In the

U.S. The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

, Part 97 is the section of

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...

(FCC)

rule Rule or ruling may refer to: Human activity * The exercise of political or personal control by someone with authority or power * Business rule, a rule pertaining to the structure or behavior internal to a business * School rule, a rule th ...

s and

regulation Regulation is the management of complex systems according to a set of rules and trends. In systems theory, these types of rules exist in various fields of biology and society, but the term has slightly different meanings according to context. Fo ...

s that pertains to

amateur radio Amateur radio, also known as ham radio, is the use of the radio frequency radio spectrum, spectrum for purposes of non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, private recreation, radiosport, contesting, and emer ...

and the conduct of

amateur radio operators An amateur radio operator is someone who uses equipment at an amateur radio station to engage in two-way personal communications with other amateur operators on radio frequencies assigned to the amateur radio service. Amateur radio operators ...

. It is a part of Title 47 of the

Code of Federal Regulations In the law of the United States, the ''Code of Federal Regulations'' (''CFR'') is the codification of the general and permanent regulatory law, regulations promulgated by the executive departments and agencies of the federal government of the ...

(CFR).

Subparts

Part 97 consists of six subparts (A through F) and two appendices.

A. General Provisions

Subpart A contains fifteen sections, numbered 97.1–29. Subpart A defines a number of terms relevant to the provisions of Part 97 and establishes the amateur service as a "voluntary, noncommercial communications service" devoted to advancement of the amateur art, the skills associated with it, and the international goodwill that it brings, especially with regard to the provision of emergency communications. It also establishes the basic constraints and rights that pertain to amateur licensing and conduct, including licensing requirements and limitations on station equipment and power output.

B. Station Operating Standards

Subpart B contains eleven sections, numbered 97.101–121. Subpart B details the standards of communication conduct expected of amateur operators, including the types of transmissions authorized and prohibited by the FCC, limitations pertaining to third-party and international communications, and on-air station identification requirements. Among other limitations, this section forbids the transmission of "music using a phone emission," except incidentally during authorized rebroadcasting of signals from a U.S. government space station (typically communications from the

Space Shuttle The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable launch system, reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. ...

C. Special Operations

Subpart C contains eleven sections, numbered 97.201–221. Subpart C details rules and regulations pertaining specifically to a number of special operating procedures, including auxiliary and repeater stations, message forwarding, communications between Earth and space stations, telecommand and the transmission of coded telemetry data, and automatic station control.

D. Technical Standards

Subpart D contains nine sections, numbered 97.301–317. Subpart D sets forth all requirements pertaining to amateur radio frequency allocations, the emission modes allowed, and the technical standards according to which they may be used.

E. Emergency Communications

Subpart E contains four sections, numbered 97.401–407. Subpart E supports the service of amateur radio operators in times of disaster by establishing basic standard operating procedures to use in case an emergency should occur. Primarily, it authorizes ''any'' use of radio technology for the "immediate safety of human life and immediate protection of property," regardless of all other FCC regulations, when no alternative is available. It also establishes the

Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service The Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) is an emergency radio service authorized in Part 97.407 of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules and regulations governing amateur radio in the United States.Volunteer Examiner Coordinator A Volunteer Examiner Coordinator is an organization that has been authorized by the Federal Communications Commission for the administration of amateur radio license examinations in the United States of America, United States. The VEC system is est ...

s (VECs), organizations that accredit and organize the volunteer examiners (VEs) who administer test elements to prospective licensees.

Appendices

Part 97 has two appendices: *Appendix 1: Places Where the Amateur Service is Regulated by the FCC *Appendix 2: VEC Regions

References

External links

* * {{Federal Communications Commission Amateur radio in the United States United States communications regulation Federal Communications Commission Code of Federal Regulations Radio regulations