To part 97 amateur federal communications commission. Part 97 amateur radio part 97amateur radio service rules the electronic code of federal regulations ecfr is a regularly updated, editorial compilation of c. Guidelines for providing a software operational description for the pba and equipment authorization are provided in the attachment below. My wife just renewed and this statement is on her new license. Given part 97s definition of telemetry, basically this is a oneway communication that is effectively remote sensing. His conclusion is that some encryption is absolutely neces sary for amateurs today. You could, for instance, use encrypted wifi but publish the ssid. Nov 26, 2018 compression and codecs are not encryption according to the fcc.
Winlink does not authenticate or provide immediate disconnection of shorebased unlicensed internet users who may not know fcc rules about content. Most baofeng and a few wauxon do not comply with part 97 standards. The fcc has always been clear throughout its part 97 rules that all ham radio. Do repeaters have to be part 95 accepted technical. The company was established in 1987 and has falkoping, a city in the southwest part of sweden, as its base. The electronic code of federal regulations ecfr is a regularly updated, editorial compilation of c. Cgb seeks comment on nclc request for stay of broadnet decl. Softwaredefined radios sdr for the purposes of the new regulation are. I dont think its specific to packet radio the encryption ban covers every mode on all bands. The only purpose of encryption is to obscure the content of a. Then wed create a mesh using part 97 devices or modified part 15 devices in a local area. Your use of the term obscuring encryption is not a valid term in the field of cryptography. Just when things were terminally boring on the amateur radio regulatory front, the arrl reports that the fcc is inviting public comments on a proposal from a massachusetts ham to amend the part 97 amateur service rules to permit the encryption of certain amateur communications during emergency operations or related training exercises. Fcc software is a company developing and marketing world class software for sheet metal manufacturing.
Both organizations take on proposed changes brought by technical requirements, additional research, lobbying organizations commercial and private, other lawsregulations, and of course, other hams. Transmitting data longdistance with morse code hackaday. Some consumer electronics manufacturers opposed allowing basictier encryption, arguing that encryption would make it harder for basictier subscribers. We also produce an annual assessment of the wireless industry the. Video stream security amateur radio emergency data network. Are part 97 amateur radio transmitters required to meet the part 90 narrowbanding requirements. A software defined radio sdr is subject to a permitbutask pba procedure prior to equipment authorization. Oct 15, 2012 the fcc in 2010 granted a waiver allowing cablevision to encrypt basictier service in new york city, in part out of a desire to test whether the basictier encryption ban still was necessary. There is no fee required for applications filed in the amateur radio service other than an application that requests an amateur station vanity call sign initial or change or an application to renew an amateur station vanity station call sign. Part 97amateur radio service rules the electronic code of federal regulations ecfr is a regularly updated, editorial compilation of c. Encryption is the process of encoding information in this case audio signals in such a way that eavesdroppers or hackers cannot understand it, but authorized parties can access it. J ust like dorothy returning to kansas, it turns out weve been able to do it any time we want ed to. This submittals test report is intended for agc01039170403fe09 filing to comply with the fcc part 97 requirements. Apr 04, 2019 over the years, some data and private email advocates began to chip away at the fcc part 97 rules with tiny modifications and very nuanced language that allowed for creative interpretation leading to frequent interference with other hams and obscured data that only one sender and one receiver can understand over the public airways.
Wouxun us presumably wants to make sure that part 97 licensees do not operate the device on part 90 channels, and viceversa. Fcc rules on foss and softwaredefined radio software. Compression and codecs are not encryption according to the fcc. An amateur station on or within 50 km of the earths surface may be under telecommand where. The amateurs codefirst published in 1928 and still the standard of conduct we all should strive to meet. Amateurs cannot by law or, part 97 encrypt any transmission or data they send except to one place and if your an amateur then you know where that is. Select the purpose of filing and follow the instructions below. Fcc 97 1 federal communications commission 16 the fcc electronic comment page form is an interactive internet page designed to accept data in a specified format for transfer to a database.
