Legal basis and authority
- The NTC promulgates the licensing guidelines and procedures under Republic Act No. 7925, Act No. 3846 as amended, and Executive Order No. 546, and other applicable laws.
- The circular governs licensing of portable radio transceivers under the Short Range Radio Service (SRRS).
Policy, purpose, and licensing framework
- The circular establishes standards and procedures for licensing SRRS portable radio transceivers.
- The SRRS framework uses Commission credentials of SRRS Special Permit, Type Acceptance, and Type Approval.
Core definitions used in SRRS
- Short Range Radio Service (SRRS) is a private radio communication system in the Land Mobile Service limited to portable transceiver use for short range communications.
- An SRRS Special Permit is an authority issued by the NTC to individuals and/or entities for possession and operation of a radio station under SRRS.
- Type Acceptance is a Commission certification for SRRS equipment complying with the SRRS technical standards and specifications in Attachment A, where the equipment has already been type approved by an administration whose certification is acceptable; this process does not require laboratory testing and relies on the type approval certificate and acceptable test reports issued by competent authorities/administrations.
- Type Approval is a Commission certification for SRRS equipment complying with the technical standards and specifications in Attachment A; this process requires laboratory testing.
Technical parameters and operating limits
- SRRS frequencies are allocated on a shared use basis and Non-Interference Basis.
- The use of linear amplifier/booster and external antenna for SRRS is strictly prohibited.
- SRRS radio equipment must comply with these characteristics:
- a Fixed and non-extendible frequency range.
- a portable type with limited maximum transmitted output power not to exceed 3 watts.
- frequency modulation using voice emission.
- duly type approved/accepted by the Commission.
- The SRRS frequency band is 325.0000 – 325.4875 MHz using a 12.5 KHz channeling plan.
- Radio transceivers meeting the technical specification are allowed under SRRS only after having been type accepted/approved by the Commission.
Required SRRS equipment technical standards
- Scope of specification: the technical specification prescribes minimum requirements for type approval of multi-channel portable radios for localized communications under SRRS.
- The maximum transmitter output power allowed is 3 watts maximum, and adjacent channel frequency separation is 12.5 kHz.
- The equipment must operate on 325.0000 to 325.4875 MHz.
- The radio must not be capable of operating on frequencies other than those in the specification channels.
- No radio is eligible for type approval or type acceptance if it is capable of being user or dealer altered to operate on frequencies other than those in the specification.
Markings and label requirements
- Equipment must have external and internal markings as specified in Annex B.
- A drawing must be submitted detailing the equipment label and label information to be affixed to production models of the equipment.
SRRS application procedures for approval/acceptance
- Type Acceptance application must be a fully accomplished type acceptance application form submitted with the following items:
- a Type acceptance fee.
- a certified copy of the type approval certificate from an administration/authority whose certification is acceptable, together with a certified copy of the test results.
- full technical/service documents describing detailed equipment specifications, the method employed in testing, schematic diagrams, board components layout, and components parts list.
- color photographs of the equipment showing external and internal appearance (with dust cover removed), in sufficient size not less than 20 cm. x 25 cm.
- Type Approval application must be a fully accomplished type approval application form submitted with the following items:
- a Type approval fee.
- a model or prototype radio transceiver to be type approved (with test accessories).
- full technical/service documents describing detailed equipment specifications, the method employed in testing, schematic diagrams, board components layout, and components parts list.
- color photographs of the equipment showing external and internal appearance (with dust cover removed), in sufficient size not less than 20 cm. x 25 cm.
- Application forms must be secured from the Commission.
SRRS importation and dealer/manufacturer controls
- A permit to import and a corresponding special permit number must be granted for each unit of SRRS only to NTC authorized radio dealers in accordance with the importation rules for dealer authority.
- A special permit fee per SRRS unit must be paid for SRRS equipment to be manufactured locally, and each local SRRS unit must be issued a corresponding special permit number.
- All radio dealers and manufacturers must submit to the Commission regular sales and stock reports for SRRS that include:
- the serial number, and
- the corresponding special permit number per unit of all imported and/or locally manufactured SRRS radio equipment.
