§ 74.795 Low power TV and TV translator transmission system facilities.

(a) A low power TV or TV translator station shall operate with a transmitter that is either certificated for licensing based on the following provisions or has been modified for digital operation pursuant to § 74.796. (b) The following requirements must be met before low power TV and TV translator transmitter will be certificated by the FCC: (1) The transmitter shall be designed to produce digital television signals that can be satisfactorily viewed on consumer receiving equipment based on the digital broadcast television transmission standard in § 73.682(d) of this chapter; (2) Emissions on frequencies outside the authorized channel, measured at the output terminals of the transmitter (including any filters that may be employed), shall meet the requirements of § 74.794, as applicable; (3) The transmitter shall be equipped to display the digital power output (i.e., average power over a 6 MHz channel) and shall be designed to prevent the power output from exceeding the maximum rated power output under any condition; (4) When subjected to variations in ambient temperature between 0 and 40 degrees Centigrade and variations in power main voltage between 85% and 115% of the rated power supply voltage, the frequency stability of the local oscillator in the RF channel upconverter shall be maintained within 10 kHz of the nominal value; (5) The transmitter shall be equipped with suitable meters and jacks so that appropriate voltage and current measurements may be made while the transmitter is in operation; and (6) The apparatus must be equipped with automatic controls that will place it in a non-radiating condition when no signal is being received on the input channel, either due to absence of a transmitted signal or failure of the receiving portion of the facilities used for rebroadcasting the signal of another station. The automatic control may include a time delay feature to prevent interruptions caused by fading or other momentary failures of the incoming signal; and (7) Wiring, shielding, and construction shall be in accordance with accepted principles of good engineering practice. (c) The following additional requirements apply to digital heterodyne translators: (1) The maximum rated power output (digital average power over a 6 MHz channel) shall not exceed 30 watts for transmitters operating on channels 14-51 and 3 watts for transmitters operating on channels 2-13; and (2) The transmitter shall contain circuits which will maintain the digital average power output constant within 1 dB when the strength of the input signal is varied over a range of 30 dB. (d) Certification will be granted only upon a satisfactory showing that the transmitter is capable of meeting the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section, pursuant to the procedures described in § 74.750(e).