Chapter 3 Rules and Regulations

Regulatory Bodies • Unlike VHF and UHF signals, HF signals can easily travel across international boundaries.

• The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) is responsible for international radio regulations • The world is divided into 3 ITU regions. The United States is in region 2.

• Within the US, the FCC sets the rules by for all communications services.

• Part 97 are the rules concerning amateur radio. See http://www.arrl.org/part-97 amateur-radio • The amateur radio service is a self policing service.

– The ARRL runs the Official Observer program.

– The Amateur Auxiliary is a volunteer service to monitor amateur frequencies for violations.

• The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has jurisdiction concerning amateur antenna structures.

– You must contact the FAA if you want to install a 200’ tower or higher.

– Additional restrictions apply if your station is located within 4 miles of a public use airport or heliport.

Amateur Licensing • Amateur license exams are administered by Volunteer Exam Coordinators (VEC).

• License exams are given by volunteer examiners (VE) who are accredited by a VEC organization.

• Technician class licenses can not be a VE.

VE License Class

General

Allowed Exams

Technician (Element 2) Advanced Extra General (Element 3) Element 2 Extra (Element 4) Elements 3 and 2

• At least three VE’s with the required license class must be present to give an exam.

• The VE’s grade the exams and submit the paperwork.

• When you pass an exam you receive a Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination (CSCE). The CSCE is good for 1 year and can be presented at another examination session as proof of competion.

• The CSCE is only needed until your new license arrives.

• If you already have a callsign, you may begin using your upgraded privileges. Append a /AG (slash AG) to your callsign.

• If you don’t have a callsign, you must wait until your license arrives.

• You may talk with stations in any language, but you must give your callsign in English – English language alphabet or phonetics.

Control Operator Privileges • Know the frequency allocations.

• When General class licensees have only partial access for a mode within a band, the access is at the top of the band where that mode is permitted.

– For example, on 40 Meters Extras can use phone from 7.125 to 7.300 MHz, while Generals can use phone from 7.175 to 7.300 MHz.

– General class licensees have all amateur privileges on 160, 60, 30, 17, 12, and 10 meters.

• The only HF frequencies where repeaters are allowed is in the 10 meter band, 29.5 – 29.7 MHz.

• On the 60, and 30 meter bands amateurs are a secondary service, which means that amateur operators must not interfere with the primary service.

• For all other HF bands, amateur radio is the primary service.

• The Citizens Radio Service (11 meters) does not share any frequencies with amateurs.

• Beacons are stations that transmit a signal for the purpose of determining propagation conditions.

– General class licensees can operate a beacon station.

• The beacon power must be less than 100 W PEP • FCC sets the allowed frequency ranges (§97.203) • Only one beacon in the same band from a single location.

• Repeater frequency coordination is performed by volunteers and helps to minimize interference.

– The FCC supports repeater coordination. It is considered “good amateur practice.”

• Amateur radio operators are required to mitigate interference when: – Operating within 1 mile of an FCC monitoring station.

– Operating as a secondary service in a band.

– Transmitting spread spectrum communications.

• Third Party Traffic – Third party traffic is basically any message forwarded by an amateur station on behalf of a non-ham.

– Allowing a non-ham to speak into a microphone (or connected via a phone patch) is third party traffic.

– Third party traffic can never be exchanged on behalf of an amateur whose license has been revoked or suspended.

• Third party is permitted within the US.

• US amateur radio operators may only pass third party traffic with hams in other countries with which the US has a third party agreement.

– See http://www.arrl.org/third-party-operating agreements • Prohibited Communications – Music (even in the background while you talk!), except when it is an incidental part of a space craft retransmission.

– Encryption, except when used to control a space craft or radio-controlled model aircraft.

• Satellites have an uplink and downlink frequency on two different bands. Cross band repeaters also have input and output frequencies on two different bands. If the uplink or input is a VHF or UHF band and the output or downlink is in the 10 meter band, a Technician can still operate through the satellite or repeater if the control operator of the repeater (or satellite) is a General class or higher licensee.

• Amateur communications can not be used for business purposes.

– Swap nets or the announcement of equipment for sale is allowed as long as it is not done regularly.

Technical Rules and Standards • Amateurs are expected to follow “good engineering and good amateur practice” in all areas not addressed by part 97.

• The FCC determines what is good engineering and good amateur practice.

• General, Advanced, and Extra licenses are allowed to transmit 1500 W PEP – Power is restricted to 200 W PEP on the 30 meter band.

– Power is restricted to 50 W ERP (effective radiated power) on the 60 meter band with a maximum bandwidth of 2.8 KHz. NOTE: These rules are for the test. Rules for the 60 meter band will change in March 2012.

• ERP power is determined by multiplying your transmitter power by your antenna gain.

– Technicians and Novices are limited to 200 W PEP in the HF bands where they have allocations. General, Advanced, and Extras are not limited to 200W PEP in these band segments.

• Digital transmissions are characterized by their symbol rate (baud) and bandwidth. Limitations depend on the band.

Maximum Symbol Rates and Bandwidth

Band Symbol Rate (baud) Bandwidth (kHz) 160 – 12 m 300 1 10 m 6 m, 2 m 1200 19.6k

1 20 1.25 m, 70 cm 33 cm and up 56k No limit 100 No limit