Third-Party Traffic on the 442.875 Autopatch: Your Responsibilities Under FCC Part 97
Seigler Peak repeaters handout · Autopatch donation / phone registration · WB5QAL
The Seigler Peak 442.875 MHz autopatch connects the repeater to the telephone network. Licensed hams can dial *61, wait for dial tone, dial a US number, and hang up with *62. Registered phone numbers can also call in and speak on the air. Either way, the person on the phone is a third party, and FCC rules put the responsibility for everything that person says on the licensed operator. Below is what the rules require, each item linked to the exact Part 97 rule it comes from.
The FCC publishes the Amateur Radio Service rules (47 C.F.R. Part 97) through the official Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR); the rule links below go to the eCFR. See also the FCC’s Amateur Radio Service page on fcc.gov.
What the FCC rules require
- A phone patch is third-party communication. Part 97 defines a third-party communication as a message from one station’s control operator to another on behalf of another person — the third party. The person on the phone is that third party, so the third-party rules below apply to every autopatch call — whether you dial out with *61 or someone calls in. Rule: § 97.3(a)(47)
- A licensed control operator must be present and listening the whole time. The phone caller may speak on the air only while a control operator is present at a control point and is continuously monitoring and supervising the caller. Don't start a patch and walk away, and don't leave a caller on the air unattended. Rule: § 97.115(b)(1) · § 97.3(a)(14)
- No phone traffic while the station is on automatic control. Third-party voice traffic is not allowed while a station is being automatically controlled (that is, with no control operator at a control point). This applies equally to calls that start from the phone side. Rule: § 97.115(c) · § 97.3(a)(6)
- You are responsible for what goes out, and you must end a bad call immediately. The control operator must ensure the immediate proper operation of the station. If a caller says something that breaks these rules, end the call right away with *62. The station licensee and the control operator are equally responsible for proper operation. Rule: § 97.105(a) · § 97.103(a)
- Some people may not be put on the air at all. A third party may not participate if they are a former ham whose license was revoked, suspended (while still in effect), or surrendered under a revocation, suspension, or forfeiture proceeding, or anyone under an amateur-related cease-and-desist order. Rule: § 97.115(b)(2)
- US calls only. Third-party messages may go to any station within the jurisdiction of the United States. International third-party traffic is allowed only to countries with a third-party agreement with the US (or for emergency/disaster relief), and then extra identification is required. This autopatch dials US numbers only. Rule: § 97.115(a)(1) · § 97.115(a)(2) · § 97.115(d)
- No pay, no business. No communications for hire or for material compensation, direct or indirect. No communications in which the station licensee or control operator has a pecuniary (money-making) interest, including calls on behalf of your employer. Personal calls are fine; work calls are not. Rule: § 97.113(a)(2) · § 97.113(a)(3)
- Keep the language clean. No obscene or indecent words or language — from you or from the person on the phone. Rule: § 97.113(a)(4)
- No music. Music is not allowed using a phone emission. End the call or mute if the caller puts you on hold with music or has music playing in the background. Rule: § 97.113(a)(4)
- No secret codes, no crime, no false messages. No messages encoded to obscure their meaning, no communications intended to facilitate a criminal act, and no false or deceptive messages, signals, or identification. Rule: § 97.113(a)(4)
- Not a substitute for other radio services. Don't use the autopatch, on a regular basis, for communications that could reasonably be furnished through other radio services. Rule: § 97.113(a)(5)
- No broadcasting. An amateur station may not engage in any form of broadcasting or in program production or news gathering for broadcasting (for example, don't patch a radio or TV call-in show or interview onto the repeater). The only exception is immediate safety-of-life or property information for broadcasters when no other means is reasonably available. Rule: § 97.113(b)
- Don't retransmit other radio or TV stations. No retransmitting programs or signals from non-amateur stations (limited exceptions for US Government weather/propagation and manned-spacecraft communications). Rule: § 97.113(c)
- Identify with your call sign. Give your call sign at the end of the communication and at least every 10 minutes during it, in English on voice. The person on the phone has no call sign and cannot identify your station for you. Rule: § 97.119(a) · § 97.119(b)(2)
- Emergency traffic comes first. Every control operator must give priority to stations providing emergency communications. If emergency traffic needs the repeater, end your patch. Rule: § 97.101(c)
- No deliberate interference. No amateur operator may willfully or maliciously interfere with any radio communication. Rule: § 97.101(d)
Good amateur practice (advice, not a specific rule)
Where the rules don’t spell something out, every station must be operated in accordance with good engineering and good amateur practice (§ 97.101(a)). These suggestions follow that principle and the ARRL’s Phone Patch Guidelines:
- Before putting a caller on the air, tell them they are on a public radio channel, that anyone may be listening, and that the conversation is not private.
- Coach the caller to wait for a pause before speaking, and to keep it short. Keep patches brief so others can use the repeater.
- Don't put someone on the air whom you can't supervise — for example, a stranger, or a conversation in a language you don't understand. You can't stop a violation you can't recognize.
- When in doubt about whether a call is appropriate, don't make it (or end it with *62).
Seigler Peak club policy (not an FCC rule): The licensed amateur who registers phone numbers for call-in access is responsible for every call made from those numbers. Before anyone calls in from one of your registered numbers, you must be on 442.875, listening, and ready to end the call with *62. This policy exists because the FCC rules above (§ 97.115(b)(1), § 97.115(c), § 97.105(a)) require a control operator to supervise every third party. Access may be removed for misuse.
Emergencies
No rule prevents an amateur station from using any means at its disposal to provide essential communication for the immediate safety of human life and immediate protection of property when normal communication systems are not available (§ 97.403). Note that 911 dialed through this autopatch is redirected to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office; there is no E911 service. If a phone works, use the phone.
About the repeater: the control operator of a repeater that inadvertently retransmits rule-violating communications is not accountable for them (§ 97.205(g)). For the responsibilities of the station that originates a communication, see § 97.103(a) and § 97.105(a).