 meters | 75 | |
| 10 meters | 50 | |
| VHF | All bands | 50 |
| UHF | 70 cm | 70 |
| 33 cm | 150 | |
| 23 cm | 200 | |
| 13 cm | 250 | |
| SHF | All bands | 250 |
| EHF | All bands | 250 |
|
Repeater |
All bands |
non-building mounted antennas: height above
ground level to lowest point of antenna < 10 m and power > 500 W ERP |
|
* Power = PEP input to antenna except, for repeater
stations only, power |
||
Subpart B--Station Operation Standards
Sec. 97.101 General standards.
(a) In all respects not specifically covered by FCC Rules
each
amateur station must be operated in accordance with good engineering
and good amateur practice.
(b) Each station licensee and each control operator must
cooperate
in selecting transmitting channels and in making the most effective use
of the amateur service frequencies. No frequency will be assigned for
the exclusive use of any station.
(c) At all times and on all frequencies, each control
operator must
give priority to stations providing emergency communications, except to
stations transmitting communications for training drills and tests in RACES.
(d) No amateur operator shall willfully or maliciously
interfere
with or cause interference to any radio communication or signal.
Return to Part 97 Index
Sec. 97.103 Station licensee responsibilities.
(a) The station licensee is responsible for the proper
operation of
the station in accordance with the FCC Rules. When the control operator
is a different amateur operator than the station licensee, both persons
are equally responsible for proper operation of the station.
(b) The station licensee must designate the station control
operator. The FCC will presume that the station licensee is also the
control operator, unless documentation to the contrary is in the station
records.
(c) The station licensee must make the station and the
station
records available for inspection upon request by an FCC representative.
When deemed necessary by an EIC to assure compliance with the FCC
Rules, the station licensee must maintain a record of station operations
containing such items of information as the EIC may require in accord
with Sec. 0.314(x) of the FCC Rules.
Return to Part 97 Index
Sec. 97.105 Control operator duties.
(a) The control operator must ensure the immediate proper
operation
of the station, regardless of the type of control.
(b) A station may only be operated in the manner and to the
extent
permitted by the privileges authorized for the class of operator license
held by the control operator.
Return to Part 97 Index
Sec. 97.107 Alien control operator privileges.
A non-citizen of the United States ("Alien")
holding an amateur service
authorization granted by the alien's government is authorized to be the control
operator of an amateur station located at places where the amateur service is
regulated by the FCC, provided there is in effect a multilateral or bilateral
reciprocal operating arrangement, to which the United Sates and the alien's
government are parties, for amateur service operation on a reciprocal
basis.
The FCC will issue public announcements listing the countries with which the
United States has such an agreement. No citizen of the United States or
person holding an FCC amateur operator/primary station license grant is
eligible for the reciprocal operating authority granted by this section.
The
privileges granted to a control operator under this authorization are:
(a) For an amateur service license granted by the Government
of Canada:
(1) The terms of the Convention Between the United
States and
Canada (TIAS No. 2508) Relating to the Operation by Citizens of
Either Country of Certain Radio Equipment or Stations in the Other
Country;
(2) The operating terms and conditions of the amateur
service
license issued by the Government of Canada; and
(3) The applicable provisions of this part, but not to
exceed the control
operator privileges of an FCC-issued Amateur Extra Class operator license.
(b) For an amateur service license granted by any country,
other than
Canada, with which the United States has a multilateral or bilateral agreement:
(1) The operating terms of the agreement between the alien's
government
and the United States;
(2) The operating terms and conditions of the amateur
service license
granted by the alien's government;
(3) The applicable rules of this part, but not to exceed the
control operator
privileges of an FCC-granted Amateur Extra Class operator license.
(c) At any time the FCC may, in its discretion, modify,
suspend, or
cancel the reciprocal operating authority granted to any person by this section.
Return to Part 97 Index
Sec. 97.109 Station control.
(a) Each amateur station must have at least one control
point.
