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Allocations

Intro to Allocations

U.S. Non-Federal-Government Allocations

1670 - 1675 MHz
FIXED
MOBILE except aeronautical mobile

5.341 US211 US362

FCC Rule Parts:
Wireless Communications (27)

Relevant FCC Auctions:
Auction 46 (1670-1675 MHz Band Nationwide License), $12,628,000
Total net auction bids: $12,628,000

U.S. Federal Government Allocations

1670 - 1675 MHz

5.341 US211 US362

ITU Region 1 Allocations

1670 - 1675 MHz
METEOROLOGICAL AIDS
FIXED
METEOROLOGICAL-SATELLITE (space-to-Earth)
MOBILE
MOBILE-SATELLITE (Earth-to-space) 5.351A 5.379B

5.341 5.379D 5.379E 5.380A

ITU Region 2 Allocations

1670 - 1675 MHz
METEOROLOGICAL AIDS
FIXED
METEOROLOGICAL-SATELLITE (space-to-Earth)
MOBILE
MOBILE-SATELLITE (Earth-to-space) 5.351A 5.379B

5.341 5.379D 5.379E 5.380A

ITU Region 3 Allocations

1670 - 1675 MHz
METEOROLOGICAL AIDS
FIXED
METEOROLOGICAL-SATELLITE (space-to-Earth)
MOBILE
MOBILE-SATELLITE (Earth-to-space) 5.351A 5.379B

5.341 5.379D 5.379E 5.380A

SpectrumWiki

Band Uses (1670 - 1675 MHz)

GOES, POES, & MetOp Weather Satellites

Radiosondes

WRC-27 consideration of MSS space-to-space links

Footnotes

5.341 In the bands 1 400-1 727 MHz, 101-120 GHz and 197-220 GHz, passive research is being conducted by some countries in a programme for the search for intentional emissions of extraterrestrial origin.

5.351A For the use of the bands 1 518-1 544 MHz, 1 545-1 559 MHz, 1 610-1 645.5 MHz, 1 646.5-1 660.5 MHz, 1 668-1 675 MHz, 1 980-2 010 MHz, 2 170-2 200 MHz, 2 483.5-2 520 MHz and 2 670-2 690 MHz by the mobile-satellite service, see Resolutions 212 (Rev.WRC 07)* and 225 (Rev.WRC 07)**. (WRC 07)

5.379B The use of the band 1 668-1 675 MHz by the mobile-satellite service is subject to coordination under No. 9.11A. In the band 1 668-1 668.4 MHz, Resolution 904 (WRC 07) shall apply. (WRC-07)

5.379D For sharing of the band 1 668.4-1 675 MHz between the mobile-satellite service and the fixed and mobile services, Resolution 744 (Rev.WRC 07) shall apply. (WRC-07)

5.379E In the band 1 668.4-1 675 MHz, stations in the mobile-satellite service shall not cause harmful interference to stations in the meteorological aids service in China, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Japan and Uzbekistan. In the band 1 668.4-1 675 MHz, administrations are urged not to implement new systems in the meteorological aids service and are encouraged to migrate existing meteorological aids service operations to other bands as soon as practicable. (WRC-03)

5.380A In the band 1 670-1 675 MHz, stations in the mobile-satellite service shall not cause harmful interference to, nor constrain the development of, existing earth stations in the meteorological-satellite service notified before 1 January 2004. Any new assignment to these earth stations in this band shall also be protected from harmful interference from stations in the mobile-satellite service. (WRC-07)

US211 In the bands 1670-1690, 5000-5250 MHz and 10.7-11.7, 15.1365-15.35, 15.4-15.7, 22.5-22.55, 24-24.05, 31.0-31.3, 31.8-32.0, 40.5-42.5, 116-122.25, 123-130, 158.5-164, 167-168, 191.8-200, and 252-265 GHz, applicants for airborne or space station assignments are urged to take all practicable steps to protect radio astronomy observations in the adjacent bands from harmful interference; however, US74 applies.

US362 The band 1670-1675 MHz is allocated to the meteorological-satellite service (space-to-Earth) on a primary basis for Federal use. Earth station use of this allocation is limited to Wallops Island, VA (37° 56' 44'' N, 75° 27' 37'' W), Fairbanks, AK (64° 58' 22'' N, 147° 30' 04'' W), and Greenbelt, MD (39° 00' 02'' N, 76° 50' 29'' W). Applicants for non-Federal stations within 100 kilometers of the Wallops Island or Fairbanks coordinates and within 65 kilometers of the Greenbelt coordinates shall notify NOAA in accordance with the procedures specified in 47 CFR 1.924.

