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Comment by _whiteCaps_

9 hours ago

Going to be super pedantic here - in ham radio you don't broadcast, you transmit.

Yes! Broadcasting is prohibited!

(and this all reminded I need to renew my license which I haven't used in about 8 years! Looks like I also need a refresher!)

What is the difference between the two?

A ham operator might put out 20W of ERP while a radio station operates at 100W though international broadcasters use upto 500 kW.

  • Part 97 defines broadcasting as "Transmissions intended for reception by the general public, either direct or relayed."

    Then there's a section that says:

    > An amateur station shall not engage in any form of broadcasting, nor may an amateur station transmit one-way communications except as specifically provided in these rules

    https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/part-97#p-97.113(b)

    Since "broadcasting" is prohibited (except for the exceptions), there is a distinction. There actually are a number of exceptions that allow different kinds of one-way transmissions though.

  • In the US with an amateur radio license you can have one to one communication (transmit) but not one to many (broadcast).