(b) When a station is being locally controlled, the control operator
must be at the control point. Any station may be locally controlled.
(c) When a station is being remotely controlled, the control
operator must be at the control point. Any station may be remotely
controlled.
(d) When a station is being automatically controlled, the
control
operator need not be at the control point. Only stations specifically
designated elsewhere in this part may be automatically controlled.
Automatic control must cease upon notification by an EIC that the
station is transmitting improperly or causing harmful interference to
other stations. Automatic control must not be resumed without prior
approval of the EIC.
(e) No station may be automatically controlled while
transmitting
third party communications, except a station transmitting a RTTY or data
emission. All messages that are retransmitted must originate at a
station that is being locally or remotely controlled.
[54 FR 39535, Sept. 27, 1989, as amended at
60 FR 26001, May 16, 1995]
Return to Part 97 Index
Sec. 97.111 Authorized transmissions.
(a) An amateur station may transmit the following types of
two-way
communications:
(1) Transmissions necessary to exchange messages with other
stations
in the amateur service, except those in any country whose administration
has given notice that it objects to such communications. The FCC will
issue public notices of current arrangements for international
communications;
(2) Transmissions necessary to exchange messages with a
station in
another FCC-regulated service while providing emergency communications;
(3) Transmissions necessary to exchange messages with a
United
States government station, necessary to providing communications in
RACES; and
(4) Transmissions necessary to exchange messages with a
station in a
service not regulated by the FCC, but authorized by the FCC to
communicate with amateur stations. An amateur station may exchange
messages with a participating United States military station during an
Armed Forces Day Communications Test.
(b) In addition to one-way transmissions specifically
authorized
elsewhere in this part, an amateur station may transmit the following
types of one-way communications:
(1) Brief transmissions necessary to make adjustments to the
station;
(2) Brief transmissions necessary to establishing two-way
communications with other stations;
(3) Telecommand;
(4) Transmissions necessary to providing emergency
communications;
(5) Transmissions necessary to assisting persons learning,
or
improving proficiency in, the international Morse code; and
(6) Transmissions necessary to disseminate information
bulletins.
(7) Transmissions of telemetry.
[54 FR 25857, June 20, 1989, as amended at
56 FR 56171, Nov. 1, 1991]
Return to Part 97 Index
Sec. 97.113 Prohibited transmissions.
(a) No amateur station shall transmit:
(1) Communications specifically prohibited elsewhere in this
part;
(2) Communications for hire or for material compensation,
direct or
indirect, paid or promised, except as otherwise provided in these rules;
(3) Communications in which the station licensee or control
operator
has a pecuniary interest, including communications on behalf of an
employer. Amateur operators may, however, notify other amateur operators
of the availability for sale or trade of apparatus normally used in an
amateur station, provided that such activity is not conducted on a
regular basis;
(4) Music using a phone emission except as specifically
provided
elsewhere in this section; communications intended to facilitate a
criminal act; messages in codes or ciphers intended to obscure the
meaning thereof, except as otherwise provided herein; obscene or
indecent words or language; or false or deceptive messages, signals or
identification;
(5) Communications, on a regular basis, which could
reasonably be
furnished alternatively through other radio services.
(b) An amateur station shall not engage in any form of
broadcasting,
nor may an amateur station transmit one-way communications except as
specifically provided in these rules; nor shall an amateur station
engage in any activity related to program production or news gathering
for broadcasting purposes, except that communications directly related
to the immediate safety of human life or the protection of property may
be provided by amateur stations to broadcasters for dissemination to the
public where no other means of communication is reasonably available
before or at the time of the event.
(c) A control operator may accept compensation as an
incident of a
teaching position during periods of time when an amateur station is used
by that teacher as a part of classroom instruction at an educational
institution.
(d) The control operator of a club station may accept
compensation
for the periods of time when the station is transmitting telegraphy
practice or information bulletins, provided that the station transmits
such telegraphy practice and bulletins for at least 40 hours per week;
schedules operations on at least six amateur service MF and HF bands
using reasonable measures to maximize coverage; where the schedule of
normal operating times and frequencies is published at least 30 days in
advance of the actual transmissions; and where the control operator does
not accept any direct or indirect compensation for any other service as
a control operator.