Part 97 amateur radio service subpart ageneral provisions current as of july 3, 2003. Mar 31, 2019 no one is ignorant, the facts speak for themselves. Fcc allows alldigital cable systems to encrypt basic tier. However, personal communication with a business is allowed. Clearly the purpose of the ambe algorithm is not to obscure the voice transmission but to digitize and compress it. Jul 06, 2007 in response to a petition from cisco systems, inc. Fcc part 97 rule book amateur rules and regulations. Weve considered using stock part 15 devices as longrange links, and securing them properly. The fccs rules and regulations are located in title 47 of the code of federal regulations cfr. Nonsense aside, first thing it says in part 97, which the author failed to read, is that hams will use the best engineering practices of which pactor 4 is the current pinnacle. This is the printed version of the complete fcc part 97 amateur rules and regulations from title 47 of the code of federal regulations updated january 20. Using hamwan to email your boss about an upcoming project would not be legal.
Dec 25, 2018 there are many data users on the hf bands that are willfully using emissions that directly violate part 97 rules, and in doing so, they sabotage the requirement of selfpolicing and overtheair monitoring as required by the fcc when it created the amateur radio service, and similarly violate the requirement that amateur operators never use the. Alinco djmd5 illegal in the united states it is not. Copies of the prototype forms are attached as appendix b of this notice. Initial vanity license or renewal vanity license fcc 605 fcc 159 paymentfee type code.
Fcc to allow encryption of basic cable, with a few strings. Over the years, some data and private email advocates began to chip away at the fcc part 97 rules with tiny modifications and very nuanced language that. Nowadays totally in software with the click of a checkbox. Ils uses a public key encryption algorithm to verify license keys which makes it virtually impossible for. What part 97 rule allows unattended, automated transmissions, such as aprs weather stations and beacons. The part 97 rules prohibit messages encoded for the purpose of obscuring. Most baofeng and a few wauxon do not comply with part 97. Encryption is already legal, its the intention thats not. Fcc 971 federal communications commission before the. Especially in emergencies, the fcc has been clear that others need to hear what is happening so they can alert authorities. Common cryptographic protocols, such as tls, make ciphers optional.
Subelement t1 a fcc rules, station license responsibilities 4 exam questions a 4 groups t1a basis and purpose of the amateur radio service, penalties for unlicensed operation, other penalties, examinations a 1 exam question t1a01 a 97. K0was web site if you have been in the hobby for years and dont know lee, you do not know cw. Compression of data on a link does not equal encryption. The public policy behind the amateur radio service and. As you might expect, the cable industry has been taking measures to protect its business by asking the fcc to allow encryption of basic cable something that has never been done and that many. It would appear that this change would plausibly need to be coordinated with part 97. In its early history, sales and service of cad, computer aided design, software was the main focus. Today the arrl web site carries the announcement that the fcc nixed the ill advised petition from an amateur urging part 97 be modified to permit encryption in the amateur service under certain conditions. The fcc has always been clear throughout its part 97 rules that all ham radio transmitted signals must be unobscured and out in the open, so other hams and the public may listen in. Fcc dismisses encryption petition icq amateur ham radio. The longstanding belief that part 97 forbids encryption on amateur freqs has to be viewed in the context of. The ability to communicate with internet systems is immesely valuable. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading fcc rules for amateur radio. The fcc and arrl have been quite busy with proposed and amended changes affecting part 97.
What part 97 rule allows unattended, automated transmissions. Federal communications commission march 20, 2019 445 f. Wireless telecommunications federal communications. For amateur radio use, no part 97 approval is required. Jun 27, 20 just when things were terminally boring on the amateur radio regulatory front, the arrl reports that the fcc is inviting public comments on a proposal from a massachusetts ham to amend the part 97 amateur service rules to permit the encryption of certain amateur communications during emergency operations or related training exercises. Because ssltls and ipsec, by default, encrypt and authenticate transmitted data, we configured both software to use rsa authentication and null encryption. Part 97 amateur radio service the instructions that follow are for filing applications.
The internet is the largest system of computer networks in the world. Nyu wireless founder predicts proposed fcc rule will grow. We oversee nearly two million licenses, conduct auctions to award services licenses, and manage the tower registration process. In twoway radios, encryption modifies a voice signal using a coding algorithm. We thank the fcc for their efforts to address emergency communications by amateur radio operators in general, and would petition the fcc to consider modification to the encryption requirements in particular. If were using straight part 15 devices, encryption and such is all ok. Pactor modes other than level 1 p1 are not open source,are unspecified, and not publicly documented, and therefore cannot be decoded by anyone else over the air, other than the two stations locked in an email or file transfer, and this is believed by many to be an improper use of amateur radio and a violation of numerous us fcc part 97. Strong license file and unlock key encryption category. Federal communications commission da 1918 3 the reportrecited numerous examples of amateur radio service communications in emergencies and disaster relief, none of which appear to have been impaired by the prohibition on encryption. Many read the rules and assume that there is no way to use authenticated communications, for example using a user name and password, without the fcc rules being updated. Rm11831 response outline winlink global radio email.
