Sec. 97.3  Definitions.

    (a) The definitions of terms used in part 97 are:
    (1) Amateur operator. A person holding a written authorization to be 
the control operator of an amateur station.
    (2) Amateur radio services. The amateur service, the amateur-
satellite service and the radio amateur civil emergency service.
    (3) Amateur-satellite service. A radiocommunication service using 
stations on Earth satellites for the same purpose as those of the 
amateur service.
    (4) Amateur service. A radiocommunication service for the purpose of 
self-training, intercommunication and technical investigations carried 
out by amateurs, that is, duly authorized persons interested in radio 
technique solely with a personal aim and without pecuniary interest.
    (5) Amateur station. A station in an amateur radio service 
consisting of the apparatus necessary for carrying on 
radiocommunications.
    (6) Automatic control. The use of devices and procedures for control 
of a station when it is transmitting so that compliance with the FCC 
Rules is achieved without the control operator being present at a 
control point.
    (7) Auxiliary station. An amateur station, other than in a message 
forwarding system, that is transmitting communications point-to-point 
within a system of cooperating amateur stations.
    (8) Bandwidth. The width of a frequency band outside of which the 
mean power of the transmitted signal is attenuated at least 26 dB below 
the mean power of the transmitted signal within the band.
    (9) Beacon. An amateur station transmitting communications for the 
purposes of observation of propagation and reception or other related 
experimental activities.
    (10) Broadcasting. Transmissions intended for reception by the 
general public, either direct or relayed.
    (11) Call sign system. The method used to select a call sign for 
amateur station over-the-air identification purposes. The call sign 
systems are:

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    (i) Sequential call sign system. The call sign is selected by the 
FCC from an alphabetized list corresponding to the geographic region of 
the licensee's mailing address and operator class. The call sign is 
shown on the license. The FCC will issue public announcements detailing 
the procedures of the sequential call sign system.
    (ii) Vanity call sign system. The call sign is selected by the FCC 
from a list of call signs requested by the licensee. The call sign is 
shown on the license. The FCC will issue public announcements detailing 
the procedures of the vanity call sign system.
    (iii) Special event call sign system. The call sign is selected by 
the station licensee from a list of call signs shown on a common data 
base coordinated, maintained and disseminated by the amateur station 
special event call sign data base coordinators. The call sign must have 
the single letter prefix K, N or W, followed by a single numeral 0 
through 9, followed by a single letter A through W or Y or Z (for 
example K1A). The special event call sign is substituted for the call 
sign shown on the station license grant while the station is 
transmitting. The FCC will issue public announcements detailing the 
procedures of the special event call sign system.
    (12) Control operator. An amateur operator designated by the 
licensee of a station to be responsible for the transmissions from that 
station to assure compliance with the FCC Rules.
    (13) Control point. The location at which the control operator 
function is performed.
    (14) CSCE. Certificate of successful completion of an examination.
    (15) Earth station. An amateur station located on, or within 50 km 
of, the Earth's surface intended for communications with space stations 
or with other Earth stations by means of one or more other objects in 
space.
    (16) EIC. Engineer in Charge of an FCC Field Facility.
    (17) External RF power amplifier. A device capable of increasing 
power output when used in conjunction with, but not an integral part of, 
a transmitter.
    (18) External RF power amplifier kit. A number of electronic parts, 
which, when assembled, is an external RF power amplifier, even if 
additional parts are required to complete assembly.
    (19) FAA. Federal Aviation Administration.
    (20) FCC. Federal Communications Commission.
    (21) Frequency coordinator. An entity, recognized in a local or 
regional area by amateur operators whose stations are eligible to be 
auxiliary or repeater stations, that recommends transmit/receive 
channels and associated operating and technical parameters for such 
stations in order to avoid or minimize potential interference.
    (22) Harmful interference. Interference which endangers the 
functioning of a radionavigation service or of other safety services or 
seriously degrades, obstructs or repeatedly interrupts a 
radiocommunication service operating in accordance with the Radio 
Regulations.
    (23) Indicator. Words, letters or numerals appended to and separated 
from the call sign during the station identification.
    (24) Information bulletin. A message directed only to amateur 
operators consisting solely of subject matter of direct interest to the 
amateur service.
    (25) International Morse code. A dot-dash code as defined in 
International Telegraph and Telephone Consultative Committee (CCITT) 
Recommendation F.1 (1984), Division B, I. Morse code.
    (26) ITU. International Telecommunication Union.
    (27) Line A. Begins at Aberdeen, WA, running by great circle arc to 
the intersection of 48 deg. N, 120 deg. W, thence along parallel 48 deg. 
N, to the intersection of 95 deg. W, thence by great circle arc through 
the southernmost point of Duluth, MN, thence by great circle arc to 
45 deg. N, 85 deg. W, thence southward along meridian 85 deg. W, to its 
intersection with parallel 41 deg. N, thence along parallel 41 deg. N, 
to its intersection with meridian 82 deg. W, thence by great circle arc 
through the southernmost point of Bangor, ME, thence by great circle arc 
through the southernmost point of Searsport, ME, at which point it 
terminates.
    (28) Local control. The use of a control operator who directly 
manipulates the operating adjustments in the station to

