FCC Reminds Experimental HF Stations to Identify Themselves

The Federal Communications Commission made a subtle change last month that requires experimental high-frequency stations to follow its station identification rules.

Bennett Kobb first reported the change in his Experimental Radio News.

Previously, some HF experimental licensees were able to transmit without identifying by utilizing waivers. The licenses, which cover experimental operation in the 2–25 MHz band, are available on a temporary but renewable basis.

Experimental HF stations are known to run as much as 800 kW of power, but until December, some licensees held waivers allowing them to operate without ID.

[Related: “Mystery Surrounds 3 Pending U.S. Shortwave Stations”]

However, in letters issued to licensees on Dec. 17, the commission emphasized their obligations. These now include strict adherence to the ID rule. The commission explained that an experimental radio station must transmit its assigned call sign at the end of each complete transmission at least once every 30 minutes in clear voice or Morse code, “with all digital encoding and digital modulation disabled during station identification.”

The FCC’s Office of Engineering and Technology said that the letters were in response to interference complaints from incumbent spectrum users. Several amateur radio bands, for example, operate in and around where experimental stations are licensed.

Read more – RadioWorld: https://bit.ly/49qI9ep