A FCC license is
required to transmit RTK corrections in the 450-470 MHz range from a
UHF Base. Licenses are not required for a Rover which is receive
only. A single license will cover an unlimited number of devices
owned by the license holder.
Detailed information on the requirements can be found in this American Surveyor article:
Sailing with the Pirate Surveyors:
There are several
businesses that provide registration services. We recommend that
you obtain your license with the assistance of
FIT 'Forest
Industries Telecommunications'.
FIT is a
FCC approved frequency coordinator
for the 'Below 800 MHz' PLMR spectrum and they understand the
requirements for GNSS systems and the survey and construction
businesses.
The current price
for a RTK GPS specific license via FIT is:
$275
Coordination + Application
$195 FCC license
$470 total (slightly higher
if using a credit card for payment)
The current price
for a Contractor Package which may
contain broader coverage is:
$210
Coordination + Application
$195 FCC license
$405 total
(slightly higher if using a credit card for payment)
You can apply for a
license online:
[
FIT RTK-GPS Online Application
]
[
FIT Contractors Package ]
Notes
If asked: Emission Designation:
11K2F2D should be fine.
Your license will include some frequencies
that you can use within a radius of your business and other
frequencies that you can use nationwide. Ask FIT about the details.
It will take 30 to 90 days after submission
to obtain an FCC license. You will receive an email with a link to
download a PDF of your official license.
10-days after confirmation of license
submittal, you can begin use with the FCC Designation 'WTxxxxxxx'
where xxxxxxx is your phone number.
If you are contacted by a 3rd party about a
'construction permit', 'antenna structure permit' or filing any
other notices it is a scam and you should ignore them.
If you receive offers to purchase printed
copies of the FCC rules you do not need them. All of the rules and
regulations are available online. While not a scam, these offers are
very close to scams.
Your license will be valid for 10-years, you
can renew your existing license without assistance on the FCC
website using your FRN login credentials which will be supplied by
FIT. Keep your FRN credentials in a safe location as they will be
difficult to find in 10-years.
About 6-months before your license expires,
you will begin to receive commercial offers to renew your license.
Ignore them, you can quickly do it yourself:
FCC License Renewal. While not a scam, these offers are very
close to scams.
When you receive
your license, you need to enter the license ID into your GNSS
equipment so that it can be broadcast in CW (Morse code) every
15-minutes automatically. If you purchased iGage equipment the
instructions are in the User Manual for changing the radio channel
list and setting the FCC ID. Call us for assistance.
|
