HF Digital Communications in the Amateur Service

This action amends the rules for the amateur service to authorize automatic control of stations transmitting digital emission types on the High Frequency (HF) amateur service bands. This amendment was necessary because, except for temporary authority the Commission issued to permit a feasibility study, automatic control has not been authorized on the HF bands. The intended effect of the final rule is to authorize automatic control of amateur stations transmitting digital emissions subject to two conditions: The automatically controlled station either must be connected to another station that is under manual control, or the automatically controlled station must transmit only within a subband designated for communications between automatically controlled stations.