SpectrumWiki

Band Uses (1670 - 1675 MHz)

GOES, POES, & MetOp Weather Satellites

The U.S. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) operates various weather satellites. Some of the satellites are geostationary (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites, or GOES), and others are in polar low Earth orbits (Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellites, or POES).

The first of the next-generation polar-orbiting satellites, known as Suomi NPP (National Polar-orbiting Partnership), was launched on October 28th, 2011. An additional next-gen satellite launch is scheduled for 2017.

As a result of the 2012 Middle Class Tax Relief and Jobs Creation Act, POES, GOES, and MetOp satellites use some spectrum that is shared by, or adjacent to, the 1695-1710 MHz portion of the AWS-3 spectrum. This segment is used for uplinks from mobile devices to base stations. To mitigate interference to NOAA operations, the government has issued an RFP for an RF Interference Management System (RFIMS), which will be installed at the 17 official NOAA ground stations, listen for interference, and alert mobile network operators in real time that mitigation measures are needed. The RFIMS concept was first proposed by the Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee (CSMAC).

Details of the signals transmitted by the satellites are provided in the linked presentation.

According to NOAA:

NOAA’s most sophisticated Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES), known as the GOES-R Series, provide advanced imagery and atmospheric measurements of Earth’s Western Hemisphere, real-time mapping of lightning activity, and improved monitoring of solar activity and space weather.

GOES satellites orbit 22,236 miles above Earth’s equator, at speeds equal to the Earth's rotation. This allows them to maintain their positions over specific geographic regions so they can provide continuous coverage of that area over time.

The first satellite in the series, GOES-R, now known as GOES-16, was launched in 2016 and is currently operational as NOAA’s GOES East satellite. GOES-S, now known as GOES-17, was launched in 2018 and now serves as an on-orbit backup. GOES-T, now GOES-18, launched in 2022 and now serves as NOAA’s operational GOES West satellite. GOES satellites are designated with a letter prior to launch. Once a GOES satellite has successfully reached geostationary orbit, it is renamed with a number. GOES-U, the final satellite in the series, is scheduled to launch in 2024.

Together, GOES East and GOES West watch over more than half the globe — from the west coast of Africa to New Zealand and from near the Arctic Circle to the Antarctic Circle.

The GOES-R Program is a collaborative effort between NOAA and NASA. NASA builds and launches the satellites for NOAA, which operates them and distributes their data to users worldwide.

The Polar Operational Environmental Satellites (POES) satellite system makes 14 nearly polar orbits per day approximately 520 miles above Earth. The Earth's rotation allows the satellite to see a different view with each orbit, and each satellite provides two complete views of weather around the world each day. NOAA partners with the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) to operate two polar-orbiting satellites – one POES and one European polar-orbiting satellite called MetOp.

The POES instruments include the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer, the Advanced TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder (ATOVS), and the Microwave Humidity Sounder provided by EUMETSAT. These instruments provide visible, infrared, and microwave data which is used for a variety of applications such as to monitor cloud and precipitation, determine surface properties, and profile humidity.

Data from the POES supports a broad range of environmental monitoring applications including weather analysis and forecasting, climate research and prediction, global sea surface temperature measurements, atmospheric soundings of temperature and humidity, ocean dynamics research, volcanic eruption monitoring, forest fire detection, global vegetation analysis, and search and rescue.