Licensing fees and required charges
- A one-time special permit fee of PHP 1,000 per SRRS unit is collected upon application from NTC authorized radio dealers.
- Any SRRS radio transceiver purchased from an authorized radio dealer must be issued with a corresponding SRRS special permit number per unit issued by the Commission, which serves as the SRRS Special Permit.
- Type Approval fees:
- Filing Fee: PHP 150.00
- Laboratory Fee: 5,000.00
- Certificate Fee: 1,200.00
- Type Acceptance fees:
- Filing Fee: PHP 150.00
- Certificate Fee: 1,200.00
Administrative sanctions for unpermitted SRRS
- Any person and/or entity that purchases, possesses, and/or operates an SRRS radio equipment without an SRRS special permit is subject to administrative treatment under existing radio laws and regulations.
- Any person and/or entity that sells SRRS radio units without being an NTC accredited radio dealer is subject to administrative treatment under existing radio laws and regulations.
- Any person and/or entity that fails to submit the regular registration of sales and stock reports for SRRS is subject to administrative treatment under existing radio laws and regulations.
Standards for compliance testing and performance limits
- Modulation type is FM only (11KOF3E).
- Transmitter output power is 3W maximum.
- Modulation limiting must be + 2.5 kHz.
- Conducted spurious emissions (Tx) must satisfy:
- Attenuation (dB) = 43 + 10 log P, where P is the rated carrier power in watts.
- Frequency error must be + 3 ppm.
- Conducted spurious emission (Rx) must be 20nW or less.
- The equipment must include CTCSS-EIA 220 B capability with minimum number of 10 distinct tones from the listed tone set.
- Additional CTCSS tones and other coded squelch systems may be installed without restriction.
- The equipment must have a means to monitor a channel prior to use, or a means to prevent transmissions on occupied channels.
- The use of a digital squelch system is allowed.
- Antenna requirements:
- the equipment must be equipped with unique antenna fittings and a matching antenna with maximum gain of unity.
- BNC, type N, and PL/SO series of antenna fittings are not allowed.
- the equipment must not be supplied to the end user with antenna fitting adapters.
Test conditions and measured limits
- Test voltage must be within + 2% of the manufacturer-stated value, measured at the equipment power connection point.
- Test atmospheric conditions must be:
- Temperature 25°C to 50°C
- Relative humidity 20% to 75%
- Transmitter test modulation uses a 1000 Hz sinusoidal audio input with 1% or less total harmonic distortion, producing 1.5 kHz deviation under 12.5 kHz channel spacing.
- Standard testing includes a permitted 15-minute warm-up period in standby conditions unless otherwise specified.
- Standard tests are conducted on the highest and lowest channels within the switching range and on a channel near the middle of the switching range.
- Extreme test conditions:
- Extreme temperatures are +10°C and +60°C.
- Extreme test voltages are +10% of the standard test voltage.
- Relative humidity must not exceed 15% at +10°C and +60°C.
- Extreme condition test procedure includes evaluation under standard conditions first, then tests under extreme temperatures and voltages, with specific chamber exposure and recovery steps.
- Carrier power measurement is performed with no modulation over 30 minutes using 1 minute transmit and 4 minutes standby.
- Carrier power limits:
- Under standard test conditions: within +1 dB and -1.5 dB of rated value.
- Under extreme test conditions: within +2 dB of rated value.
- Modulation limiting requires compliance so peak and steady-state deviation do not exceed +2.5 kHz.
- Conducted spurious emissions testing:
- measurement uses tuned RF instruments or a spectrum analyzer,
- measurements cover 100 kHz to 1500 Mhz,
- and must satisfy the attenuation formula Attenuation (dB)= 43 + 10 log P.
- Frequency error:
- must not exceed +3 ppm under both standard and extreme test conditions.
- Receiver conducted spurious emissions limits:
- power at any spurious frequency must not exceed 20 nanowatts.
- receiver tests measure across a resistive load at the antenna terminals over 100 kHz to 1500 Mhz.