Policing Amateur Frequencies
Written by Tony Stillman Flying Site Assistance Column As seen in the April 2018 issue of Model Aviation.
I have received quite a few telephone calls and emails concerning this topic since my March column was printed. I am happy to have AMA members contact me with questions or additional comments, so please, continue to communicate with me! Because of the additional questions I’ve received because of my article, I thought I should provide a little more information to help everyone better understand this issue. Keep in mind that typical frequency use by modelers that require licensing consists of RC transmitters used to control the aircraft using the following frequencies in the Amateur Radio Band: • 50 MHz (CH01–CH09) • 53 MHz (53.000 MHz–53.900 MHz) Typical FPV video transmitters operating on: • 5.8 GHz (5.650 GHz–5.925 GHz) It is important to know that in the FPV frequencies, there are video transmitters out there that operate beyond these frequency limits for 5.8 GHz. These systems are illegal for use in the US. Recently a US importer of such an item was fined by the FCC for importing and selling such. It is important that modelers verify what is legal and what is not before making a purchase and using a product, especially if the product is purchased from an overseas vendor. It might be that the product is legal in other countries, but not legal in the US. You can find a chart of frequencies and their use at: www.ntia.doc.gov/files/ntia/publications/2003-allochrt.pdf. It is also important to know that some 5.8 GHz video transmitters might be FCC Part 15 compliant, which means it is a low-power device and no license is required. In this case, there will be an FCC sticker on the video transmitter stating that it meets FCC Part 15 rules. Typically these are video transmitters with less than 1 milliwatt of output power and have a nonreplaceable transmitter antenna. All others would require an Amateur Radio License to operate. Following is a section of AMA Document 580 that is designed to give direction to modelers concerning FPV operation and licensing requirements.
4 comments
Wow! The non-replaceable TX
I'd also say that, if you buy
FPV Frequencies
Frequency chart
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