Batboard

We have a VHF transmitter base for a regional fire dispatch. What is the FCC requirement for station ID. We have the morse code option and are using it, but how often does it officially have to sound. I understand it can go out at 12-25 words per minute.
Thanks,
Eric

Once every 30 minutes, but be safe and set it to 29 minutes.
Audio frequency is typicially 1000 to 1400Hz and 25 wpm.

I was under the impresion that it was every 10 for hams and every 15 for commercial,and it should be at 1000 hertz, 20 WPM and 1.5 to 2 kc deviation.?
mod

There is an earlier thread on this. It is not a flat once per unit of time; there is no requirement to send ID if the radio isn't transmitting. It is once per transmission, or once per 15 minutes of continuous (which I read to mean multiple) transmission.

The logic employed by most automatic Morse IDers is this:

Each time radio unkeys, it checks to see if a timer called "ID Timer" has run out. If so, it sends the ID and then resets the timer for 15 minutes and restarts; if not, it doesn't.

So a second transmission that happens within 15 minutes of the last ID will not trigger another ID.

No IDs will be triggered if the radio remains quiet.

For amateurs, 97.119 says an ID must be given every 10 minutes and at the end of a communication. For Morse Code ID, it must not exceed 20 WPM. There's nothing that specifies the tone used nor the deviation. This is strictly up to the person who owns the equipment. There may be some good engineering practices that would dictate what tone is desired and the deviation, but nothing is forced upon the owner. There is an exception for special event stations, but for the most part, individual hams and most repeaters would need to adhere to the 10 minute rule.

Commercial stuff is different of course. I'm sure there are rules that cover this, if you look deep enough. It may even vary by service.

Bob M.

Around here, most commercial repeaters just ID every 15 minutes period. There could be no radio traffic at all and it will still ID every 15 minutes.

We have our repeaters set up to repeat every 10 minutes if there has been traffic within the period. This exceeds FCC requirements. One advantage of having your repeater identify whether there is traffic or not is that in case someone is scanning to identify "vacant" channels for licensing, the activity can prevent your frequency from appearing as unused.

Regards,

We have our repeaters set up to repeat every 10 minutes if there has been traffic within the period. This exceeds FCC requirements. One advantage of having your repeater identify whether there is traffic or not is that in case someone is scanning to identify "vacant" channels for licensing, the activity can prevent your frequency from appearing as unused.

Regards,

Right out of Part 90:

Stations licensed under this part shall transmit identification in
accordance with the following provisions:
(a) Identification procedure. Except as provided for in paragraphs
(d) and (e) of this section, each station or system shall be identified
by the transmission of the assigned call sign during each transmission
or exchange of transmissions, or once each 15 minutes (30 minutes in the Public Safety Pool)
during periods of continuous operation. The call
sign shall be transmitted by voice in the English language or by
International Morse Code in accordance with paragraph (b) of this
section. If the station is employing either analog or digital voice
scrambling, or non-voice emission, transmission of the required
identification shall be in the unscrambled mode using A3E, F3E or G3E
emission, or International Morse, with all encoding disabled.

http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422 ... 90.425.htm

and :

(1) The signal output of the automatic identification equipment
shall be connected to the transmitter at the microphone input or any
other manufacturer-provided signal input terminal and shall be adjusted
to produce 40 percent +-10 percent of the maximum permissible modulation
or deviation level. This adjustment shall be performed when all other
modulating signals are absent.
(2) The Morse code transmission rate shall be maintained between 20
and 25 words per minute.
(3) The frequency of the keyed tone comprising the identification
signal shall be 1200 +-800 Hz. A licensee may be required to change the
frequency in order to prevent interference to the operations of another
co-channel licensee.