47 CFR §74.795
Verified against eCFR.gov as of June 20, 2026View official text on eCFR.gov ↗
- (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).