The frequency, mode and power privileges for General Class control operators are explained in the following charts:
Band | Frequency Range(s) 1 | General Licensees All Privileges? 2 | Power Limits 3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
160-Meters |
| Yes | ||||
80/75-Meters |
| |||||
60-Meters |
| 50 watts ERP 4 | ||||
40-Meters |
| |||||
30-Meters |
| Yes | 10.140-kHz 5 | |||
20-Meters |
| |||||
17-Meters |
| Yes | ||||
15-Meters |
| |||||
12-Meters |
| Yes | ||||
10-Meters |
| Yes |
1 | The General Class question pool no longer has questions about frequency ranges, just about specific frequencies.
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2 | A General Class license holder is granted all amateur frequency privileges on 160, 30, 17, 12, and 10 meters. (and 60 meters, but that is not asked in the question pool). | |||||||||||||||||||||
3 | The maximum transmitting power an amateur station may use on any band is 1500 watts PEP output. There is always a requirement to use the minimum power necessary to carry out the desired communications. | |||||||||||||||||||||
4 | The entire 60-Meter band is limited to 50 watts PEP referred to a dipole antenna. Operation is limited USB voice on specific channels and prohibits all other modes, including CW and data. | |||||||||||||||||||||
5 | The entire 30-Meter band is limited to 200 watts PEP output; (the question pool references 10.140-kHz). The band is limited to CW only. Voice and images transmissions are prohibited. |
When a General Class licensee is not permitted to use the entire voice portion of a particular band, the upper end of the voice segment is generally available to them.
NO amateur band is shared with the Citizens Radio Service.
When the FCC rules designate the amateur service as a secondary user and another service as a primary user on a band, amateur stations are allowed to use the frequency band only if they do not cause harmful interference to primary users. Amateur radio stations operate as a secondary service in the 60 meter band and must not cause harmful interference to stations operating in other radio services. When operating on either the 30 or 60 meter bands and a station in the primary service interferes with your contact, you must stop transmitting at once and/or move to a clear frequency.
The maximum height above ground to which an antenna structure may be erected without requiring notification to the FAA and registration with the FCC is 200 feet, provided it is not at or near a public-use airport.
A purpose of a beacon station as identified in the FCC rules is for observation of propagation and reception, or other related activities. There must be no more than one beacon signal in the same band from a single location. The power limit for beacon stations is 100 watts PEP output.
Before an amateur station may provide news information to the media during a disaster the information must directly relate to the immediate safety of human life or protection of property and there is no other means of communication available.
Music may be transmitted by an amateur station only when it is an incidental part of a space shuttle or ISS retransmission.
An amateur station is permitted to transmit secret codes to control a space station. Use of abbreviations or procedural signals in the amateur service may be used if they do not obscure the meaning of a message.
FCC rules prohibit amateur radio stations from:
An amateur station may transmit communications in which the licensee or control operator has a pecuniary (monetary) interest only when other amateurs are being notified of the sale of apparatus normally used in an amateur station and such activity is not done on a regular basis.
The FCC requires an amateur station to be operated in all respects not covered by the Part 97 rules "in conformance with good engineering and good amateur practice". The FCC determines “good engineering and good amateur practice” that apply to operation of an amateur station in all respects not covered by the Part 97 rules.
The FCC may place restrictions on an amateur station that is causing interference to a broadcast receiver of good engineering design. For example the FCC can restrict the amateur station operation to times other than 8 pm to 10:30 pm local time every day, as well as on Sundays from 10:30 am to 1 pm local time.
The maximum symbol rate permitted for RTTY emissions transmitted on frequency bands below 28 MHz is 300 baud.
The maximum symbol rates permitted are
The maximum authorized bandwidths are
The proper way to identify when transmitting on General class frequencies if you have a CSCE for the required elements but your upgrade from Technician has not appeared in the ULS database is to give your call sign followed by the words "temporary AG".
You may administer Technician license examinations when you are an accredited VE holding a General Class operator or higher license and have VEC accreditation.
A CSCE must be issued to a person that passes an exam element. A Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination (CSCE) for exam element credit is valid for 365 days. You may operate on any General Class band segment if you are a Technician Class operator and have a CSCE for General Class privileges. Whenever you operate using General class frequency privileges you must add the special identifier "AG" after your call sign if you are a Technician Class licensee and have a CSCE for General Class operator privileges. You must use English when identifying your station if you are using a language other than English in making a contact.
The administering VEs are responsible at a Volunteer Exam Session for determining the correctness of the answers on the exam. Volunteer Examiners are accredited by a Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC). At Least three VEC-accredited General Class or higher VEs must be present for administering a Technician Class operator examination. Once you have been granted your General class license and received your VEC accreditation you may participate as a VE in administering amateur radio license examinations. One must be at least 18 years old to qualify as an accredited Volunteer Examiner. For a non U.S. citizen to be an accredited Volunteer Examiner, the person must hold a U.S. amateur radio license of General class or above.
If a third party is a person previously licensed in the amateur service whose license had been revoked they would be disqualified from participating in stating a message over an amateur station.
A Repeater Station is an amateur station that simultaneously retransmits the signals of other stations on another channel. A 10 meter repeater may retransmit the 2 meter signal from a station having a Technician Class control operator only if the 10 meter control operator holds at least a General class license. In the event of interference between a coordinated repeater and an uncoordinated repeater, the licensee of the non-coordinated repeater has primary responsibility to resolve the interference.
Only messages relating to amateur radio or remarks of a personal character, or messages relating to emergencies or disaster relief may be transmitted by an amateur station for a third party in another country. Third-party traffic is prohibited, except for messages directly involving emergencies or disaster relief communications, with any country other than the United States, unless there is a third-party agreement in effect with that country. For a non-licensed person to communicate with a foreign amateur radio station from a US amateur station at which a licensed control operator is present, it is a requirement that the foreign amateur station must be in a country with which the United States has a third party agreement. Sending a message to a third party through a foreign station, as long as that person is a licensed amateur radio operator, is a permissible third party communication during routine amateur radio operations.
All of the following conditions require an amateur radio station to take specific
steps to avoid harmful interference to other users or facilities