A rtty, data or multiplexed emission using an unspecified digital code under the limitations listed in 97. Hello to all, i just spent 1 hour on the fcc web site looking for this answer to this question with no luck. To rectify this ongoing problem of effective encryption in amateur radio and to. If so software is readily available to decode such messages. Complete part 97 from title 47 of the code of federal regulations kindle edition by federal communications commission. An fcc id label is required to be placed on the back of the radio. What about if the software to txrx the mode is widely available and it uses aes encryption, but the code for send and receive is simply a part of the specification for the mode, and is included as hardcoded data in the program itself, and the program is freely available to anyone, so whoever had the software could send and receive the mode. I think the issue is that ham radio predates computers by a lot, and the original intent of ham radio was to help facilitate communications and spread goodwill and so on. The debate around whether the fcc should address violations of the.
The only purpose of encryption is obfuscation so it is illegal under part 97. Amateur radio operator responsibilities and restrictions. The software translates the characters into sequences of morse code pulses, and plays an audio stream of the result. Part 97 licensing provides a better way to use the frequencies with more options and protection as well as the greater contribution to space communication science as a whole through the open nature of amateur radio. Questions and answers on refarming part 90 frequencies. The question, in the context of part 97, is purpose. A study of part 97 rule modifications over the past two decades will show an insidious creep towards making emergency communications emcomm and data transmissions more prominent in the rules and stated public policy of amateur radio.
Plus there is nothing stopping the fcc from adjusting the rules to deal with any gray areas. Obtain or upgrade your amateur radio licence using this complete training package. The test results of this report relate only to the tested sample identified in this report. How to get professional or official clarification of fcc part 97 rules for specific complicated situations. Dec 19, 2008 the encryption order will attempt to set some form of common keying solution to address this plus address some amateur radio p25 issues as the digital bug has struck there as well. Dec 03, 2018 pactor 14 connections can be monitored. Its in the fcc part 97 rules that govern ham radio. Although some folks say theyve discussed this issue with the fcc, there hasnt. Mar 05, 2018 6 a rtty, data or multiplexed emission using a specified digital code listed in 97. Radios whose operating parameters frequency range, modulation type or maximum output power, or the circumstances under which the transmitter operates in accordance with commission rules, can be changed, at least in part, through software changes alone.
This means you may not operate a business over hamwan. As others have mentioned, theres never been a single enforcement action by the fcc against anyone for using part 90 equipment in part 95. Even effective encryption is a false claim if all content is easily available and readable by anyone. The fcc regulations for amateur radio, part 97, rule that encryption. Furthermore, this entirely meets the requirements of parts 97. Youve placed a sensor out there that is functioning as an extension of something below and its not really content so much as it is an extension of what youd normally get if it were plugged into a wire. Additional information about the federal register is available at the national archives and records administration web site.
Data encryption for our intended pur poses is already permitted under part 97 of the fcc rules. Nov 12, 2014 transmitting data longdistance with morse code. The bureau develops and executes policies and procedures for fast, fair licensing of all wireless services, from fixed microwave links to amateur radio to mobile broadband services. If were using part 97 devices, encryption is a nogo. The fcc has dismissed a petition for rulemaking rm11699 from a massachusetts ham, that sought to amend the part 97 amateur service rules to permit the encryption of certain amateur communications during emergency operations or related training exercises. Radios employing encryption must have a readily accessible switch or other readily accessible control that permits the radio user to disable encryption. What is legal, and what is not legal for our chinese radios. The official rules are published and maintained by the government printing office gpo in the federal register. By fcc rules, even encryption is not encryption if you publish the key and the algorithm.
Encoder an encoder is a device, circuit, transducer, software. If youve been around the block with the fcc a few times, you begin to realize that many of the rules have been written after the fact. I suspect the fcc will soon explain this to certain crowd once they sort through all the fud and get the facts sorted out. If we reclassify these wireless ethernet cards under part 97, how do we legally id. New digital petition at the fcc rm11831 page 35 qrz. Secondly, pactor is not a form of encryption, and public service is what ham radio was supposed to be about. You dont need encryption to provide many forms of backup emergency communications. Naturally, we want our network to have that capability.
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