(e) No station shall retransmit programs or signals
emanating from
any type of radio station other than an amateur station, except
propagation and weather forecast information intended for use by the
general public and originated from United States Government stations and
communications, including incidental music, originating on United States
Government frequencies between a space shuttle and its associated Earth
stations. Prior approval for shuttle retransmissions must be obtained
from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Such
retransmissions must be for the exclusive use of amateur operators.
Propagation, weather forecasts, and shuttle retransmissions may not be
conducted on a regular basis, but only occasionally, as an incident of
normal amateur radio communications.
(f) No amateur station, except an auxiliary, repeater, or
space
station, may automatically retransmit the radio signals of other amateur
station.
[58 FR 43072, Aug. 13, 1993; 58 FR 47219,
Sept. 8, 1993]
Return to Part 97 Index
Sec. 97.115 Third party communications.
(a) An amateur station may transmit messages for a third
party to:
(1) Any station within the jurisdiction of the United
States.
(2) Any station within the jurisdiction of any foreign
government
whose administration has made arrangements with the United States to
allow amateur stations to be used for transmitting international
communications on behalf of third parties. No station shall transmit
messages for a third party to any station within the jurisdiction of any
foreign government whose administration has not made such an
arrangement. This prohibition does not apply to a message for any third
party who is eligible to be a control operator of the station.
(b) The third party may participate in stating the message
where:
(1) The control operator is present at the control point and
is
continuously monitoring and supervising the third party's participation;
and
(2) The third party is not a prior amateur service licensee
whose
license was revoked; suspended for less than the balance of the license
term and the suspension is still in effect; suspended for the balance of
the license term and relicensing has not taken place; or surrendered for
cancellation following notice of revocation, suspension or monetary
forfeiture proceedings. The third party may not be the subject of a
cease and desist order which relates to amateur service operation and
which is still in effect.
(c) At the end of an exchange of international third party
communications, the station must also transmit in the station
identification procedure the call sign of the station with which a third
party message was exchanged.
[54 FR 25857, June 20, 1989; 54 FR 39535,
Sept. 27, 1989]
Return to Part 97 Index
Sec. 97.117 International communications.
Transmissions to a different country, where permitted, shall
be made
in plain language and shall be limited to messages of a technical nature
relating to tests, and, to remarks of a personal character for which, by
reason of their unimportance, recourse to the public telecommunications
service is not justified.
Return to Part 97 Index
Sec. 97.119 Station identification.
(a) Each amateur station, except a space station or
telecommand
station, must transmit its assigned call sign on its transmitting channel
at the end of each communication, and at least every 10 minutes during
a communication, for the purpose of clearly making the source of
the transmissions from the station known to those receiving the transmissions.
No station may transmit unidentified communications or signals, or transmit
as the station call sign, any call sign not authorized to the station.
(b) The call sign must be transmitted with an emission
authorized
for the transmitting channel in one of the following ways:
(1) By a CW emission. When keyed by an automatic device used
only
for identification, the speed must not exceed 20 words per minute;
(2) By a phone emission in the English language. Use of a
phonetic
alphabet as an aid for correct station identification is encouraged;
(3) By a RTTY emission using a specified digital code when
all or
part of the communications are transmitted by a RTTY or data emission;
(4) By an image emission conforming to the applicable
transmission
standards, either color or monochrome, of Sec. 73.682(a) of the FCC
Rules when all or part of the communications are transmitted in the same
image emission; or
(c) One or more indicators may be included with the call
sign. Each
indicator must be separated from the call sign by the slant mark (/) or
by any suitable word that denotes the slant mark. If an indicator is
self-assigned, it must be included before, after, or both before and
after, the call sign. No self-assigned indicator may conflict with any
other indicator specified by the FCC Rules or with any prefix assigned
to another country.
