The primary role of a station trustee is to make sure that any club operations that use our callsign are conducted in accordance with FCC regulations. In order to ensure that these rules are met, and that the club station operations follow good amateur radio practice, the trustee have set forth the following policies.

General Policies.

- All operations must follow good engineering and good amateur practices, and must comply with Part 97 rules.
- The control operator of each station must log start and end time of operation, including a record of all contacts made, and must provide a copy of the station logs when requested to do so by the station trustee.
- All operations must cease if a stop request is given by either the trustee or club President.
- All operators must follow posted station policies

Station Specific operating policies

- K4BV is the club's callsign, and as such, should be used when the operation is meant to represent the entire club. Examples include identifying our repeater stations, club stations participating in a contest, and special event stations.
- Before using the K4BV callsign, you must get the permission from the trustee.
- If an operation uses the K4BV callsign, you must provide a copy (preferably in electronic format) of all contacts made during that operation. This is necessary so that we can confirm contacts and send QSL cards, if requested to do so.
- Contact the Trustee with any comments, questions, or concerns. The station Trustee can be contacted at k4bv@dbara.org.

K4BV

- Before using the K4BV callsign, you must get the permission of the station trustee.
- Contact the Trustee with any comments, questions, or concerns. The station Trustee can be contacted at k4bv@dbara.org.

General Questions

What is a station Trustee?
Part 97.5(b)(2), Station license required, states:
"A club station license grant. A club station license grant may be held only by the person who is the license trustee designated by an officer of the club. The trustee must be a person who holds an Amateur Extra, Advanced, General, Technician Plus, or Technician operator license grant. The club must be composed of at least four persons and must have a name, a document of organization, management, and a primary purpose devoted to amateur service activities consistent with this part."

According to FCC regulations, a station must have a single licensee. When the FCC grants a station license to a club, the club must select a single person--the trustee--to be its representative and be responsible for the proper use of the callsign. In the eyes of the FCC, the trustee is the licensee of this station. To put it simply, the station trustee is the primary control operator of the station.

What are the Trustee's duties?

The trustee is responsible for ensuring that a station using the club callsign is operated in accordance with Part 97 rules. They are there to help station operators to understand the rules and how they apply, and to assist them in operating safely. They are also responsible for making sure that all of the equipment is in proper working order and tested, and that the logs are kept in a proper manner.

Part 97 includes some other provisions that define the responsibilities of a station trustee. They are the same rules which govern the licensee of a personal station.

Use of the DBARA Club Callsign, K4BV

Part 97.103(a) states, "The station licensee is responsible for the proper operation of the station in accordance with the FCC Rules. When the control operator is a different amateur operator than the station licensee, both persons are equally responsible for proper operation of the station." According to this section, the station Trustee is tasked with ensuring safe and legal operation of the station. Notice is given here that the Trustee is responsible, at least in part, for actions taken at their station even if they are not the control operator.

Part 97.103(b) states, "The station licensee must designate the station control operator. The FCC will presume that the station licensee is also the control operator, unless documentation to the contrary is in the station records."

This section establishes that the trustee is responsible party at any time, except when so noted in the station log, and that only the trustee can legally assign station control operators for the station.

Part 97.103(c) states, "The station licensee must make the station and the station records available for inspection upon request by an FCC representative. This part states that the trustee must keep all records available for inspection upon request.

What are the control operator's responsibilities?

Part 97.105 discusses the responsibilities of a station's control operator. Section (a) states, "The control operator must ensure the immediate proper operation of the station, regardless of the type of control."

The control operator is basically tasked with the duty of ensuring that they operate within the rules established in part 97.

Part 97.105(b) states, "(b) A station may only be operated in the manner and to the extent permitted by the privileges authorized for the class of operator license held by the control operator."

Part 97.119(e) discusses station identification. It states, "When the operator license class held by the control operator exceeds that of the station licensee, an indicator consisting of the call sign assigned to the control operator’s station must be included after the call sign." It is important to note that section 97.105b limits you to your own privileges regardless of the license class of the station itself. 97.119e also states that you cannot use the station callsign beyond the privileges of its licensee. This applies to all station usage. Let's look at an example: If station K4BV is licensed to a trustee with General Class privileges, then ALL of the following are true:
- An operator with a Technician Class license may only use modes and operate on frequencies granted to Technician Class licensees.
- A General Class licensee may use all of their privileges.
- An Amateur Extra Class licensee may use the station callsign, but only on frequencies and modes allotted to General Class licensees. If they wish to use the privileges they enjoy as an Amateur Extra Class licensee, they must append their own call after the station call, i.e K4BV/xx4xxx

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