Sec. 90.242  Travelers' information stations.

    (a) The frequencies 530 through 1700 kHz in 10 kHz increments may be 
assigned to the Public Safety Pool for the operation of Travelers' 
Information Stations subject to the following conditions and 
limitations.
    (1) For Travelers' Information Station applications only, 
eligibility requirements as set forth in Sec. 90.20(a) are extended to 
include park districts and authorities.
    (2) Each application for a station or system shall be accompanied 
by:
    (i) A statement certifying that the transmitting site of the 
Travelers Information Station will be located at least 15 km (9.3 miles) 
measured orthogonally outside the measured 0.5 mV/m daytime contour (0.1 
mV/m for Class A stations) of any AM broadcast station operating on a 
first adjacent channel or at least 130 km (80.6 miles) outside the 
measured 0.5 mV/m daytime contour (0.1 mV/m for Class A stations) of any 
AM broadcast station operating on the same channel, or, if nighttime 
operation is proposed, outside the theoretical 0.5 mV/m-50% nighttime 
skywave contour of a U.S. Class A station. If the measured contour is 
not available, then the calculated 0.5 mV/m field strength contour shall 
be acceptable. These contours are available for inspection at the 
concerned AM broadcast station and FCC offices in Washington, DC.
    (ii) In consideration of possible cross-modulation and inter-
modulation interference effects which may result from the operation of a 
Travelers Information Station in the vicinity of an AM broadcast station 
on the second or third adjacent channel, the applicant shall certify 
that he has considered these possible interference effects and, to the 
best of his knowledge, does not foresee interference occurring to 
broadcast stations operating on second or third adjacent channels.
    (iii) A map showing the geographical location of each transmitter 
site and an estimate of the signal strength at the contour of the 
desired coverage area. For a cable system, the contour to be shown is 
the estimated field strength at 60 meters (197 feet) from any point on 
the cable. For a conventional radiating antenna, the estimated field 
strength contour at 1.5 km (0.93 mile) shall be shown. A contour map 
comprised of actual on-the-air measurements shall be submitted to the 
Commission within 60 days after station authorization or completion of 
station construction, whichever occurs later. A sufficient number of 
points shall be chosen at the specified distances (extrapolated 
measurements are acceptable) to adequately show compliance with the 
field strength limits.
    (iv) For each transmitter site, the transmitter's output power, the 
type of antenna utilized, its length (for a cable system), its height 
above ground, distance from transmitter to the antenna, and the 
elevation above sea level at the transmitting site.
    (3) Travelers Information Stations will be authorized on a secondary 
basis to stations authorized on a primary basis in the bands 510-535 and 
1605-1715 kHz.
    (4) A Travelers Information Station authorization may be suspended, 
modified, or withdrawn by the Commission without prior notice of right 
to hearing if necessary to resolve interference conflicts, to implement 
agreements with foreign governments, or in other circumstances 
warranting such action.
    (5) The transmitting site of each Travelers' Information Station 
shall be restricted to the immediate vicinity of the following specified 
areas: Air, train, and bus transportation terminals, public parks and 
historical sites, bridges, tunnels, and any intersection of a Federal 
Interstate Highway with any other Interstate, Federal, State, or local 
highway.

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    (6) A Travelers Information Station shall normally be authorized to 
use a single transmitter. However, a system of stations, with each 
station in the system employing a separate transmitter, may be 
authorized for a specified area provided sufficient need is demonstrated 
by the applicant.
    (7) Travelers Information Stations shall transmit only noncommercial 
voice information pertaining to traffic and road conditions, traffic 
hazard and travel advisories, directions, availability of lodging, rest 
stops and service stations, and descriptions of local points of 
interest. It is not permissible to identify the commercial name of any 
business establishment whose service may be available within or outside 
the coverage area of a Travelers Information Station. However, to 
facilitate announcements concerning departures/arrivals and parking 
areas at air, train, and bus terminals, the trade name identification of 
carriers is permitted.
    (b) Technical standards. (1) The use of 6K00A3E emission will be 
authorized, however N0N emission may be used for purposes of receiver 
quieting, but only for a system of stations employing ``leaky'' cable 
antennas.
    (2) A frequency tolerance of 100 Hz shall be maintained.
    (3) For a station employing a cable antenna, the following 
restrictions apply:
    (i) The length of the cable antenna shall not exceed 3.0 km (1.9 
miles).
    (ii) Transmitter RF output power shall not exceed 50 watts and shall 
be adjustable downward to enable the user to comply with the specified 
field strength limit.
    (iii) The field strength of the emission on the operating frequency 
shall not exceed 2 mV/m when measured with a standard field strength 
meter at a distance of 60 meters (197 feet) from any part of the 
station.
    (4) For a station employing a conventional radiating antenna(s) (ex. 
vertical monopole, directional array) the following restrictions apply:
    (i) The antenna height above ground level shall not exceed 15.0 
meters (49.2 feet).
    (ii) Only vertical polarization of antennas shall be permitted.
    (iii) Transmitter RF output power shall not exceed 10 watts to 
enable the user to comply with the specified field strength limit.
    (iv) The field strength of the emission on the operating frequency 
shall not exceed 2 mV/m when measured with a standard field strength 
meter at a distance of 1.50 km (0.93 miles) from the transmitting 
antenna system.
    (5) For co-channel stations operating under different licenses, the 
following minimum separation distances shall apply:
    (i) 0.50 km (0.31 miles) for the case when both stations are using 
cable antennas.
    (ii) 7.50 km (4.66 miles) for the case when one station is using a 
conventional antenna and the other is using a cable antenna.
    (iii) 15.0 km (9.3 miles) for the case when both stations are using 
conventional antennas.
    (6) For a system of co-channel transmitters operating under a single 
authorization utilizing either cable or conventional antennas, or both, 
no minimum separation distance is required.
    (7) An applicant desiring to locate a station that does not comply 
with the separation requirements of this section shall coordinate with 
the affected station.
    (8) Each transmitter in a Travelers Information Station shall be 
equipped with an audio low-pass filter. Such filter shall be installed 
between the modulation limiter and the modulated stage. At audio 
frequencies between 3 kHz and 20 kHz this filter shall have an 
attenuation greater than the attenuation at 1 kHz by at least:

60 log10 (f/3) decibels.


where ``f'' is the audio frequency in kHz. At audio frequencies above 20 
kHz, the attenuation shall be at least 50 decibels greater than the 
attenuation at 1 kHz.
[ 43 FR 54791 , Nov. 22, 1978;  44 FR 67118 , Nov. 23, 1979;  49 FR 48712 , 
Dec. 14, 1984, as amended at  54 FR 39740 , Sept. 28, 1989;  56 FR 64874 , 
Dec. 12, 1991;  62 FR 18928 , Apr. 17, 1997]

    Effective Date Note: At  62 FR 18928 , Apr. 17, 1997, Sec. 90.242 was 
amended by revising the introductory text of paragraph (a) and revising 
paragraph (a)(1), effective Oct. 17, 1997.

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