Subpart B -- Station Operation Standards
     S 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.
     S 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 S 0.314(x) of 
the FCC Rules.
     S 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.
     S 97.107 Alien control operator privileges.
     (a) The privileges available to a control operator holding 
an amateur service license issued by the Government of Canada 
are:
     (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 the FCC Rules, but not to 
exceed the control operator privileges of an FCC-issued Amateur 
Extra Class operator license.
     (b) The privileges available to a control operator holding 
an FCC-issued reciprocal permit for alien amateur licensee are:
     (1) The terms of the agreement between the alien's 
government and the United States;
     (2) The operating terms and conditions of the amateur 
service license issued by the alien's government;
     (3) The applicable provisions of the FCC Rules, but not to 
exceed the control operator privileges of an FCC-issued Amateur 
Extra Class operator license; and
     (4) None, if the holder of the reciprocal permit has 
obtained an FCC-issued operator/primary station license.
     (c) At any time the FCC may, in its discretion, modify, 
suspend, or cancel the amateur service privileges within or over 
any area where radio services are regulated by the FCC of any 
Canadian amateur service licensee or alien reciprocal permittee.
     S 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.
     (b) When a station is being remotely controlled, the control 
operator must be at the control point. Any station may be 
remotely controlled.
     (c) 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.
     (d) No station may be automatically controlled while 
transmitting third-party traffic, except a station retransmitting 
digital packet radio communications on the 6 m and shorter 
wavelength bands. Such stations must be using the American Radio 
Relay League, Inc. AX.25 Amateur Packet -- Radio Link -- Layer 
Protocol, Version 2.0, October 1984 (or compatible). The 
retransmitted messages must originate at a station that is being 
locally or remotely controlled.
     S 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) Transmissions necessary to remotely control a device 
from a distant location;
     (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.
     S 97.113 Prohibited transmissions.
     (a) No amateur station shall transmit any communication the 
purpose of which is to facilitate the business or commercial 
affairs of any party. No station shall transmit communications as 
an alternative to other authorized radio services, except as 
necessary to providing emergency communications. A station may, 
however, transmit communications to:
     (1) Facilitate the public's safe observation of, or safe 
participation in, a parade, race, marathon or similar public 
gathering. No amateur station shall transmit communications 
concerning moving, supplying and quartering observers and 
participants for any sponsoring organization unless the principal 
beneficiary of such communications is the public and any benefit 
to the sponsoring organization is incidental.
     (2) Inform other amateur operators of the availability of 
apparatus normally used in an amateur station, including such 
apparatus for sale or trade. This exception is not authorized to 
any person seeking to derive a profit by buying or selling such 
apparatus on a regular basis.
     (b) No station shall transmit messages for hire or for 
material compensation, direct or indirect, paid or promised. The 
control operator of a club station, however, may accept 
compensation for such periods of time during which the station is 
transmitting telegraphy practice or information bulletins 
provided that:
     (1) The station transmits the telegraphy practice and 
information bulletins for at least 40 hours per week;
     (2) The station schedules operations on all amateur service 
MF and HF bands using reasonable measures to maximize coverage;
     (3) The schedule of normal operating times and frequencies 
is published at least 30 days in advance of the actual 
transmissions; and
     (4) The control operator does not accept any direct or 
indirect compensation for periods during which the station is 
transmitting any other material.
     (c) No station shall transmit communications in order to 
engage in any form of broadcasting, nor to engage in any activity 
related to program production or newsgathering for broadcasting 
purposes. A station may, however, transmit communications to 
convey news information about an event for dissemination to the 
public when the following conditions are present:
     (1) The information involves the immediate safety of life of 
individuals or the immediate protection of property;
     (2) The information is directly related to the event;
     (3) The information cannot be transmitted by any other means 
because normal communications systems have been disrupted or 
because there are no other communication systems available at the 
place where the information is originated; and
     (4) Other means of communication could not be reasonably 
provided before or at the time of the event.
     (d) No station shall transmit: music; radiocommunications or 
messages for any purpose, or in connection with any activity, 
that is contrary to federal, state, or local law; messages in 
code or ciphers where the intent is to obscure the meaning 
(except where specifically excepted elsewhere in this Part); 
obscene, indecent, or profane words, language, or meaning; and/or 
false or deceptive messages or signals.
     (3) No station shall retransmit programs or signals 
emanating from any type of radio station other than an amateur 
station, except communications originating on United States 
Government frequencies between a space shuttle and its associated 
Earth stations. Prior approval for such retransmissions must be 
obtained from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 
Such retransmissions must be for the exclusive use of amateur 
operators.
     (f) No amateur station, except an auxiliary, repeater or 
space station, may automatically retransmit the radio signals of 
other amateur stations.
     S 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.
     S 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.
     S 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 when all or part of the 
communications are transmitted in the same digital code as the 
station identification, or when the communications consist of a 
data emission transmitted on the VHF 6 m or shorter wavelength 
band;
     (4) By an image emission conforming to the applicable 
transmission standards, either color or monochrome, of S 
73.682(a) of the FCC Rules when all or part of the communications 
are transmitted in the same image emission; or
     (5) By a CW or phone emission during SS emission 
transmission on a narrow bandwidth frequency segment. 
Alternatively, by the changing of one or more parameters of the 
emission so that a conventional CW or phone emission receiver can 
be used to determine the station call sign.
     (c) An indicator may be included with the call sign. It must 
be separated from the call sign by the slant mark or by any 
suitable word that denotes the slant mark.
     (d) 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.
     (e) When the control operator is using privileges on the 
basis of holding a CSCE, an indicator must be included after the 
call sign as follows:
     (1) KT for Technician Class operator;
     (2) AG for General Class operator;
     (3) AA for Advanced Class operator; or
     (4) AE for Amateur Extra Class operator.
     (f) When the station is transmitting under the authority of 
a reciprocal permit for alien amateur licensee, an indicator 
consisting of the appropriate letter-numeral designating the 
station location must be included before the call sign issued to 
the station by the licensing country. When the station is 
transmitting under the authority of an amateur service license 
issued by the Government of Canada, a station location 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.
     (g) A self-assigned indicator may be included after the call 
sign. The identifier must not conflict with any other indicator 
specified by the FCC Rules or by a prefix assigned to another 
country.
     S 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.