E1A10: If an amateur station is installed aboard a ship or aircraft, what co…

E1A10§ 97.11E1A →

If an amateur station is installed aboard a ship or aircraft, what condition must be met before the station is operated?

AIts operation must be approved by the master of the ship or the pilot in command of the aircraft
BThe amateur station operator must agree not to transmit when the main radio of the ship or aircraft is in use
CThe amateur station must have a power supply that is completely independent of the main ship or aircraft power supply
DThe amateur station must operate only in specific segments of the amateur service HF and VHF bands

Why Section 97.11 covers amateur stations aboard ships and aircraft. It requires that the station's apparatus be physically separate from and independent of the vessel's or aircraft's main radio installation, and that operation be approved by the person in command, meaning the ship's master or the pilot in command. Documentation of that approval must be kept with the station records. The person in command is responsible for safety, so nothing gets transmitted from their vessel without their say-so.

Watch out The independent power supply choice twists the real rule: what must be separate and independent is the amateur apparatus itself from the main radio installation, not its power source. There is also no rule limiting shipboard amateur operation to special band segments or barring transmission while the main radio is in use.

The captain or pilot is boss of everything on board, including your radio. Get permission first.

HamSandwich explanation, first draft. The question and answers are the NCVEC text.

47 CFR 97.11 Stations aboard ships or aircraft.

(a) The installation and operation of an amateur station on a ship or aircraft must be approved by the master of the ship or pilot in command of the aircraft.

(b) The station must be separate from and independent of all other radio apparatus installed on the ship or aircraft, except a common antenna may be shared with a voluntary ship radio installation. The station's transmissions must not cause interference to any other apparatus installed on the ship or aircraft.

(c) The station must not constitute a hazard to the safety of life or property. For a station aboard an aircraft, the apparatus shall not be operated while the aircraft is operating under Instrument Flight Rules, as defined by the FAA, unless the station has been found to comply with all applicable FAA Rules.

eCFR text as of 1 Sep 2026 · read on ecfr.gov

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