§ 97.203   Beacon station.

   (a) Any amateur station licensed to a holder of a Technician, General,
   Advanced or Amateur Extra Class operator license may be a beacon. A
   holder of a Technician, 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 a District
   Director that the station is operating improperly or causing undue
   interference to other operations. The beacon may not resume
   transmitting without prior approval of the District Director.

   (g) A beacon may transmit one-way communications.

   [ 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;  63 FR 68980 , Dec. 14, 1998;
    69 FR 24997 , May 5, 2004;  71 FR 66462 , Nov. 15, 2006;  75 FR 78171 , Dec.
   15, 2010]

   return arrow Back to Top