Article 6 (2) of the Rules of Procedure of Amaficionado adopted by the Order of the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Communications of 21 March 1986, provides that recognised amateur radio associations may be authorised for the installation of radio-beacons as defined in Article 1 of that Regulation.

This type of facility is of great importance to the amateur radio group, as it is supported and helps in carrying out studies on the mechanisms of propagation. This has prompted the interest and request of the radio amateurs associations, which makes it necessary to regulate the system of granting such authorization.

In its virtue, I have:

Article 1. Definition.

A radio-amateur radio station is a fixed collective station of amateur intended to carry out propagation studies and whose operation is based on the automatic emission of identification signals.

According to Article 6 (2) of the Fan Stations Regulation, approved by the Order of the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Communications of 21 March 1986, the recognised amateur radio associations may be approved for the installation of radiobalises, which shall be covered by the corresponding licence.

Article 2. Operation.

Only the operation of the radio-beacons shall be permitted, in accordance with appropriate planning, at frequencies of the bands 144-146 MHz and 430-440 MHz attributed to the Fans ' Service.

Article 3. General conditions of the radiobalises.

1. The number of radio-beacons installations shall in no case be higher than one per province for each frequency band referred to in Article 2 and shall preferably be located in dominant locations.

2. The frequency stability of the carrier shall be equal to or greater than 10 parts per million.

3. The output power of the transmitter equipment shall not exceed 25 W, the radiant system shall be omnidirectional in the horizontal plane, with polarization also horizontal.

4. The emission bandwidth shall not exceed 16 KHz by limiting its type of modulation, if any, to that of frequency or phase.

5. The radio-beacon shall transmit its signal with a minimum frequency of three minutes.

6. The information to be transmitted shall relate only to its position, its operating conditions (including the power) and the conditions for propagation in the area.

7. The radio-beacon installation shall have a remote power-off device. They must also have a set of batteries that allow their autonomous operation, for a minimum period of six hours, in the event of power failure.

Article 4. Requirements of the applicants.

The license for the installation of a radio-beacon may be requested by recognized radio amateur associations that meet the following conditions:

Having a provincial scope and at least 20 per 100 of its associates are domiciled in different locations where the latter has its registered office.

Having as partners, at least, 20 per 100 of the total of the operators in your province.

For the calculation of the above percentages, the census of operators with indicative class A and B as of 1 January 1997 shall be taken as a reference, excluding those who are not aware of the payment of the fee. The offices of the associations shall be deemed to be the seat of the Directorate-General for Telecommunications at that date.

Article 5. Documentation.

Radio-amateur associations wishing to install a radio-beacon must present the following documentation in the corresponding Provincial Head of Telecommunications Inspection, in duplicate, the following documentation:

Nominal relationship of associated operators, with their flag.

Plano 1:200,000, with indication of the exact location for the installation of the radiobaliza, the cotes and coordinates referred to Greenwich, and its path of access.

Descriptive memory, including complete schemes of the radio installation and the description of its operation, as well as of the radiant system used, as provided for in Law 19/1983, of 16 November, on the regulation of the right to install the antennae of radio station fans on the outside of the buildings and Royal Decree 2623/1986 of 21 November 1986 on the installation of radio-antenna installations Swimming.

The fire and emergency protection systems provided for in the installation shall also be described.

Article 6. Processing of applications.

Depending on the planned national planning, the Directorate-General for Telecommunications shall notify the provisional acceptance of the installation of the radio-beacon, to which it shall assign a frequency and indicative, or, by the the refusal of the application, stating its causes. In the first case, the association shall have a period of six months from the notification to put the radio on the service, which it shall communicate to the appropriate Provincial Head of the Telecommunications Inspection Office, which shall proceed to review the installation, if you consider it appropriate. It is prohibited, in any case, for the installation to be put into service prior to the notification of its provisional acceptance.

The facility shall be deemed to be provisionally authorised for a period of six months from the placing on the service of the radio-beacon. The granting of the definitive licence will be conditional on its compatibility with other existing radio systems at the site and the regulations for protection and radio-electric easements.

In the event that several associations in the same province request the installation of radio-beacons, the highest number of associates and the relevant activities carried out by the same province will be considered to be of preferential merit. the same in the field of the radio hobby.

Article 7. Limitations of the licenses.

Any association that has a license for a radio-beacon will ensure that its operation is in line with the requirements of the Fan Stations Regulation, and will conform to the parameters granted. The modification of the technical characteristics of the installation will require the prior authorization of the Directorate General of Telecommunications. The infringements of the rules will give rise to the application of the system of penalties provided for in Law 31/1987 of 18 December on the Management of Telecommunications.

Given the limited number of radio-beacons installations to be authorised and their technical interest, and in order to ensure their operation as long as possible, any interruption of emissions for a cumulative period exceeding six months within one year may lead to the opening of proceedings for the cancellation of the licence and, where appropriate, the initiation of the procedure for the granting of another licence for the installation of radio-beacons to an association, which, fulfilling the requirements, is interested in its installation.

Final disposition first.

The Director-General of Telecommunications is hereby authorized to make any provisions deemed necessary for the application and interpretation of this Order.

Final disposition second.

This Order shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the "Official State Gazette".

Madrid, 27 August 1997.

MONTALVO ARIAS-SALGADO