International Amateur Radio Union
Region 1
Working for the future of amateur radio
IARU Report WRC-03
Other agenda items of concern to the IARU at WRC 2003
(IARU-R1) 5 July 2003
by J K Pulfer, VE3PU
While the majority of members of the IARU delegation focused on the
important amateur issues of regulations and the realignment of 40
metres, as well as the preparation of the agenda for the next
conference, I spent most of my time monitoring the many committees and
drafting groups dealing with eight other agenda items which were also of
concern to the IARU. Below is a brief report summarizing the significant
developments related to these agenda items
Agenda Item 1.3 - Harmonized Bands for Public Protection and Disaster
Relief (PPDR)
This agenda item surfaced in the lead up to WRC-2000 when commercial
interests promoting harmonized frequencies for public services realized
that adding disaster relief would strengthen their arguments. They
managed to convince some administrations to support them. At WRC-2000,
Resolution 645 was introduced calling for Global Harmonization of
Spectrum for Public Protection and Disaster Relief, and asking that
studies be carried out by the ITU-R. Working Party 8A conducted the
studies in preparation for WRC-2003.
The IARU was concerned with two aspects of PPDR developments at WRC-2003
- the identification of bands or frequencies that might affect amateurs,
and the CEPT concept of a “tuning range” in the band 390 to 470 MHz.
CEPT wants to standardize equipment that can operate at any frequency
used by any of its member countries within this range, and also wanted
to impose this idea on the rest of the world. CITEL countries on the
other hand are focusing on the 880 MHz band as well as some 700 MHz
spectrum from the UHF TV allocation, expected to become available when
digital transmission is introduced in this frequency range.
At WRC 03, the concept of a tuning range was not accepted. In the end,
bands identified for PPDR do not affect amateurs. A new Resolution was
approved by WRC-2003, for introducing the necessary changes to the Radio
Regulations and calling for ongoing technical studies for implementing
harmonized PPDR. No changes to frequency allocations were proposed. On
the positive side, the Resolution contains references to the role that
the amateur services play in disaster communications, and encourages
removal of administrative barriers to cross border movement of disaster
communications equipment.
Agenda Item 1.5 - Allocations to Wireless LANs at 5 GHz
Agenda item 1.5 dealt with allocations to a number of services in the 5
GHz band, of which the most difficult and controversial were related to
a proposed primary allocation to the mobile service to be used by
devices permitting wireless connections within computer networks (which
I will refer to as WLANs).
To date, most such devices operate in the 2.4 GHz band, but already at
the WRC, many delegates were using dual-band cards in their laptops,
because the 5 GHz network was faster and, in general, easier to access
There is the potential that emissions from very large numbers of such
devices, numbering in the millions, will interfere with commercial
satellite receivers, and so this issue was hotly debated. To further
complicate the issue, some Region 2 countries including Canada wish to
allow such cards to be connected to outside high gain antennas, so that
they can extend local networks to provide communications between
computers in different buildings.
The IARU’s main concern was to ensure that both indoor and outdoor WLAN
transmitters would not cause significant problems for the amateur and
amateur satellite services in this band. (Since our allocation is
secondary, we must accept such interference).
WRC 03 decisions imposed new restrictions on 5 GHz WLAN power and
antenna gain to protect other services and should also afford us a good
deal of protection. So, although the primary mobile allocations were
approved, they are not expected to cause us much harm.
5.3 Agenda Item 1.8 - Issues Related to Unwanted Emissions
There were two aspects of this agenda item of interest to the IARU.
The first relates to spurious emissions, that is, signals produced by a
transmitter at some frequency outside the allocated band (often
harmonics), which may interfere with other receivers. There are
international regulations setting limits on such spurious emissions, and
the levels for amateur transmitters are clearly defined. We are
interested in ensuring that these limits are not tightened to the point
where home constructed amateur equipment could not meet them. The very
sensitive receivers used by radio astronomers and remote sensing
satellites are susceptible to spurious emissions, and users of those
services are continually trying to update the limits to provide
additional protection. This topic was not a major issue for us at this
conference.
A second problem is concerned with what amateurs call “splatter”. In
other words, a poorly designed or operated amateur transmitter can cause
interference to other amateurs using a nearby frequency.
To date, there have been no international regulations governing the
level of such splatter, although the radio astronomers and passive
sensor people have been trying hard to see such regulations put into
effect.
The threat to amateurs occurs when one of our bands is immediately
adjacent to a passive sensor band, and amateurs operating near the band
edge might cause problems.
With support from the Canadian delegation, we were able to ensure that
none of the amateur bands were mentioned in any new regulatory
constraints approved at the conference. There are however, two 2007
agenda items related to ongoing studies of such band pairs, and these
should be monitored in the ITU-R
Agenda Item 1.12 - Allocations and Regulatory Issues for the Space
Science Services
This agenda item proposed an allocation of up to 3 MHz, in the range
below 1 GHz, for uplink control signals used in deep space operations.
Our concern was possible new allocations in the 144, 220, and 440 MHz
bands.