(d) When transmitting in conjunction with an event of
special
significance, a station may substitute for its assigned call sign a
special event call sign as shown for that station for that period of
time on the common data base coordinated, maintained and disseminated
by the special event call sign data base coordinators. Additionally, the
station must transmit its assigned call sign at least once per hour
during such transmissions.
(e) When the operator license class held by the control
operator
exceeds that of the station licensee, an indicator consisting of the
call sign assigned to the control operator's station must be included
after the call sign.
(f) When the control operator is a person who is exercising
the
rights and privileges authorized by Sec. 97.9(b) of this part, an
indicator must be included after the call sign as follows:
(1) For a control operator who has requested a license
modification
from Novice Class to Technician Class: KT;
(2) For a control operator who has requested a license
modification
from Novice, Technician, or Technician Plus Class to General Class: AG;
(3) For a control operator who has requested a license
modification
from Novice, Technician, Technician Plus, General or Advanced Class to
Amateur Extra Class: AE.
(g) When the station is transmitting under the authority of
§ 97.107 of this
part, an indicator consisting of the appropriate letter-numeral designating
the station location must be included before the call sign that was issued
to the station by the country granting the license. For an amateur
service
license granted by the Government of Canada, however, the indicator must
be included after the call sign. At least once during each
intercommunication,
the identification announcement must include the geographical location as
nearly as possible by city and state, commonwealth or possession.
[54 FR 25857, June 20, 1989, as amended at
54 FR 39535, Sept. 27, 1989;
55 FR 30457, July 26, 1990; 56 FR 28, Jan. 2, 1991; 62 FR 17567, Apr.
10, 1997]
Return to Part 97 Index
Sec. 97.121 Restricted operation.
(a) If the operation of an amateur station causes general
interference to the reception of transmissions from stations operating
in the domestic broadcast service when receivers of good engineering
design, including adequate selectivity characteristics, are used to
receive such transmissions, and this fact is made known to the amateur
station licensee, the amateur station shall not be operated during the hours
from 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., local time, and on Sunday for the additional
period from 10:30 a.m. until 1 p.m., local time, upon the frequency or
frequencies used when the interference is created.
(b) In general, such steps as may be necessary to minimize
interference to stations operating in other services may be required
after investigation by the FCC.
Return to Part 97 Index
Subpart C--Special Operations
Sec. 97.201 Auxiliary station.
(a) Any amateur station licensed to a holder of a
Technician, Technician
Plus, General, Advanced or Amateur Extra Class operator license may be an
auxiliary station. A holder of a Technician, Technician Plus, General, Advanced
or Amateur Extra Class operator license may be the control operator of an
auxiliary station, subject to the privileges of the class of operator
license held.
(b) An auxiliary station may transmit only on the 1.25 m and
shorter
wavelength bands, except the 219-220 MHz, 222.000-222.150 MHz,
431-433 MHz, and 435-438 MHz segments.
(c) Where an auxiliary station causes harmful interference
to
another auxiliary station, the licensees are equally and fully
responsible for resolving the interference unless one station's
operation is recommended by a frequency coordinator and the other
station's is not. In that case, the licensee of the non-coordinated
auxiliary station has primary responsibility to resolve the interference.
(d) An auxiliary station may be automatically controlled.
(e) An auxiliary station may transmit one-way
communications.
[54 FR 25857, June 20, 1989, as amended at
56 FR 56171, Nov. 1, 1991; 60
FR 15687, Mar. 27, 1995]
Return to Part 97 Index
Sec. 97.203 Beacon station.
(a) Any amateur station licensed to a holder of a
Technician, Technician
Plus, General, Advanced or Amateur Extra Class operator license may be
a beacon. A holder of a Technician, Technician Plus, General, Advanced
or Amateur Extra Class operator license may be the control operator of a
beacon, subject to the privileges of the class of operator license held.
(b) A beacon must not concurrently transmit on more than 1
channel
in the same amateur service frequency band, from the same station
location.
