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G1C07

COMMISSION'S RULES · - Transmitter power regulations; data emission standards; 60-meter operation requirements

G1C07§ 97.309(a)(4)G1C →

What must be done before using a new digital protocol on the air?

  1. AType-certify equipment to FCC standards
  2. BObtain an experimental license from the FCC
  3. CPublicly document the technical characteristics of the protocol
  4. DSubmit a rule-making proposal to the FCC describing the codes and methods of the technique
Why Section 97.309(a)(4) permits amateurs to use digital codes other than the ones specifically listed in the rules, but only if the technical characteristics of the code have been publicly documented. The point is that amateur transmissions may never be obscured: anyone monitoring must be able to find the specification and decode what they hear. So a new protocol becomes legal the moment its details are published, with no FCC paperwork involved.
Watch out Filing a rule-making petition or getting an experimental license sounds official, but the FCC deliberately left this open so hams can innovate without asking permission; type certification applies to manufactured equipment in other services, not to amateur-developed protocols.
Publish, don't petition. If the spec is public, the code is legal; secret codes are prohibited obscured communications.
HamSandwich explanation, first draft. The question and answers are the NCVEC text.
47 CFR 97.309(a)(4) RTTY and data emission codes.

(a) Where authorized by §§ 97.305(c) and 97.307(f) of the part, an amateur station may transmit a RTTY or data emission using the following specified digital codes:

(1) The 5-unit, start-stop, International Telegraph Alphabet No. 2, code defined in ITU-T Recommendation F.1, Division C (commonly known as “Baudot”).

(2) The 7-unit code specified in ITU-R Recommendations M.476-5 and M.625-3 (commonly known as “AMTOR”).

(3) The 7-unit, International Alphabet No. 5, code defined in IT--T Recommendation T.50 (commonly known as “ASCII”).

(4) An amateur station transmitting a RTTY or data emission using a digital code specified in this paragraph may use any technique whose technical characteristics have been documented publicly, such as CLOVER, G-TOR, or PacTOR, for the purpose of facilitating communications.

(b) Where authorized by §§ 97.305(c) and 97.307(f), a station may transmit a RTTY or data emission using an unspecified digital code, except to a station in a country with which the United States does not have an agreement permitting the code to be used. RTTY and data emissions using unspecified digital codes must not be transmitted for the purpose of obscuring the meaning of any communication. When deemed necessary by a Regional Director to assure compliance with the FCC Rules, a station must:

(1) Cease the transmission using the unspecified digital code;

(2) Restrict transmissions of any digital code to the extent instructed;

(3) Maintain a record, convertible to the original information, of all digital communications transmitted.

eCFR text as of 1 Sep 2026 · read on ecfr.gov
← G1C06 All of G1C G1C11 →

The rest of G1C

  1. G1C01 What is the maximum transmitter power an amateur station may use on 10.140 MHz?
  2. G1C02 What is the maximum transmitter power an amateur station may use on the 12-meter band?
  3. G1C03 What is the maximum bandwidth permitted by FCC rules for amateur radio stations transmitting on USB frequenci…
  4. G1C04 Which of the following is required by the FCC rules when operating in the 60-meter band?
  5. G1C05 What is the limit for transmitter power on the 28 MHz band for a General Class control operator?
  6. G1C06 What is the limit for transmitter power on the 1.8 MHz band?
  7. G1C07 What must be done before using a new digital protocol on the air?
  8. G1C11 What measurement is specified by FCC rules that regulate maximum power?
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