[aprssig] *** SPAM *** Re: TAC-5

[Randy Love]

On Thu, Sep 17, 2009 at 2:48 PM, Jeff Dugas <radarbuzz at delphiforums.com> wrote:
> From a strictly regulatory perspective (U.S.), are not the ID requirements
> the same for all RF transmissions, regardless of mode?
>
> For instance, it is not uncommon for stations (and repeaters) transmitting
> voice to ID in CW, even though the communication was not CW?

Yes, by letter of the law for FCC Part 97 governing US amateur
operations, but the CW id was chosen for repeaters because it was much
easier to develop a CW generator into the controller for automatic
control. This was also true for ATV repeaters, but the persons *using*
the repeater would identify their stations by the mode they were
transmitting, only the repeater stations would id via CW.

What it boils down to is that you can always id your station in the US
by CW in lieu of the mode of operation, as CW transmissions are legal
on every US amateur frequency. But there is no requirement to id the
station in a mode *other than* the mode of operation. A neat little
caveat here is that id needs to take place "in any mode that is used
partially or fully during an exchange" meaning that, technically, if
you ran a Mic-E encoder on your 2m FM radio and it sent a posit
containing your callsign every time you unkeyed, you don't have to id
via voice *ever*, but most hams do as a matter of course. :)

Randy
WF5X