(c) The transmitter power of a beacon must not exceed 100 W.
(d) A beacon may be automatically controlled while it is
transmitting
on the 28.20-28.30 MHz, 50.06-50.08 MHz, 144.275-144.300
MHz, 222.05-222.06 MHz or 432.300-432.400 MHz segments, or on
the 33 cm and shorter wavelength bands.
(e) Before establishing an automatically controlled beacon
in the
National Radio Quiet Zone or before changing the transmitting frequency,
transmitter power, antenna height or directivity, the station licensee
must give written notification thereof to the Interference Office,
National Radio Astronomy Observatory, P.O. Box 2, Green Bank, WV 24944.
(1) The notification must include the geographical
coordinates of
the antenna, antenna ground elevation above mean sea level (AMSL),
antenna center of radiation above ground level (AGL), antenna
directivity, proposed frequency, type of emission, and transmitter
power.
(2) If an objection to the proposed operation is received by
the FCC
from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory at Green Bank, Pocahontas
County, WV, for itself or on behalf of the Naval Research Laboratory at
Sugar Grove, Pendleton County, WV, within 20 days from the date of
notification, the FCC will consider all aspects of the problem and take
whatever action is deemed appropriate.
(f) A beacon must cease transmissions upon notification by
an EIC
that the station is operating improperly or causing undue interference
to other operations. The beacon may not resume transmitting without
prior approval of the EIC.
(g) A beacon may transmit one-way communications.
(h) The provisions of this paragraph do not apply to
repeaters that
transmit on the 1.2 cm or shorter wavelength bands. Before establishing
a repeater within 16 km (10 miles) of the Arecibo Observatory or before
changing the transmitting frequency, transmitter power, antenna height or
directivity of an existing repeater, the station licensee must give
notification
thereof at least 20 days in advance of planned operation to the
Interference Office, Arecibo Observatory, Post Office Box 995, Arecibo,
Puerto Rico 00613, in writing or electronically, of the technical
parameters of the proposal. Licensees who choose to transmit information
electronically should e-mail to: prcz@naic.edu
(1) The notification shall state the geographical
coordinates of the
antenna (NAD-83 datum), antenna height above mean sea level (AMSL),
antenna center of radiation above ground level (AGL), antenna
directivity and gain, proposed frequency and FCC Rule Part, type of
emission, effective radiated power, and whether the proposed use is
itinerant. Licensees may wish to consult interference guidelines
provided by Cornell University.
(2) If an objection to the proposed operation is received by
the FCC
from the Arecibo Observatory, Arecibo, Puerto Rico, within 20 days from
the date of notification, the FCC will consider all aspects of the
problem and take whatever action is deemed appropriate. The licensee
will be required to make reasonable efforts in order to resolve or
mitigate any potential interference problem with the Arecibo
Observatory.
[54 FR 25857, June 20, 1989, as amended at
55 FR 9323, Mar. 13, 1990; 56
FR 19610, Apr. 29, 1991; 56 FR 32517, July 17, 1991; 62 FR 55536, Oct.
27, 1997; 63 FR 41204, Aug. 3, 1998]
Return to Part 97 Index
Sec. 97.205 Repeater station.
(a) Any amateur station licensed to a holder of a
Technician,
General, Advanced or Amateur Extra Class operator license may be a
repeater. A holder of a Technician, General, Advanced or Amateur Extra
Class operator license may be the control operator of a repeater,
subject to the privileges of the class of operator license held.
(b) A repeater may receive and retransmit only on the 10 m
and
shorter wavelength frequency bands except the 28.0-29.5 MHz, 50.0-51.0
MHz, 144.0-144.5 MHz, 145.5-146.0 MHz, 222.00-222.15 MHz,
431.0-433.0 MHz, and 435.0-438.0 MHz segments.