A new allocation was proposed to the WRC, at 260 MHz, to meet the needs
of Russia and a few neighboring countries. Finland and Lithuania as well
as the Arab countries opposed the allocation, but eventually their
concerns were met and the allocation was approved. There are no adverse
effects for amateur radio foreseen.
Agenda Item 1.15 - Radio Navigation Satellite Service (RNSS) Issues
The Radio Navigation Satellite Service, or RNSS, (better known to most
people as GPS, or Global Positioning Systems), operates in several bands
between 1100 and 1300 MHz. There are two other RNSS systems that occupy
this band, the Russian GLONASS system, and a proposed new European
system named GALILEO. The GALILEO allocation between 1260 and 1300 MHz
(approved at WRC 2000) overlaps our amateur and amateur satellite
allocations, but to date does not pose much of a threat.
However, other spectrum users such as airborne and ground based radars
are more concerned.
The issue to be settled at this conference was, what limits or
constraints, if any, should be placed on GPS and GALILEO satellites to
protect the other services?
After much heated debate, it was agreed that existing GPS systems put
into operation before 2000 would not be subject to constraints, but that
limits would be imposed on all new systems.
From an amateur point of view, these new constraints will just provide a
little extra protection for us as well, and so this decision was a
positive one from our point of view.
Agenda Item 1.16 - Allocations for Feeder Links to Little LEOs below
1.4 GHz
The so-called “little LEO” (Low Earth Orbit) satellite systems are
commercial versions of amateur digital, store-and-forward, messaging
satellites. They are still looking for world wide spectrum allocations
in which to operate.
This is a serious concern for the IARU since, as we know, in preparation
for the WRC 97, the little LEO proponents wanted to use the two metre
amateur band and only after vigorous opposition, dropped the proposal.
At this conference, the USA, backed by a few third world countries
proposed spectrum allocations for “feeder links” (i.e. control signals)
around 1400-1600 MHz, and “service links” (i.e. up-bound data links)
around 450 MHz. They already have frequency allocations for downward
data links.
The feeder link proposal was strongly opposed by most countries, since
the frequencies around 1400 to 1600 MHz are extremely heavily used by
many services. In spite of this opposition, the US succeeded in getting
allocations provisionally approved, subject to the conduct of more
studies to demonstrate that there will be no interference. If these
studies are successful, the allocation may be put into effect at the
next conference. We must continue to monitor this item, because if they
succeed with the feeder links, then the need for service links will not
go away.
Agenda Item 1.20 - Allocations Below 1 GHz for Little LEO Service
uplinks
At this WRC, there was also a little LEO agenda item looking for up to 7
MHz of spectrum below 1 GHz for service links. The specific US proposal
was focused on a band just above 450 MHz, - uncomfortably close to our
70 cm band.
Opposition to this proposal was also extremely strong, and during the
pre-conference ITU-R studies, we were able to get virtually all
countries to recommend “no allocation”.
To our surprise, the Little LEO proponents in the USA decided to give up
early on this one, and the “no change” proposal was rapidly approved in
committees. The fact that the proponents fought long and hard, and
eventually succeeded on the feeder link question under Agenda Item 1.16
however, is a clear warning that we can expect another onslaught on the
VHF bands at a future conference.
Agenda Item 1.38 - Synthetic Aperture Radars in the 70 cm Band
During the past seven years, ITU studies have been conducted concerning
the possibility of sharing the 420-470 MHz band between a proposed new
allocation, to be used by satellite borne synthetic aperture radars (SARs)
to measure ground moisture, and other existing users in the range. These
users include ground-based, ship and airborne radars, fixed and mobile
operators, and a variety of other smaller users, such as amateur radio,
wind profiler radars and rocket launch vehicle destruct systems. The
studies, in which the IARU was one of the major players, concluded in
early 2003, with a technical description of the constraints on the SAR
design necessary to ensure minimum interference. These constraints were
contained in a revised ITU Recommendation that was approved just before
the WRC.
Many countries, to meet perceived environmental needs, came to the WRC
with proposals for a secondary SAR allocation, subject to the approved
constraints. ESA, NASA and the Canadian Space Agency were also strongly
supportive. Furthermore, fixed and mobile interests in most
administrations succeeded in focusing the proposals on the range 432-438
MHz, in spite of evidence that all existing services would be protected
by the constraints.
On the world scale, there was very little opposition to the allocation,
with only the USA and a couple of South American countries openly
opposing, and a few countries such as India and some of the Arab bloc
prepared to put up an argument. The IARU also vigorously opposed, but
had no right to speak at the conference.
Because VE3PU had chaired the ITU-R drafting group working on the
sharing studies for many years, he was in fact given several
opportunities to voice the IARU objections, but of course they carried
little weight in the final decision. The US opposition faded away early
in the discussions, as did the Arab objections, and the allocation was
one of the first to reach plenary.
Although the allocation will go ahead, it is unlikely that a SAR will be
launched before 2010, if ever, and if it does eventually fly, we feel
confident that the design constraints will ensure that most amateurs
will never see any significant interference in our weak signal or
satellite bands at 432 and 435-438 MHz.