Sec. 74.707  Low power TV and TV translator station protection.

    (a)(1) A low power TV or TV translator will be protected from 
interference from other low power TV or TV translator stations, or TV 
booster stations within the following predicted contours:
    (i) 62 dBu for stations on Channels 2 through 6;
    (ii) 68 dBu for stations on Channels 7 through 13; and
    (iii) 74 dBu for stations on Channels 14 through 69.

Existing licensees and permittees that did not furnish sufficient data 
required to calculate the above contours by April 15, 1983 are assigned 
protected contours having the following radii:

Up to 0.001 kW VHF/UHF--1 mile (1.6 km) from transmitter site
Up to 0.01 kW VHF; up to 0.1 k/W UHF--2 miles (3.2 km) from transmitter 
site
Up to 0.1 kW VHF; up to 1 kW UHF--4 miles (6.4 km) from transmitter site


New applicants must submit the required information; they cannot rely on 
this table.
    (2) The low power TV or TV translator station protected contour is 
calculated from the authorized effective radiated power and antenna 
height above average terrain, using Figure 9, 10, or 10b of Sec. 73.699 
(F(50,50) charts) of Part 73 of this chapter.
    (b)(1) An application to construct a new low power TV, TV 
translator, or TV booster station or change the facilities of an 
existing station will not be accepted if it specifies a site which is 
within the protected contour of a co-channel or first adjacent channel 
low power TV, TV translator, or TV booster station, except that a TV 
booster station may be located within the protected contour of its co-
channel primary station.
    (2) Due to the frequency spacing which exists between TV Channels 4 
and 5, between Channels 6 and 7, and between Channels 13 and 14, 
adjacent channel protection standards shall not be applicable to these 
pairs of channels. (See Sec. 73.603(a) of Part 73 of this chapter.)
    (3) A UHF low power TV, TV translator, or TV booster construction 
permit application will not be accepted if it specifies a site within 
the UHF low power TV, TV translator, or TV booster station's protected 
contour and proposes operation on a channel that is 15 channels above 
the channel in use by the low power TV, TV translator, or TV booster 
station.

[[Page 432]]

    (c) The low power TV, TV translator, or TV booster construction 
permit application field strength is calculated from the proposed 
effective radiated power (ERP) and the antenna above average terrain 
(HAAT) in pertinent directions.
    (1) For co-channel protection, the field strength is calculated 
using Figure 9a, 10a, or 10c of Sec. 73.699 (F(50,10) charts) of Part 73 
of this chapter.
    (2) For low power TV, TV translator, or TV booster applications that 
do not specify the same channel as the low power TV, TV translator, or 
TV booster station to be protected, the field strength is calculated 
using Figure 9, 10, or 10b of Sec. 73.699 (F(50,50) charts) of Part 73 
of this chapter.
    (d) A low power TV, TV translator, or TV booster station application 
will not be accepted if the ratio in dB of its field strength to that of 
the authorized low power TV, TV translator, or TV booster station at its 
protected contour fails to meet the following:
    (1) -45 dB for co-channel operations without offset carrier 
frequency operation or -28 dB for offset carrier frequency operation. An 
application requesting offset carrier frequency operation must include 
the following:
    (i) A requested offset designation (zero, plus, or minus) 
identifying the proposed direction of the 10 kHz offset from the 
standard carrier frequencies of the requested channel. If the offset 
designation is not different from that of the station being protected, 
or if the station being protected is not maintaining its frequencies 
within the tolerance specified in Sec. 74.761 for offset operation, the 
-45 dB ratio must be used.
    (ii) A description of the means by which the low power TV, TV 
translator, or TV booster station's frequencies will be maintained 
within the tolerances specified in Sec. 74.761 for offset operation.
    (2) 6 dB when the protected low power TV or TV translator station 
operates on a VHF channel that is one channel above the requested 
channel.
    (3) 12 dB when the protected low power TV or TV translator station 
operates on a VHF channel that is one channel below the requested 
channel.
    (4) 15 dB when the protected low power TV or TV translator station 
operates on a UHF channel that is one channel above or below the 
requested channel.
    (5) 6 dB when the protected low power TV or TV translator station 
operates on a UHF channel that is fifteen channels below the requested 
channel.
    (e) In support of a request for waiver of the interference 
protection rules, an applicant for a low power TV or TV translator 
station may make full use of terrain shielding and Longley-Rice terrain 
dependent propagation prediction methods to demonstrate that the 
proposed facility would not be likely to cause interference to low power 
TV, TV translator and TV booster stations. Guidance on using the 
Longley-Rice methodology is provided in OET Bulletin No. 69. Copies of 
OET Bulletin No. 69 may be inspected during normal business hours at 
the: Federal Communications Commission, 1919 M St., NW., Dockets Branch 
(Room 239), Washington, DC 20554. This document is also available 
through the Internet on the FCC Home Page at http://www.fcc.gov.

[ 47 FR 21498 , May 18, 1982, as amended at  47 FR 35990 , Aug. 18, 1982;  48 FR 21487 , May 12, 1983;  52 FR 31403 , Aug. 20, 1987;  62 FR 26722 , May 14, 
1997]