SB QST @ ARL $ARLB003   
   ARLB003 Illegal Drone Transmitters Could Interfere with Air Traffic Control,   
   ARRL Complaint Asserts   
      
   ZCZC AG03   
   QST de W1AW   
   ARRL Bulletin 3  ARLB003   
   > From ARRL Headquarters   
   Newington CT  January 12, 2017   
   To all radio amateurs   
      
   SB QST ARL ARLB003   
   ARLB003 Illegal Drone Transmitters Could Interfere with Air Traffic Control,   
   ARRL Complaint Asserts   
      
   In what it calls an "extremely urgent complaint" to the FCC, ARRL has targeted   
   the interference potential of a series of audio/video transmitters used on   
   unmanned aircraft and marketed as Amateur Radio equipment. In a January 10   
   letter to the FCC Spectrum Enforcement Division, ARRL General Counsel Chris   
   Imlay, W3KD, said the transmitters use frequencies intended for navigational   
   aids, air   
   traffic control radar, air route surveillance radars, and global positioning   
   systems.   
      
   "This is, in ARRL's view, a potentially very serious interference problem, and   
   it is respectfully requested that the products referenced...be investigated   
   and removed from the marketplace immediately and that the importers be   
   subjected to normal sanctions," ARRL's letter said. Some of the transmitters   
   operate on frequencies between 1010 and 1280 MHz. "These video transmitters   
   are being marketed ostensibly as Amateur Radio equipment," the League said,   
   "but of the listed frequencies on which the devices operate, only one, 1280   
   MHz, would be within the Amateur Radio allocation at 1240-1300 MHz." Even   
   then, ARRL said, operation there would conflict with a channel used for radio   
   location.   
      
   ARRL said the use of 1040 and 1080 MHz, which would directly conflict with air   
   traffic control transponder frequencies, represented the greatest threat to   
   the safety of flight. The use of 1010 MHz, employed for aeronautical guidance,   
   could also be problematic.   
      
   ARRL cited the Lawmate transmitter and companion 6 W amplifier as examples of   
   problematic devices being marketed in the US. Each costs less than $100 via   
   the Internet. The device carries no FCC identification number.   
      
   "[T]he target market for these devices is the drone hobbyist, not licensed   
   radio amateurs. The device, due to the channel configuration, has no valid   
   Amateur Radio application," ARRL told the FCC. "While these transmitters are   
   marked as appropriate for amateur use, they cannot be used legally for Amateur   
   Radio communications." In the hands of unlicensed individuals, the   
   transmitters could also cause interference to Amateur Radio communication in   
   the 1.2 GHz band, ARRL contended.   
      
   The League said it's obvious that the devices at issue lack proper FCC   
   equipment authorization under FCC Part 15 rules, which require such low-power   
   intentional radiators to be certified.   
      
   "Of most concern is the capability of the devices to cripple the operation of   
   the [air traffic control] secondary target/transponder systems," ARRL said.   
   "These illegal transmitters represent a significant hazard to public safety in   
   general and the safety of flight specifically."   
      
   The surge in sales of drones has been dramatic. The FAA has predicted that   
   combined commercial and hobby sales will increase from 2.5 million in 2016 to   
   7 million by 2020.   
      
   In Exhibit A of the January 10 letter, "Illegal Drones Threaten Public   
   Safety," the League noted that some of the drones and associated equipment it   
   has come across "are blatantly illegal at multiple levels," with some drone TV   
   transmitters described as "particularly alarming."   
      
   "Rated at 6 times over the legal power limit, and on critical air navigation   
   transponder frequencies, these devices represent a real and dangerous threat   
   to the safety of flight, especially when operated from a drone platform that   
   can be hundreds of feet in the air," the exhibit narrative asserted.   
      
   NNNN   
   /EX   
      
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   Always Mount a Scratch Monkey   
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