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Subelement G1

Commission's Rules

Section G1B

Antenna structure limitations; good engineering and good amateur practice; beacon operation; prohibited transmissions; retransmitting radio signals

What is the maximum height above ground to which an antenna structure may be erected without requiring notification to the FAA and registration with the FCC, provided it is not at or near a public use airport?

  • 50 feet
  • 100 feet
  • Correct Answer
    200 feet
  • 300 feet

(C). The FCC guidelines are that an antenna structure must not be more than 200 feet high (provided that it is not at or near a public use airport) or the antenna must be registered with the FCC and the FAA must be notified before installation.

Refer to FCC Section:97.15(a)

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Tags: antenna towers safety rules and regulations

With which of the following conditions must beacon stations comply?

  • A beacon station may not use automatic control
  • The frequency must be coordinated with the National Beacon Organization
  • The frequency must be posted on the internet or published in a national periodical
  • Correct Answer
    There must be no more than one beacon signal transmitting in the same band from the same station location

(D). Beacon stations are used for looking at radio wave propagation or as calibration signals. The FCC requires that there must be no more than one beacon signal in the same band from a single location.

For more info look at Wikipedia: Radio Propagation Beacon

Refer to FCC Section:[97.203(b)]

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Tags: beacon frequency bands station types

Which of the following is a purpose of a beacon station as identified in the FCC rules?

  • Correct Answer
    Observation of propagation and reception
  • Automatic identification of repeaters
  • Transmission of bulletins of general interest to Amateur Radio licensees
  • Identifying net frequencies

(A). Beacons stations may be used by Amateur Radio operators for the observation of propagation and reception. The FCC also stipulates that there may only be one beacon signal on a single frequency at a single location.

Refer to FCC Section: [97.3(a)(9)]

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Tags: beacon propagation definitions station types

Which of the following transmissions is permitted?

  • Unidentified transmissions for test purposes only
  • Retransmission of other amateur station signals by any amateur station
  • Correct Answer
    Occasional retransmission of weather and propagation forecast information from U.S. government stations
  • Coded messages of any kind, if not intended to facilitate a criminal act

47 C.F.R 97.111(b)(6) permits transmission of informational bulletins, this is understood to include occasional rebroadcast of information of use to the Amateur Radio community.

Test transmissions should always include one's call sign. (Note Brief transmissions to make adjustments and enable 2-way communication (antenna tuning for example) are permitted)

Retransmission of amateur station signals is allowed only by auxiliary, repeater, and space stations.

Coded transmissions are never permitted on the Amateur Radio bands, even for health information generally covered by privacy law.

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Tags: none

Which of the following one-way transmissions are permitted?

  • Unidentified test transmissions of less than one minute in duration
  • Correct Answer
    Transmissions necessary to assist learning the International Morse code
  • Regular transmissions offering equipment for sale, if intended for Amateur Radio use
  • All these choices are correct

47 C.F.R 97.111(b)(5) permits transmissions necessary to assist persons learning, or improving proficiency in, the international Morse code.

Test transmissions should always include one's call sign. (Note Brief transmissions to make adjustments and enable 2-way communication (antenna tuning for example) are permitted, however, a 1-minute test transmission would not be considered brief)

Transmissions offering Amateur Radio equipment for sale are permitted, however only if they are not on a regular basis (47 C.F.R 97.113(a)(3)(ii))

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Tags: none

Under what conditions are state and local governments permitted to regulate Amateur Radio antenna structures?

  • Under no circumstances, FCC rules take priority
  • At any time and to any extent necessary to accomplish a legitimate purpose of the state or local entity, provided that proper filings are made with the FCC
  • Only when such structures exceed 50 feet in height and are clearly visible 1000 feet from the structure
  • Correct Answer
    Amateur Service communications must be reasonably accommodated, and regulations must constitute the minimum practical to accommodate a legitimate purpose of the state or local entity

In 1985 the FCC issued an official document known as PRB-1 as guidance for state and local regulations of amateur radio service antennas. The 11 page document has been codified at Section 97.15(b) in the Code of Federal Regulations.

PRB-1 states that local governments must reasonably accommodate amateur operations, but they may still zone for height, safety and aesthetics concerns.

For more info, see: http://www.arrl.org/prb-1

Hint: The longest one is the answer

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Tags: none

What are the restrictions on the use of abbreviations or procedural signals in the Amateur Service?

