§ 90.242 - Travelers' information stations.

§ 90.242 Travelers' information stations.

(a) The frequencies 530 through 1700 kHz in 10 kHz increments may be assigned to the Public Safety Pool for the operation of Travelers' Information Stations subject to the following conditions and limitations.

(1) [Reserved]

(2) Each application for a station or system shall be accompanied by:

(i) A statement certifying that the transmitting site of the Travelers' Information Station will be located at least 15 km (9.3 miles) measured orthogonally outside the measured 0.5 mV/m daytime contour (0.1 mV/m for Class A stations) of any AM broadcast station operating on a first adjacent channel or at least 130 km (80.6 miles) outside the measured 0.5 mV/m daytime contour (0.1 mV/m for Class A stations) of any AM broadcast station operating on the same channel, or, if nighttime operation is proposed, outside the theoretical 0.5 mV/m-50% nighttime skywave contour of a U.S. Class A station. If the measured contour is not available, then the calculated 0.5 mV/m field strength contour shall be acceptable. These contours are available at the concerned AM broadcast station and FCC offices in Washington, DC.

(ii) In consideration of possible cross-modulation and inter-modulation interference effects which may result from the operation of a Travelers' Information Station in the vicinity of an AM broadcast station on the second or third adjacent channel, the applicant shall certify that it has considered these possible effects and, to the best of its knowledge, does not foresee interference occurring to broadcast stations operating on second or third adjacent channels.

(iii) A map showing the geographical location of each transmitter site and an estimate of the signal strength at the contour of the desired coverage area. For a cable system, the contour to be shown is the estimated field strength at 60 meters (197 feet) from any point on the cable. For a conventional radiating antenna, the estimated field strength contour at 1.5 km (0.93 mile) shall be shown. A contour map comprised of actual on-the-air measurements shall be submitted to the Commission within 60 days after station authorization or completion of station construction, whichever occurs later. A sufficient number of points shall be chosen at the specified distances (extrapolated measurements are acceptable) to adequately show compliance with the field strength limits.

(iv) For each transmitter site, the transmitter's output power, the type of antenna utilized, its length (for a cable system), its height above ground, distance from transmitter to the antenna, and the elevation above sea level at the transmitting site.

(3) Travelers' Information Stations will be authorized on a primary basis on 530 kHz and on a secondary basis to stations authorized on a primary basis in the band 535-1705 kHz.

(4) A Travelers' Information Station authorization may be suspended, modified, or withdrawn by the Commission without prior notice or right to hearing if necessary to resolve interference conflicts, to implement agreements with foreign governments, or in other circumstances warranting such action.

(5) The transmitting site of each Travelers' Information Station shall be restricted to the immediate vicinity of the following specified areas: Air, train, and bus transportation terminals, public parks and historical sites, bridges, tunnels, and any intersection of a Federal Interstate Highway with any other Interstate, Federal, State, or local highway.

(6) A Travelers' Information Station shall normally be authorized to use a single transmitter. However, a system of stations, with each station in the system employing a separate transmitter, may be authorized for a specific area provided sufficient need is demonstrated by the applicant.

(7) Travelers' Information Stations shall transmit only noncommercial voice information pertaining to traffic and road conditions, traffic hazard and travel advisories, directions, availability of lodging, rest stops and service stations, and descriptions of local points of interest. It is not permissible to identify the commercial name of any business establishment whose service may be available within or outside the coverage area of a Travelers' Information Station. However, to facilitate announcements concerning departures/arrivals and parking areas at air, train, and bus terminals, the trade name identification of carriers is permitted. Travelers' Information Stations may also transmit information in accordance with the provisions of §§ 90.405 and 90.407.

(b) Technical standards.

(1) The use of 6K00A3E emission will be authorized, however N0N emission may be used for purposes of receiver quieting, but only for a system of stations employing “leaky” cable antennas.

(2) A frequency tolerance of 100 Hz shall be maintained.

(3) For a station employing a cable antenna, the following restrictions apply:

(i) The length of the cable antenna shall not exceed 3.0 km (1.9 miles).

(ii) Transmitter RF output power shall not exceed 50 watts and shall be adjustable downward to enable the user to comply with the specified field strength limit.

(iii) The field strength of the emission on the operating frequency shall not exceed 2 mV/m when measured with a standard field strength meter at a distance of 60 meters (197 feet) from any part of the station.

(4) For a station employing a conventional radiating antenna(s) (ex. vertical monopole, directional array) the following restrictions apply:

(i) The antenna height above ground level shall not exceed 15.0 meters (49.2 feet).

(ii) Only vertical polarization of antennas shall be permitted.

(iii) Transmitter RF output power shall not exceed 10 watts to enable the user to comply with the specified field strength limit.

(iv) The field strength of the emission on the operating frequency shall not exceed 2 mV/m when measured with a standard field strength meter at a distance of 1.50 km (0.93 miles) from the transmitting antenna system.

(5) For co-channel stations operating under different licenses, the following minimum separation distances shall apply:

(i) 0.50 km (0.31 miles) for the case when both stations are using cable antennas.

(ii) 7.50 km (4.66 miles) for the case when one station is using a conventional antenna and the other is using a cable antenna.

(iii) 15.0 km (9.3 miles) for the case when both stations are using conventional antennas.

(6) For a system of co-channel transmitters operating under a single authorization utilizing either cable or conventional antennas, or both, no minimum separation distance is required.

(7) An applicant desiring to locate a station that does not comply with the separation requirements of this section shall coordinate with the affected station.

(8) Each transmitter in a Travelers' Information Station shall be equipped with an audio low-pass filter. Such filter shall be installed either at the transmitter's audio input or between the modulation limiter and the modulated stage. At audio frequencies between 5 kHz and 20 kHz this filter shall have an attenuation greater than the attenuation at 1 kHz by at least:

83 log₁₀ (f/5) decibels.

where “f” is the audio frequency in kHz. At audio frequencies above 20 kHz, the attenuation shall be at least 50 decibels greater than the attenuation at 1 kHz.

[43 FR 54791, Nov. 22, 1978; 44 FR 67118, Nov. 23, 1979; 49 FR 48712, Dec. 14, 1984, as amended at 54 FR 39740, Sept. 28, 1989; 56 FR 64874, Dec. 12, 1991; 62 FR 18928, Apr. 17, 1997; 65 FR 60877, Oct. 13, 2000; 67 FR 63289, Oct. 11, 2002; 72 FR 35195, June 27, 2007; 73 FR 25497, May 6, 2008; 78 FR 50345, Aug. 19, 2013; 80 FR 25608, May 5, 2015]