§ 15.712   Interference protection requirements.

   (a) Digital television stations, and digital and analog Class A TV, low
   power TV, TV translator and TV booster stations:

   (1) Protected contour. TVBDs must protect digital and analog TV services
   within  the  contours shown in the following table. These contours are
   calculated using the methodology in § 73.684 of this chapter and the R-6602
   curves contained in § 73.699 of this chapter.
   Type of station Protected contour
   Channel Contour
   (dBu) Propagation
   curve
   Analog: Class A TV, LPTV, translator and booster Low VHF (2-6) 47 F(50,50)
       High VHF (7-13) 56 F(50,50)
       UHF (14-69) 64 F(50,50)
   Digital: Full service TV, Class A TV, LPTV, translator and booster Low VHF
   (2-6) 28 F(50,90)
       High VHF (7-13) 36 F(50,90)
       UHF (14-51) 41 F(50,90)

   (2) Required separation distance. TVBDs must be located outside the contours
   indicated in paragraph (a)(1) of this section of co-channel and adjacent
   channel  stations  by  at least the minimum distances specified in the
   following table. Personal/portable TVBDs operating in Mode II must comply
   with the separation distances specified for an unlicensed device with an
   antenna   height  of  less  than  3  meters.  Alternatively,  Mode  II
   personal/portable TVBDs may operate at closer separation distances from the
   contour of adjacent channel stations than this table permits, including
   inside the contour of adjacent channel stations, provided the power level is
   reduced to 40 mW or less as specified in § 15.709(a)(2).
   Antenna height above average terrain of unlicensed device Required
   separation (km) from digital or analog TV (full service or low power)
   protected contour
   Co-channel
   (km) Adjacent
   channel
   (km)
   Less than 3 meters 4.0 0.4
   3-Less than 10 meters 7.3 0.7
   10-Less than 30 meters 11.1 1.2
   30-Less than 50 meters 14.3 1.8
   50-Less than 75 meters 18.0 2.0
   75-Less than 100 meters 21.1 2.1
   100-Less than 150 meters 25.3 2.2
   150-Less than 200 meters 28.5 2.3
   200-250 meters 31.2 2.4

   (3) The antenna height above ground for a fixed TVBD may not exceed 30
   meters.

   (b) TV translator, Low Power TV (including Class A) and Multi-channel Video
   Programming Distributor (MVPD) receive sites. MVPD, TV translator station
   and low power TV (including Class A) station receive sites located outside
   the protected contour of the TV station(s) being received may be registered
   in the TV bands database if they are no farther than 80 km outside the
   nearest edge of the relevant contour(s). Only channels received over the air
   and used by the MVPD, TV translator station or low power/Class A TV station
   may be registered. TVBDs may not operate within an arc of ±/−30 degrees from
   a line between a registered receive site and the contour of the TV station
   being received in the direction of the station's transmitter at a distance
   of up to 80 km from the edge of the protected contour of the received TV
   station for co-channel operation and up to 20 km from the registered receive
   site for adjacent channel operation, except that the protection distance
   shall  not  exceed the distance from the receive site to the protected
   contour. Outside of this ±/−30 degree arc, TVBDs may not operate within 8 km
   from the receive site for co-channel operation and 2 km from the receive
   site for adjacent channel operation. For purposes of this section, a TV
   station being received may include a full power TV station, TV translator
   station or low power TV/Class A TV station.

   (c) Fixed Broadcast Auxiliary Service (BAS) Links. For permanent BAS receive
   sites appearing in the Commission's Universal Licensing System or temporary
   BAS receive sites registered in the TV bands database, TVBDs may not operate
   within an arc of ±30 degrees from a line between the BAS receive site and
   its associated permanent transmitter within a distance of 80 km from the
   receive  site  for co-channel operation and 20 km for adjacent channel
   operation. Outside this ±30 degree arc, TVBDs may not operate within 8 km
   from the receive site for co-channel operation and 2 km from the receive
   site for adjacent channel operation.

   (d) PLMRS/CMRS operations: TVBDs may not operate at distances less than 134
   km for co-channel operations and 131 km for adjacent channel operations from
   the coordinates of the metropolitan areas and on the channels listed in
   § 90.303(a) of this chapter. For PLMRS/CMRS operations authorized by waiver
   outside of the metropolitan areas listed in § 90.303(a) of this chapter,
   co-channel and adjacent channel TVBDs may not operate closer than 54 km and
   51 km, respectively from a base station.

   (e) Offshore Radiotelephone Service. TVBDs may not operate on channels used
   by the Offshore Radio Service within the geographic areas specified in
   § 74.709(e) of this chapter.

   (f) Low power auxiliary services, including wireless microphones: (1) Fixed
   TVBDs are not permitted to operate within 1 km, and personal/portable TVBDs
   will not be permitted to operate within 400 meters, of the coordinates of
   registered low power auxiliary station sites on the registered channels
   during the designated times they are used by low power auxiliary stations.

   (2) TVBDs are not permitted to operate on the first channel on each side of
   TV channel 37 (608-614 MHz) that is not occupied by a licensed service.

   (g) Border areas near Canada and Mexico: Fixed and personal/portable TVBDs
   shall comply with the required separation distances in § 15.712(a)(2) from
   the protected contours of TV stations in Canada and Mexico. TVBDs are not
   required to comply with these separation distances from portions of the
   protected contours of Canadian or Mexican TV stations that fall within the
   United States.

   (h) Radio astronomy services: Operation of fixed and personal/portable TVBDs
   is  prohibited  on all channels within 2.4 kilometers at the following
   locations.

   (1) The Naval Radio Research Observatory in Sugar Grove, West Virginia at 38
   30 58 N and 79 16 48 W.

   (2) The Table Mountain Radio Receiving Zone (TMRZ) at 40 08 02 N and 105 14
   40 W.

   (3) The following facilities:
   Observatory Latitude
   (deg/min/sec) Longitude
   (deg/min/sec)
   Allen Telescope Array 40 49 04 N 121 28 24 W
   Arecibo Observatory 18 20 37 N 066 45 11 W
   Green Bank Telescope (GBT) 38 25 59 N 079 50 23 W
   Very Large Array (VLA) Rectangle between latitudes 33 58 22 N and 34 14 56
   N, and longitudes 107 24 40 W and 107 48 22 W
   Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) Stations:
   Pie Town, NM 34 18 04 N 108 07 09 W
   Kitt Peak, AZ 31 57 23 N 111 36 45 W
   Los Alamos, NM 35 46 30 N 106 14 44 W
   Ft. Davis, TX 30 38 06 N 103 56 41 W
   N. Liberty, IA 41 46 17 N 091 34 27 W
   Brewster, WA 48 07 52 N 119 41 00 W
   Owens Valley, CA 37 13 54 N 118 16 37 W
   St. Croix, VI 17 45 24 N 064 35 01 W
   Hancock, NH 42 56 01 N 071 59 12 W
   Mauna Kea, HI 19 48 05 N 155 27 20 W

   [ 74 FR 7326 , Feb. 17, 2009, as amended at  75 FR 75839 , Dec. 6, 2010;  77 FR 29246 , May 17, 2012]

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