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achieve compliance with the FCC Rules.
    (29) Message forwarding system. A group of amateur stations 
participating in a voluntary, cooperative, interactive arrangement where 
communications are sent from the control operator of an originating 
station to the control operator of one or more destination stations by 
one or more forwarding stations.
    (30) National Radio Quiet Zone. The area in Maryland, Virginia and 
West Virginia Bounded by 39 deg. 15'N on the north, 78 deg. 30'W on the 
east, 37 deg. 30' N on the south and 80 deg. 30' W on the west.
    (31) Physician. For the purpose of this part, a person who is 
licensed to practice in a place where the amateur service is regulated 
by the FCC, as either a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) or a Doctor of 
Osteophathy (D.O.)
    (32) Question pool. All current examination questions for a 
designated written examination element.
    (33) Question set. A series of examination on a given examination 
selected from the question pool.
    (34) Radio Regulations. The latest ITU Radio Regulations to which 
the United States is a party.
    (35) RACES (radio amateur civil emergency service). A radio service 
using amateur stations for civil defense communications during periods 
of local, regional or national civil emergencies.
    (36) Remote control. The use of a control operator who indirectly 
manipulates the operating adjustments in the station through a control 
link to achieve compliance with the FCC Rules.
    (37) Repeater. An amateur station that simultaneously retransmits 
the transmission of another amateur station on a different channel or 
channels.
    (38) Space station. An amateur station located more than 50 km above 
the Earth's surface.
    (39) Space telemetry. A one-way transmission from a space station of 
measurements made from the measuring instruments in a spacecraft, 
including those relating to the functioning of the spacecraft.
    (40) Spurious emission. An emission, or frequencies outside the 
necessary bandwidth of a transmission, the level of which may be reduced 
without affecting the information being transmitted.
    (41) Telecommand. A one-way transmission to initiate, modify, or 
terminate functions of a device at a distance.
    (42) Telecommand station. An amateur station that transmits 
communications to initiate, modify or terminate functions of a space 
station.
    (43) Telemetry. A one-way transmission of measurements at a distance 
from the measuring instrument.
    (44) Third party communications. A message from the control operator 
(first party) of an amateur station to another amateur station control 
operator (second party) on behalf of another person (third party).
    (45) VE. Volunteer examiner.
    (46) VEC. Volunteer-examiner coordinator.
    (b) The definitions of technical smybols used in this part are:
    (1) EHF (extremely high frequency). The frequency range 30-300 GHz.
    (2) HF (high frequency). The frequency range 3-30 MHz.
    (3) Hz. Hertz.
    (4) m. Meters.
    (5) MF (medium frequency). The frequency range 300-3000 kHz.
    (6) PEP (peak envelope power). The average power supplied to the 
antenna transmission line by a transmitter during one RF cycle at the 
crest of the modulation envelope taken under normal operating 
conditions.
    (7) RF. Radio frequency.
    (8) SHF (super-high frequency). The frequency range 3-30 GHz.
    (9) UHF (ultra-high frequency). The frequency range 300-3000 MHz.
    (10) VHF (very-high frequency). The frequency range 30-300 MHz.
    (11) W. Watts.
    (c) The following terms are used in this part to indicate emission 
types. Refer to Sec. 2.201 of the FCC Rules, Emission, modulation and 
transmission characteristics, for information on emission type 
designators.
    (1) CW. International Morse code telegraphy emissions having 
designators with A, C, H, J or R as the first symbol; 1 as the second 
symbol; A or B as the third symbol; and emissions J2A and J2B.

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    (2) Data. Telemetry, telecommand and computer communications 
emissions having designators with A, C, D, F, G, H, J or R as the first 
symbol; 1 as the second symbol; D as the third symbol; and emission J2D. 
Only a digital code of a type specifically authorized in this part may 
be transmitted.
    (3) Image. Facsimile and television emissions having designators 
with A, C, D, F, G, H, J or R as the first symbol; 1, 2 or 3 as the 
second symbol; C or F as the third symbol; and emissions having B as the 
first symbol; 7, 8 or 9 as the second symbol; W as the third symbol.
    (4) MCW. Tone-modulated international Morse code telegraphy 
emissions having designators with A, C, D, F, G, H or R as the first 
symbol; 2 as the second symbol; A or B as the third symbol.
    (5) Phone. Speech and other sound emissions having designators with 
A, C, D, F, G, H, J or R as the first symbol; 1, 2 or 3 as the second 
symbol; E as the third symbol. Also speech emissions having B as the 
first symbol; 7, 8 or 9 as the second symbol; E as the third symbol. MCW 
for the purpose of performing the station identification procedure, or 
for providing telegraphy practice interspersed with speech. Incidental 
tones for the purpose of selective calling or alerting or to control the 
level of a demodulated signal may also be considered phone.
    (6) Pulse. Emissions having designators with K, L, M, P, Q, V or W 
as the first symbol; 0, 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9 or X as the second symbol; A, 
B, C, D, E, F, N, W or X as the third symbol.
    (7) RTTY. Narrow-band direct-printing telegraphy emissions having 
designators with A, C, D, F, G, H, J or R as the first symbol; 1 as the 
second symbol; B as the third symbol; and emission J2B. Only a digital 
code of a type specifically authorized in this part may be transmitted.
    (8) SS. Spread-spectrum emissions using bandwidth-expansion 
modulation emissions having designators with A, C, D, F, G, H, J or R as 
the first symbol; X as the second symbol; X as the third symbol. Only a 
SS emission of a type specifically authorized in this part may be 
transmitted.
    (9) Test. Emissions containing no information having the designators 
with N as the third symbol. Test does not include pulse emissions with 
no information or modulation unless pulse emissions are also authorized 
in the frequency band.
[ 54 FR 25857 , June 20, 1989, as amended at  56 FR 29 , Jan. 2, 1991;  56 FR 56171 , Nov. 1, 1991;  59 FR 18975 , Apr. 21, 1994;  60 FR 7460 , Feb. 8, 
1995;  62 FR 17567 , Apr. 10, 1997]