The FCC is pretty clear on the definition of a beacon. 97.3 Definitions/ (9) Beacon/. An amateur station transmitting communications for the purposes of observation of propagation and reception or other related experimental activities.
Here are the frequency bands that they may be operated automatically: 97.203 (d) 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. There are no HF or MF frequencies below 28 MHz that permit radio amateurs to run a beacon automatically. As I have pointed out, a number of ham activities that are claimed to be for the purposes of propagation, especially PropNet and the HFLinkNet appear to be illegal operations if they are being run automatically. It is stretching the rules rather thin but you could probably transmit "test" transmissions as the FCC says, "on any frequency authorized to the control operator for brief periods for experimental purposes." This is why Bonnie, KQ6XA freaked out so strongly with her personal attack on me for daring to actually ask the FCC for some answers to these very questions, but yet did not have one shred of technical information to suggest otherwise. These issues need to be addressed. Perhaps the FCC can change the rules to allow such operations in the future, but should the rules be ignored for now? I wonder if the OO program has been involved with any of these violations? 73, Rick, KV9U Russell Blair wrote: > My Question, is a beacon a beacon if is maned, or does > it have to be unmaned to be a beacon. > For me my beacon has not be on the air without being > here at the PC. So do we scrip the testing or find a > spot up on 10m. > > Russell NC5O >
