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Code of Federal Regulations Title 47. Telecommunication § 47.24.232 Power and antenna height limits

Current as of January 02, 2025 | Updated by Findlaw Staff

(a)(1) Base stations with an emission bandwidth of 1 MHz or less are limited to 1640 watts equivalent isotropically radiated power (EIRP) with an antenna height up to 300 meters HAAT, except as described in paragraph (b) below.

(2) Base stations with an emission bandwidth greater than 1 MHz are limited to 1640 watts/MHz equivalent isotropically radiated power (EIRP) with an antenna height up to 300 meters HAAT, except as described in paragraph (b) below.

(3) Base station antenna heights may exceed 300 meters HAAT with a corresponding reduction in power;  see Tables 1 and 2 of this section.

(4) The service area boundary limit and microwave protection criteria specified in §§ 24.236 and 24.237 apply.

Table 1—Reduced Power for Base Station Antenna Heights Over 300 Meters, With Emission Bandwidth of 1 MHz or Less

HAAT in meters

Maximum EIRP watts

≤300

1640

≤500

1070

≤1000

490

≤1500

270

≤2000

160

Table 2—Reduced Power for Base Station Antenna Heights Over 300 Meters, With Emission Bandwidth Greater Than 1 MHz

HAAT in meters

Maximum EIRP watts/MHz

≤300

1640

≤500

1070

≤1000

490

≤1500

270

≤2000

160

(b)(1) Base stations that are located in counties with population densities of 100 persons or fewer per square mile, based upon the most recently available population statistics from the Bureau of the Census, with an emission bandwidth of 1 MHz or less are limited to 3280 watts equivalent isotropically radiated power (EIRP) with an antenna height up to 300 meters HAAT.

(2) Base stations that are located in counties with population densities of 100 persons or fewer per square mile, based upon the most recently available population statistics from the Bureau of the Census, with an emission bandwidth greater than 1 MHz are limited to 3280 watts/MHz equivalent isotropically radiated power (EIRP) with an antenna height up to 300 meters HAAT.

(3) Base station antenna heights may exceed 300 meters HAAT with a corresponding reduction in power;  see Tables 3 and 4 of this section.

(4) The service area boundary limit and microwave protection criteria specified in §§ 24.236 and 24.237 apply.

(5) Operation under this paragraph (b) at power limits greater than permitted under paragraph (a) of this section must be coordinated in advance with all broadband PCS licensees authorized to operate on adjacent frequency blocks within 120 kilometers (75 miles) of the base station and is limited to base stations located more than 120 kilometers (75 miles) from the Canadian border and more than 75 kilometers (45 miles) from the Mexican border.

Table 3—Reduced Power for Base Station Antenna Heights Over 300 Meters, With Emission Bandwidth of 1 MHz or Less

HAAT in meters

Maximum EIRP watts

≤300

3280

≤500

2140

≤1000

980

≤1500

540

≤2000

320

Table 4—Reduced Power for Base Station Antenna Heights Over 300 Meters, With Emission Bandwidth Greater Than 1 MHz

HAAT in meters

Maximum EIRP watts/MHz

≤300

3280

≤500

2140

≤1000

980

≤1500

540

≤2000

320

(c) Mobile and portable stations are limited to 2 watts EIRP and the equipment must employ a means for limiting power to the minimum necessary for successful communications.

(d) Power measurements for transmissions by stations authorized under this section may be made either in accordance with a Commission-approved average power technique or in compliance with paragraph (e) of this section. In both instances, equipment employed must be authorized in accordance with the provisions of § 24.51. In measuring transmissions in this band using an average power technique, the peak-to-average ratio (PAR) of the transmission may not exceed 13 dB.

(e) Peak transmit power must be measured over any interval of continuous transmission using instrumentation calibrated in terms of an rms-equivalent voltage. The measurement results shall be properly adjusted for any instrument limitations, such as detector response times, limited resolution bandwidth capability when compared to the emission bandwidth, sensitivity, etc., so as to obtain a true peak measurement for the emission in question over the full bandwidth of the channel.

Note to § 24.232:  Height above average terrain (HAAT) is to be calculated using the method set forth in § 24.53 of this part.

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Cite this article: FindLaw.com - Code of Federal Regulations Title 47. Telecommunication § 47.24.232 Power and antenna height limits - last updated January 02, 2025 | https://codes.findlaw.com/cfr/title-47-telecommunication/cfr-sect-47-24-232/

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