International Amateur Radio Union
Region 1
Working for the future of amateur radio
Region 1 Committees & Working Groups
Amateur Radio Satellite Frequency Co-ordination
Information for developers of satellites planned to use frequency bands
allocated to the amateur satellite service
(IARU-R1) 26 January 2003
Careful and detailed mission planning — particularly radio frequency
planning — gives satellite projects the best chances of success. Working
out space station and Earth station operating frequencies and link
operating parameters at the very beginning of the design process means:
Communication links will work because the link budget is planned to be
adequate for the mission
Antenna gain, physical size(s), placement(s), and pointing accuracy (if
needed) will be adequate for the mission
Transmitter power requirements, emission, and coding types will be
selected for efficiency and performance
Receiver design will be selected for sensitivity, bandwidth, and
susceptibility to interference so that it will perform adequately for
the mission
Space station power generation and storage will be adequate for the
mission
The Advisory Panel supporting the IARU Amateur Satellite Advisor has
developed a comprehensive guide for groups planning and building
satellites that will operate on Amateur frequencies.
See also frequency coordination requests