Because there has been a lot of discussion about
our repeaters lately, I thought I would dedicate a little pro bono time (that
means free) to repeaters. So grab a cup of coffee and read on:
Maybe you are one of the few that actually thinks they might want to own and
operate a repeater. First, I would suggest you seek professional help from
your local mental health clinic and then, if you still want a repeater, make
sure your bank account is not anemic, because it soon will be!
Legally speaking, what is required you ask? Subsection 97.205 of Part 97 of
the Federal Communications Rules states "Any amateur station licensed
to a holder of a Technician, General, Advance or Amateur Extra Class operator
license may be a repeater." That means if you have a Tech ticket or higher,
go see Joe WG4JOE, and tell him to order you the biggest and baddest Motorola
repeater ever built and hoist an antenna! Hang on. Not so fast, because it
ain't quite that simple.
Repeaters, while not specifically required by FCC rules, are subject to a
voluntary coordination plan. In Georgia, that means coordinating your repeater
through SERA (Southeastern Repeater Association). Hey, if it's not required
by the FCC, why bother? Because Subsection 97.205(c) states that when two
repeaters cause harmful interference with each other, both stations are equally
and fully responsible for solving the interference problem, UNLESS the operation
of one station is recommended by a frequency coordinator (SERA) and the operation
of the other station is not recommended by a frequency coordinator. In that
case, the non-coordinated station has primary responsibility to resolve the
interference. So, if you choose to not coordinate your repeater, that is perfectly
legal, but if another repeater station complains about interference from your
repeater station, your have the burden of solving the problem, which probably
means reducing power, using a directional antenna or shutting down entirely.
If you are uncoordinated, you can't even request that the other station employ
a CTCSS tone board, even if you agree to buy the board and pay for installation.
Bottom line: Do it right the first time and only cry once. If you have any
questions about coordination of a repeater, contact Terry Jones, W4TL at w4tl@sera.org
or Pete Seabolt, N4KHQ at n4khq@sera.org . Both of these guys are with SERA.
They are easy to talk to and will do whatever it takes to get you on the air,
maybe not with the frequency pair you want, but on the air nevertheless. So
now let's assume that you are up an going with that one million megawatt Motorola
repeater you got from Joe. What happens if some yo-yo decides to play George
Carlin's "The Seven Words You Can't Say on Television" on your repeater
at 3:00 am one morning? Will the FCC S.W.A.T. Team descend upon your home,
interrogate your family, lock you up and shoot your dog? Probably not, but
I assure you the FCC will not be amused. What do the rules say? Subsection
97.205(g) states that a control operator (translation: the broke guy that
owns the repeater) is not accountable for inadvertently transmitted transmissions
that violate Part 97 of the Rules. In other words, you do not have to stay
awake 24/7 listening to the repeater for violations, but if you hear a violation
while in progress, it is your responsibility to shut down the repeater or
otherwise stop the violation (no jamming please!). If you hear of a violation
while you were not listening, you have a responsibility to use due diligence
to stop further unlawful transmissions. Again, you do not have to stay awake
24/7, but you do have to make some effort, even if it means temporarily taking
the repeater off the air. Of course, you should notify the FCC of any violations
you are aware of being carried out on your repeater, other than very minor
violations such as someone identifying themselves every 12 minutes instead
of every 10 minutes (See 97.119(a)). Common sense, believe it or not, does
play a role in the law.
That's it from the wide world of radio law, so carry on and stay legal.
de Bill K4WDN