(c) Where the transmissions of a repeater cause harmful
interference
to another repeater, the two station licensees are equally and fully
responsible for resolving the interference unless the operation of one
station is recommended by a frequency coordinator and the operation of
the other station is not. In that case, the licensee of the non-
coordinated repeater has primary responsibility to resolve the
interference.
(d) A repeater may be automatically controlled.
(e) Ancillary functions of a repeater that are available to
users on
the input channel are not considered remotely controlled functions of
the station. Limiting the use of a repeater to only certain user
stations is permissible.
(f) [Reserved]
(g) The control operator of a repeater that retransmits
inadvertently communications that violate the rules in this part is not
accountable for the violative communications.
[54 FR 25857, June 20, 1989, as amended at
55 FR 4613, Feb. 9, 1990; 56
FR 32517, July 17, 1991; 58 FR 64385, Dec. 7, 1993; 59 FR 18975, Apr.
21, 1994; 62 FR 55536, Oct. 27, 1997; 63 FR 41205, Aug. 3, 1998]
Return to Part 97 Index
Sec. 97.207 Space station.
(a) Any amateur station may be a space station. A holder of
any
class operator license may be the control operator of a space station,
subject to the privileges of the class of operator license held by the
control operator.
(b) A space station must be capable of effecting a cessation
of
transmissions by telecommand whenever such cessation is ordered by the
FCC.
(c) The following frequency bands and segments are
authorized to
space stations:
(1) The 17 m, 15 m, 12 m, and 10 m bands, 6 mm, 4 mm, 2 mm
and
1 mm bands; and
(2) The 7.0-7.1 MHz, 14.00-14.25 MHz, 144-146 MHz, 435-438
MHz,
1260-1270 MHz, and 2400-2450 MHz, 3.40-3.41 GHz, 5.83-5.85 GHz,
10.45-10.50 GHz, and 24.00-24.05 GHz segments.
(d) A space station may automatically retransmit the radio
signals
of Earth stations and other space stations.
(e) A space station may transmit one-way communications.
(f) Space telemetry transmissions may consist of specially
coded
messages intended to facilitate communications or related to the
function of the spacecraft.
(g) The license grantee of each space station must make two
written,
pre-space station notifications to the International Bureau, FCC,
Washington, DC 20554. Each notification must be in accord with the
provisions of Articles 11 and 13 of the Radio Regulations.
(1) The first notification is required no less than 27
months prior
to initiating space station transmissions and must specify the
information required by Appendix 4 and Resolution No. 642 of the Radio
Regulations.
(2) The second notification is required no less than 5
months prior
to initiating space station transmissions and must specify the
information required by Appendix 3 and Resolution No. 642 of the Radio
Regulations.
(h) The license grantee of each space station must make a
written,
in-space station notification to the International Bureau, FCC, Washington,
DC 20554, no later than 7 days following initiation of space station
transmissions. The notification must update the information contained in
the pre-space notification.
(i) The license grantee of each space station must make a
written, post-
space notification to the International Bureau no later than 3 months
after
termination of the space station transmissions. When the termination is
ordered by the FCC, notification is required no later than 24 hours after
termination.
[54 FR 25857, June 20, 1989, as amended at
54 FR 39535, Sept. 27, 1989;
56 FR 56171, Nov. 1, 1991; 57 FR 32736, July 23, 1992; 60 FR 50124,
Sept. 28, 1995]
Return to Part 97 Index
Sec. 97.209 Earth station.
(a) Any amateur station may be an Earth station. A holder of
any
class operator license may be the control operator of an Earth station,
subject to the privileges of the class of operator license held by the
control operator.
(b) The following frequency bands and segments are
authorized to
Earth stations:
(1) The 17 m, 15 m, 12 m, and 10 m bands, 6 mm, 4 mm, 2 mm
and 1 mm
bands; and
(2) The 7.0-7.1 MHz, 14.00-14.25 MHz, 144-146 MHz, 435-438
MHz,
1260-1270 MHz and 2400-2450 MHz, 3.40-3.41 GHz, 5.65-5.67 GHz,
10.45-10.50 GHz and 24.00-24.05 GHz segments.
