T1E07: When the control operator is not the station licensee, who is respons…

T1E07§ 97.103(a)T1E →

When the control operator is not the station licensee, who is responsible for the proper operation of the station?

AAll licensed amateurs who are present at the operation
BOnly the station licensee
COnly the control operator
DThe control operator and the station licensee

Why Under 97.103(a), the station licensee is always responsible for the proper operation of the station, and when someone else is acting as control operator that person shares the responsibility. The FCC treats the duty as joint: both the licensee whose call sign and station are in use and the person actually at the controls can be held accountable for any violation. That is why a licensee should only let trustworthy operators use the station.

Watch out The choice naming only the control operator is the common trap, since that person is the one transmitting, but the licensee cannot shed responsibility for their own station by handing over the microphone. Other amateurs merely present in the room have no legal responsibility at all.

Both names are on the hook: your station, your license, plus whoever is at the controls.

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

47 CFR 97.103(a) Station licensee responsibilities.

(a) The station licensee is responsible for the proper operation of the station in accordance with the FCC Rules. When the control operator is a different amateur operator than the station licensee, both persons are equally responsible for proper operation of the station.

(b) The station licensee must designate the station control operator. The FCC will presume that the station licensee is also the control operator, unless documentation to the contrary is in the station records.

(c) The station licensee must make the station and the station records available for inspection upon request by an FCC representative.

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

T1E07

The rest of T1E