SB SPACE @ ARL $ARLS012   
   ARLS012 IARU Reiterates Commitment to Coordinate Satellites Only Within   
   International Band Plans   
      
   ZCZC AS12   
   QST de W1AW   
   Space Bulletin 012  ARLS012   
   > From ARRL Headquarters   
   Newington, CT  August 24, 2015   
   To all radio amateurs   
      
   SB SPACE ARL ARLS012   
   ARLS012 IARU Reiterates Commitment to Coordinate Satellites Only Within   
   International Band Plans   
      
   In apparent reference to efforts by China's Amateur Satellite Group (CAMSAT)   
   to coordinate operating frequencies for nine satellites set to launch in early   
   September, the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) has made it clear that   
   it will not coordinate frequencies that do not conform with accepted band   
   plans for all three IARU regions. The IARU has informed CAMSAT CEO Alan Kung,   
   BA1DU, that it was only able to coordinate uplink and downlink frequencies for   
   two of the nine spacecraft (CAS-3/XW-2D and E), but it has not made that   
   letter public. CAMSAT has said it plans to launch the nine satellites, all   
   carrying Amateur Radio payloads, on September 7 or   
   8.   
      
   "The IARU Satellite Adviser, Hans van de Groenendaal, ZS6AKV, and his advisory   
   panel are mandated to coordinate frequencies within the IARU band plans for   
   amateur satellites," said a public statement released on August 20 by IARU   
   Secretary Rod Stafford, W6ROD. "Coordinated frequencies must comply with band   
   plans that are common to all three IARU regions. Satellites coordinated   
   outside these plans could cause interference to terrestrial amateur operations   
   in other regions."   
      
   The IARU statement suggested that the popularity and high occupancy of 2   
   meters "led to a request by satellite builders for coordination outside the   
   spectrum reserved for satellites in the IARU band plans (145.800-146.000 MHz),   
   as not enough channels are available to satisfy their requirements."   
      
   The IARU said that, in theory, satellites could be programmed only to operate   
   while orbiting above their countries of origin, but "because satellite orbits   
   make it difficult to pinpoint operations, spillover to other regions may occur   
   during parts of the orbit. Accordingly, IARU will not coordinate frequencies   
   for satellites which are planned to operate outside the internationally   
   aligned IARU band plans for amateur satellites."   
      
   The IARU statement noted that its frequency coordination service aims to   
   "maximize spectrum utilization and avoid possible interference to other   
   satellites and ground stations." The IARU recommended that satellite groups   
   "work on a sharing plan or use other parts of the Amateur Service spectrum   
   designated for satellite operation," and it suggested resurrecting 10 meters -   
   once popular as a satellite band, but largely unused today - as one   
   possibility for uplink channels.   
      
   "The band segment 29,300-29,510 MHz has been used for Amateur-Satellite   
   downlinks for more than 40 years, beginning with Australis-OSCAR 5 in 1970 and   
   AMSAT-OSCAR 6, AMSAT's first communication satellite, in 1972," the IARU   
   statement noted. Just one amateur satellite actively uses a 29 MHz downlink -   
   AMSAT-OSCAR 7, launched in 1974. Conceding that 29 MHz downlink frequencies   
   "would not be practical for today's very small satellites" due to antenna size   
   considerations, the IARU said the band could be used for uplinks, even with   
   small receiving antennas, because Earth stations can run sufficient transmit   
   power to overcome the disadvantage. "The IARU Satellite Adviser and his panel   
   believe that the 10 meter band offers a good alternative to 2 meter uplinks,"   
   the IARU said.   
      
   AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW, said his organization's Advanced   
   Satellite Communications and Exploration of New Technology (ASCENT) initiative   
   is exploring alternatives to address the proliferation of CubeSats and the   
   resulting pressure on 2 meters and 70 centimeters. He pointed out that the 200   
   kHz IARU allocation on 2 meters "is not very wide" given the number of   
   satellites being launched, but the use of 10 meters is impractical in this era   
   of CubeSats.   
      
   "It is incumbent upon the Amateur-Satellite community to develop new ways of   
   'keeping Amateur Radio in space' that take advantage of other bands and   
   provide enhanced services through appropriate technologies, given the need to   
   find suitable bandwidth for an increasing number of satellites," Baines told   
   ARRL. He said using digital technology could provide multi-channel capability,   
   and design work is already under way. Transitioning to "underutilized amateur   
   spectrum on bands such as 5 GHz and 10 GHz is also a possibility, Baines   
   added, although he was quick to point out that AMSAT does not intend to   
   abandon use of 2 meters and 70 centimeters for its own satellite projects.   
      
   The IARU said that when a large group of satellite sharing the same band is   
   launched, "they will soon drift apart which enhances the opportunity to share   
   the same frequencies. For example, during the initial phase, just after   
   launch, a time-sharing system could be used to monitor the payloads before   
   initializing transponders and other systems."   
      
   "Currently the IARU team also coordinates frequencies for satellites built by   
   universities and educational groups in an effort to maximize spectrum   
   utilization and mitigate any possible interference to Amateur Radio   
   operations," the IARU statement concluded. "The IARU is committed to work with   
   these groups and with the ITU to find other spectrum for these satellites."   
      
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   )\/(ark   
      
   ... Cowards are always the first ones to belittle heroism.   
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