[54 FR 25857, June 20, 1989, as amended at
54 FR 39535, Sept. 27, 1989]
Return to Part 97 Index
Sec. 97.211 Space telecommand station.
(a) Any amateur station designated by the licensee of a
space
station is eligible to transmit as a telecommand station for that space
station, subject to the privileges of the class of operator license held
by the control operator.
(b) A telecommand station may transmit special codes
intended to
obscure the meaning of telecommand messages to the station in space
operation.
(c) The following frequency bands and segments are
authorized to
telecommand stations:
(1) The 17 m, 15 m, 12 m and 10 m bands, 6 mm, 4 mm, 2 mm
and 1 mm
bands; and
(2) The 7.0-7.1 MHz, 14.00-14.25 MHz, 144-146 MHz, 435-438
MHz,
1260-1270 MHz and 2400-2450 MHz, 3.40-3.41 GHz, 5.65-5.67 GHz,
10.45-10.50 GHz and 24.00-24.05 GHz segments.
(d) A telecommand station may transmit one-way
communications.
[54 FR 25857, June 20, 1989, as amended at
54 FR 39535, Sept. 27, 1989;
56 FR 56171, Nov. 1, 1991]
Return to Part 97 Index
Sec. 97.213 Telecommand of an amateur station.
An amateur station on or within 50 km of the Earth's surface
may be
under telecommand where:
(a) There is a radio or wireline control link between the
control
point and the station sufficient for the control operator to perform
his/her duties. If radio, the control link must use an auxiliary
station. A control link using a fiber optic cable or another
telecommunication service is considered wireline.
(b) Provisions are incorporated to limit transmission by the
station
to a period of no more than 3 minutes in the event of malfunction in the
control link.
(c) The station is protected against making, willfully or
negligently, unauthorized transmissions.
(d) A photocopy of the station license and a label with the
name,
address, and telephone number of the station licensee and at least one
designated control operator is posted in a conspicuous place at the
station location.
[54 FR 25857, June 20, 1989, as amended at
56 FR 56171, Nov. 1, 1991]
Return to Part 97 Index
Sec. 97.215 Telecommand of model craft.
An amateur station transmitting signals to control a model
craft may
be operated as follows:
(a) The station identification procedure is not required for
transmissions directed only to the model craft, provided that a label
indicating the station call sign and the station licensee's name and
address is affixed to the station transmitter.
(b) The control signals are not considered codes or ciphers
intended
to obscure the meaning of the communication.
(c) The transmitter power must not exceed 1 W.
[54 FR 25857, June 20, 1989, as amended at
56 FR 56171, Nov. 1, 1991]
Return to Part 97 Index
Sec. 97.217 Telemetry.
Telemetry transmitted by an amateur station on or within 50
km of
the Earth's surface is not considered to be codes or ciphers intended to
obscure the meaning of communications.
[56 FR 56172, Nov. 1, 1991. Redesignated at
59 FR 18975, Apr. 21, 1994]
Return to Part 97 Index
Sec. 97.219 Message forwarding system.
(a) Any amateur station may participate in a message
forwarding
system, subject to the privileges of the class of operator license held.
(b) For stations participating in a message forwarding
system, the
control operator of the station originating a message is primarily
accountable for any violation of the rules in this part contained in the
message.
(c) Except as noted in (d) of this section, for stations
participating in a message forwarding system, the control operators of
forwarding stations that retransmit inadvertently communications that
violate the rules in this part are not accountable for the violative
communications. They are, however, responsible for discontinuing such
communications once they become aware of their presence.
(d) For stations participating in a message forwarding
system, the
control operator of the first forwarding station must:
(1) Authenticate the identity of the station from which it
accepts
communications on behalf of the system; or
(2) Accept accountability for any violation of the rules in
this
part contained in messages it retransmits to the system.
[59 FR 18975, Apr. 21, 1994]
Return to Part 97 Index
Sec. 97.221 Automatically controlled digital station.
