47 C.F.R. Subpart C—Operating Requirements and Procedures
Title 47 - Telecommunication
The licensee may make routine maintenance tests on equipment other than emergency locator transmitters if there is no interference with the communications of any other station. Procedures for conducting tests on emergency locator transmitters are contained in subpart F. A licensed operator must measure the operating frequencies of all land-based transmitters at the following times: (a) When the transmitter is originally installed; (b) When any change or adjustment is made in the transmitter which may affect an operating frequency; or (c) When an operating frequency has shifted beyond tolerance. A general radiotelephone operator must directly supervise and be responsible for all transmitter adjustments or tests during installation, servicing or maintenance of a radio station. A general radiotelephone operator must be responsible for the proper functioning of the station equipment. The owner of each antenna structure required to be painted and/or illuminated under the provisions of Section 303(q) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, shall operate and maintain the antenna structure painting and lighting in accordance with part 17 of this chapter. In the event of default by the owner, each licensee or permittee shall be individually responsible for conforming to the requirements pertaining to antenna structure painting and lighting. [61 FR 4368, Feb. 6, 1996] The licensee must make the station and its records available for inspection upon request.
Title 47: Telecommunication
PART 87—AVIATION SERVICES
Subpart C—Operating Requirements and Procedures
Operating Requirements
§ 87.69 Maintenance tests.
§ 87.71 Frequency measurements.
§ 87.73 Transmitter adjustments and tests.
§ 87.75 Maintenance of antenna structure marking and control equipment.
§ 87.77 Availability for inspections.
Radio Operator Requirements
§ 87.87 Classification of operator licenses and endorsements.
(a) Commercial radio operator licenses issued by the Commission are classified in accordance with the Radio Regulations of the International Telecommunication Union.
(b) The following licenses are issued by the Commission. International classification, if different from the license name, is given in parentheses. The licenses and their alphanumeric designator are listed in descending order.
(1) T–1 First Class Radiotelegraph Operator's Certificate
(2) T–2 Second Class Radiotelegraph Operator's Certificate
(3) G General Radiotelephone Operator Licenes (radiotelephone operator's general certificate)
(4) T–3 Third Class Radiotelegraph Operator's Certificate (radiotelegraph operator's special certificate)
(5) MP Marine Radio Operator Permit (radiotelephone operator's restricted certificate)
(6) RP Restricted Radiotelephone Operator Permit (radiotelephone operator's restricted certificate)
§ 87.89 Minimum operator requirements.
(a) A station operator must hold a commercial radio operator license or permit, except as listed in paragraph (d).
(b) The minimum operator license or permit required for operation of each specific classification is:
Minimum Operator License or Permit Land stations, all classes Aircraft stations, all classes
(c) The operator of a telephony station must directly supervise and be responsible for any other person who transmits from the station, and must ensure that such communications are in accordance with the station license.
(d) No operator license is required to:
(1) Operate an aircraft radar set, radio altimeter, transponder or other aircraft automatic radionavigation transmitter by flight personnel;
(2) Test an emergency locator transmitter or a survival craft station used solely for survival purposes;
(3) Operate an aeronautical enroute station which automatically transmits digital communications to aircraft stations;
(4) Operate a VHF telephony transmitter providing domestic service or used on domestic flights.
§ 87.91 Operation of transmitter controls.
The holder of a marine radio operator permit or a restricted radiotelephone operator permit must perform only transmitter operations which are controlled by external switches. These operators must not perform any internal adjustment of transmitter frequency determining elements. Further, the stability of the transmitter frequencies at a station operated by these operators must be maintained by the transmitter itself. When using an aircraft radio station on maritime mobile service frequencies the carrier power of the transmitter must not exceed 250 watts (emission A3E) or 1000 watts (emission R3E, H3E, or J3E).
Operating Procedures
§ 87.103 Posting station license.
(a) Stations at fixed locations. The license or a photocopy must be posted or retained in the station's permanent records.
(b) Aircraft radio stations. The license must be either posted in the aircraft or kept with the aircraft registration certificate. If a single authorization covers a fleet of aircraft, a copy of the license must be either posted in each aircraft or kept with each aircraft registration certificate.
(c) Aeronautical mobile stations. The license must be retained as a permanent part of the station records.
[53 FR 28940, Aug. 1, 1988, as amended at 54 FR 11720, Mar. 22, 1989]
§ 87.105 Availability of operator permit or license.
All operator permits or licenses must be readily available for inspection.
§ 87.107 Station identification.
(a) Aircraft station. Identify by one of the following means:
(1) Aircraft radio station call sign.
(2) Assigned FCC control number (assigned to ultralight aircraft).
(3) The type of aircraft followed by the characters of the registration marking (“N” number) of the aircraft, omitting the prefix letter “N”. When communication is initiated by a ground station, an aircraft station may use the type of aircraft followed by the last three characters of the registration marking.
(4) The FAA assigned radiotelephony designator of the aircraft operating organization followed by the flight identification number.
(5) An aircraft identification approved by the FAA for use by aircraft stations participating in an organized flying activity of short duration.
(b) Land and fixed stations. Identify by means of radio station call sign, its location, its assigned FAA identifier, the name of the city area or airport which it serves, or any additional identification required. An aeronautical enroute station which is part of a multistation network may also be identified by the location of its control point.
(c) Survival craft station. Identify by transmitting a reference to its parent aircraft. No identification is required when distress signals are transmitted automatically. Transmissions other than distress or emergency signals, such as equipment testing or adjustment, must be identified by the call sign or by the registration marking of the parent aircraft followed by a single digit other than 0 or 1.
(d) Exempted station. The following types of stations are exempted from the use of a call sign: Airborne weather radar, radio altimeter, air traffic control transponder, distance measuring equipment, collision avoidance equipment, racon, radio relay, radionavigation land test station (MTF), and automatically controlled aeronautical enroute stations.
§ 87.109 Station logs.
(a) A station at a fixed location in the international aeronautical mobile service must maintain a log in accordance with Annex 10 of the ICAO Convention.
(b) A station log must contain the following information:
(1) The name of the agency operating the station.
(2) The identification of the station.
(3) The date.
(4) The time of opening and closing the station.
(5) The frequencies being guarded and the type of watch (continuous or scheduled) being maintained on each frequency.
(6) Except at intermediate mechanical relay stations where the provisions of this paragraph need not be complied with, a record of each communication showing text of communication, time communications completed, station(s) communicated with, and frequency used.
(7) All distress communications and action thereon.
(8) A brief description of communications conditions and difficulties, including harmful interference. Such entries should include, whenever practicable, the time at which interference was experienced, the character, radio frequency and identification of the interfering signal.
(9) A brief description of interruption to communications due to equipment failure or other troubles, giving the duration of the interruption and action taken.
(10) Such additional information as may be considered by the operator to be of value as part of the record of the stations operations.
(c) Stations maintaining written logs must also enter the signature of each operator, with the time the operator assumes and relinquishes a watch.
[69 FR 32879, June 14, 2004]
§ 87.111 Suspension or discontinuance of operation.
The licensee of any airport control tower station or radionavigation land station must notify the nearest FAA regional office upon the temporary suspension or permanent discontinuance of the station. The FAA regional office must be notified again when service resumes.
[69 FR 32880, June 14, 2004]
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