What is ancillary operation?.
The FCC makes a distinction between functions which the repeater users can perform (activating a crossband link, getting a weather or time-of-day report, or making a phone call via the autopatch, for example), and those primary control functions reserved exclusively for the control operators in effecting basic control of the station. The rules state that “ancillary (which also means “secondary”) functions of a repeater that are available to users on the input channel are not considered remotely controlled functions of the station” [97.205(e)]. These “user” functions are conducted on the repeater’s input frequency. However, the primary control functions (turning the repeater on or off, for example) must be performed via the repeater’s primary control system which is separate from the input frequency. The repeater owner and use an “emergency backup” means to shut down a repeater via its regular input frequency, as long as the turn-on function can only be performed via the primary control