(a) This rule section does not apply to an auxiliary
station, a
beacon station, a repeater station, an earth station, a space station,
or a space telecommand station.
(b) A station may be automatically controlled while
transmitting a
RTTY or data emission on the 6 m or shorter wavelength bands, and on the
28.120-28.189 MHz, 24.925-24.930 MHz, 21.090-21.100 MHz,
18.105-18.110 MHz, 14.0950-14.0995 MHz, 14.1005-14.112 MHz,
10.140-10.150 MHz, 7.100-7.105 MHz, or 3.620-3.635 MHz segments.
(c) A station may be automatically controlled while transmitting
a
RTTY or data emission on any other frequency authorized for such
emission types provided that:
(1) The station is responding to interrogation by a station
under
local or remote control; and
(2) No transmission from the automatically controlled
station
occupies a bandwidth of more than 500 Hz.
[60 FR 26001, May 16, 1995]
Return to Part 97 Index
Subpart D--Technical Standards
Sec. 97.301 Authorized frequency bands.
The following transmitting frequency bands are available to
an amateur
station located within 50 km of the Earth's surface, within the specified
ITU Region, and outside any area where the amateur service is regulated
by any authority other than the FCC.
(a) For a station having a control operator who has been
granted a
Technician, Technician Plus, General, Advanced, or Amateur Extra Class
operator license or who holds a CEPT radio-amateur license or IARP
of any class:
|
Wavelength |
ITU |
ITU |
ITU |
Sharing requirements |
|
VHF |
MHz |
MHz |
MHz |
|
|
6 m |
--- |
50-54 |
50-54 |
|
|
2 m |
144-146 |
144-148 |
144-148 |
(a) |
|
1.25 m |
--- |
219-220 |
--- |
(a), (e) |
|
-Do- |
--- |
222-225 |
--- |
(a) |
|
UHF |
MHz |
MHz |
MHz |
|
|
70 cm |
430-440 |
420-450 |
420-450 |
(a), (b), (f) |
|
33 cm |
--- |
902-928 |
--- |
(a), (b), (g) |
|
23 cm |
1240-1300 |
1240-1300 |
1240-1300 |
(h), (i) |
|
13 cm |
2300-2310 |
2300-2310 |
2300-2310 |
(a), (b), (j) |
|
-Do- |
2390-2450 |
2390-2450 |
2390-2450 |
(a), (b), (j) |
|
SHF |
GHz |
GHz |
GHz |
|
|
9 cm |
--- |
3.3-3.5 |
3.3-3.5 |
(a), (b), (k), (l) |
|
5 cm |
5.650-5.850 |
5.650-5.925 |
5.650-5.850 |
(a), (b), (m) |
|
3 cm |
10.00-10.50 |
10.00-10.50 |
10.00-10.50 |
(b), (c), (i), (n) |
|
1.2 cm |
24.00-24.25 |
24.00-24.25 |
24.00-24.25 |
(a), (b), (h), (o) |
|
EHF |
GHz |
GHz |
GHz |
|
|
6 mm |
47.0-47.2 |
47.0-47.2 |
47.0-47.2 |
--- |
|
4 mm |
75.5-81.0 |
75.5-81.0 |
75.5-81.0 |
(b), (c), (h), (f) |
|
2.5 mm |
119.98-120.02 |
119.98-120.02 |
119.98-120.02 |
(k), (p) |
|
2 mm |
142-149 |
142-149 |
142-149 |
(b), (c), (h), (k) |
|
1 mm |
241-250 |
241-250 |
241-250 |
(b), (c), (h), (q) |
|
--- |
above 300 |
above 300 |
above 300 |
(k) |
(b) For a station having a control operator who has been
granted an
Amateur Extra Class operator license or who holds a CEPT radio-amateur
Class 1 license or Class 1 IARP:
|
Wavelength |
ITU |
ITU |
ITU |
Sharing requirements |
|
MF |
kHz |
kHz |
kHz |
|
|
160 m |