  • Only "Q" signals are permitted
  • Correct Answer
    They may be used if they do not obscure the meaning of a message
  • They are not permitted
  • Only "10 codes" are permitted

(B). As amateurs, our transmissions are public. We should not use any codes or means of hiding or obscuring the meaning of our messages. Common abbreviations or procedural signals, such as "Q" codes, etc. are allowed.

Refer to FCC Section: [97.113(a)(4)]

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Tags: rules and regulations radio operation

When choosing a transmitting frequency, what should you do to comply with good amateur practice?

  • Ensure that the frequency and mode selected are within your license class privileges
  • Follow generally accepted band plans agreed to by the Amateur Radio community
  • Monitor the frequency before transmitting
  • Correct Answer
    All these choices are correct

We may be AMATEUR radio operators, but we should use PROFESSIONAL COURTESY! We must always abide by the FCC Part 97 Rules to make sure we are within our privileges and that we are operating our station correctly. We should always listen first, to avoid interfering with another communication (especially when Amateur Radio is a secondary user of the band). We should also follow the generally accepted band plans agreed to by the Amateur Radio community (sub-bands dedicated to a particular type of transmission, such as RTTY or Image). Therefore the answer is: All these choices are correct.

Note on the use of grammar for this question: The current question pool does use the word "insure" instead of "ensure" in this answer.

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Tags: best practices part97 band plan harmful interference

On what HF frequencies are automatically controlled beacons permitted?

  • On any frequency if power is less than 1 watt
  • On any frequency if transmissions are in Morse code
  • 21.08 MHz to 21.09 MHz
  • Correct Answer
    28.20 MHz to 28.30 MHz

FCC Part 97.203 'Beacon station', section (b) states:

"A beacon may be automatically controlled while it is transmitting on the 28.20-28.30 MHz, 50.06-50.08 MHz, 144.275-144.300 MHz, 222.05-222.06 MHz or 432.300-432.400 MHz segments, or on the 33 cm and shorter wavelength bands."

Of the frequency ranges listed in the FCC rule, only 28.20-28.30 MHz is considered to be HF. It is in the 10-meter amateur band.

SILLY HINT: They can go from 2.82 "to (H)eight (F)ree."(pronounce "hate free" or 8 3)

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What is the power limit for beacon stations?

  • 10 watts PEP output
  • 20 watts PEP output
  • Correct Answer
    100 watts PEP output
  • 200 watts PEP output

(C). The FCC has set a power limit of 100 watts PEP output for amateur beacon stations. This power is great enough for looking at wave propagation, without causing interference on other frequencies.

Refer to FCC Part: [97.203(c)]

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Tags: beacon transmit power

Who or what determines "good engineering and good amateur practice," as applied to the operation of an amateur station in all respects not covered by the Part 97 rules?

  • Correct Answer
    The FCC
  • The control operator
  • The IEEE
  • The ITU

(A). The FCC sets the standards we should follow and has the last word in areas not specifically covered by the Part 97 rules. We should always use courtesy, common sense and those good engineering, and good amateur practices. Where you have a situation that may raise an issue, keep a good record too so that you can give answers to the FCC.

Refer to FCC Part: [97.101(a)]

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Tags: fcc part97 best practices

When is it permissible to communicate with amateur stations in countries outside the areas administered by the Federal Communications Commission?

  • Only when the foreign country has a formal third-party agreement filed with the FCC
  • Correct Answer
    When the contact is with amateurs in any country except those whose administrations have notified the ITU that they object to such communications
  • When the contact is with amateurs in any country as long as the communication is conducted in English
  • Only when the foreign country is a member of the International Amateur Radio Union

(B). The United States and FCC have third-party agreements for amateur radio communications with many other countries around the world. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has established global regions and regulates such third-party agreements. They provide lists of nations that allow inter-communication. The United States is in Region 2. Amateur radio operators in the U.S. are allowed to make contact with amateurs in any country except those whose administrations have notified the ITU that they object to such communications.

As of November 20, 2021, according to the FCC, there were "no banned countries", however, some countries do not issue radio licenses to individuals (e.g. North Korea).

For more info see Wikipedia: International Telecommunication Union

Refer to FCC Part: 97.111(a)(1)

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Tags: rules and regulations international

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