Frequencies
Frequency	Bandwidth	Use	Service	Table
137.1 MHz	34 kHz	POES Automatic Picture Transmission (APT) downlink	Meteorological-satellite	F
137.5 MHz	34 kHz	POES Automatic Picture Transmission (APT) downlink	Meteorological-satellite	F
137.62 MHz	34 kHz	POES Automatic Picture Transmission (APT) downlink	Meteorological-satellite	F
137.9125 MHz	34 kHz	POES Automatic Picture Transmission (APT) downlink	Meteorological-satellite	F
1676 MHz	5.2 MHz	Legacy GOES SDL downlink	Meteorological-satellite	F
1680 MHz	475 kHz	GOES-R DCPR downlink	Meteorological-satellite	F
1681.5 MHz	400 kHz	Legacy GOES MDL downlink	Meteorological-satellite	F
1685.7 MHz	4.22 MHz	Legacy GOES GVAR downlink	Meteorological-satellite	F
1686.6 MHz	10.9 MHz	GOES-R GRB downlink	Meteorological-satellite	F
1691 MHz	586 kHz	Legacy GOES LRIT downlink	Meteorological-satellite	F
1692.7 MHz	27 kHz	Legacy GOES EMWIN-N downlink	Meteorological-satellite	F
1693 MHz	80 kHz	GOES-R CDA telemetry downlink	Meteorological-satellite	F
1694 MHz	16 kHz	Legacy GOES CDA Telemetry downlink	Meteorological-satellite	F
1694.1 MHz	1.205 MHz	GOES-R HRIT downlink	Meteorological-satellite	F
1694.5 MHz	475 kHz	Legacy GOES DCPR downlink	Meteorological-satellite	F
1694.8 MHz	475 kHz	Legacy GOES DCPR downlink	Meteorological-satellite	F
1698 MHz	5.32 MHz	POES Local Area Coverage (LAC) and Global Area Coverage (GAC) downlink	Meteorological-satellite	F
1698 MHz	2.66 MHz	POES High Resolution Picture Transmission (HRPT) downlink	Meteorological-satellite	F
1701.3 MHz	4.5 MHz	MetOp Advanced High Resolution Picture Transmissions (AHRPT) downlink	Meteorological-satellite	F
1702.5 MHz	5.32 MHz	POES Local Area Coverage (LAC) and Global Area Coverage (GAC) downlink	Meteorological-satellite	F
1702.5 MHz	2.66 MHz	POES High Resolution Picture Transmission (HRPT) downlink	Meteorological-satellite	F
1707 MHz	5.32 MHz	POES Local Area Coverage (LAC) and Global Area Coverage (GAC) downlink	Meteorological-satellite	F
1707 MHz	4.5 MHz	MetOp Advanced High Resolution Picture Transmissions (AHRPT) downlink	Meteorological-satellite	F
1707 MHz	12 MHz	Suomi NPP Low Data Rate (LDR) downlink	Meteorological-satellite	F
1707 MHz	2.66 MHz	POES High Resolution Picture Transmission (HRPT) downlink	Meteorological-satellite	F
7812 MHz	30 MHz	Suomi NPP High Data Rate (HDR) downlink	Meteorological-satellite	F

External Links:

NOAA User's Guide for Building and Operating Environmental Satellite Receiving Stations

Associated Files:

	DySpan_presentation_v2 Radio Frequency Interference Monitoring System for Weather Satellite Ground Stations: Challenges and Opportunities, presentation by NOAA at the DySPAN 2017 conf...

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Radiosondes

According to the U.S. National Weather Service:

In order to understand the dynamic processes that result in the weather we experience, we need to know what is happening through the entire atmosphere. These observations are primarily taken with the aid of radiosondes.

The radiosonde is a small instrument package that is suspended below balloon filled with either hydrogen or helium. As the radiosonde is carried aloft, it measures pressure, temperature, and relative humidity.

These sensors are linked to a battery-powered radio transmitter that sends the information to a ground receiver. By tracking the position of the radiosonde in flight via GPS (Global Positioning System), measurements of wind speed and direction aloft is also obtained.

Worldwide, most radiosonde observations are taken daily at 00Z and 12Z (6 a.m. and 6 p.m. EST). With worldwide coordination of these upper air observations, we can obtain a picture of the various pressure and wind patterns across the globe.

Radiosonde observations technically provide only pressure, temperature, and relative humidity data; the tracked position of a radiosonde is actually called a rawinsonde observation and is used to obtain wind speed and direction. However, meteorologists and other data users frequently refer to them as part of the radiosonde observation.

The radiosonde flight can last in excess of two hours, and during this time the radiosonde can ascend to over 115,000 feet (35,000 m) and drift more than 125 miles (200 km) from the release point. During the flight, the radiosonde is exposed to temperatures as cold as -130°F (-92°C) and air pressures of only a few hundredths of what is found on the Earth's surface.

When the balloon has expanded beyond its elastic limit (20-25 feet in diameter) and bursts, the radiosonde returns to Earth via a small parachute. This slows its descent, minimizing the danger to life and property.

If found, radiosondes are safe to handle, as long as the balloon is deflated. Cut the string to the balloon/parachute and place them in a trash receptacle. You may also dispose of the radiosonde itself or keep it.

Worldwide, there are about 1,300 upper-air stations. Observations are made by the NWS at 92 stations: 69 in the conterminous United States, 13 in Alaska, nine in the Pacific, and one in Puerto Rico.

NWS supports the operation of 10 other stations in the Caribbean. Through international agreements, data are exchanged between countries worldwide.

Frequency Bands
Band	Use	Service	Table
400.15 - 406 MHz	Radiosondes	Meteorological Aids	F
1675 - 1685 MHz	Radiosondes	Meteorological Aids	F

External Links:

Radiosondes (U.S. National Weather Service)

Associated Files:

A Lockheed Martin Mark IIA Microsonde (radiosonde).

Preparing to launch a radiosonde (Reno, NV area).

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WRC-27 consideration of MSS space-to-space links

WRC-27 agenda item 1.11:

to consider the technical and operational issues, and regulatory provisions, for space-to-space links among non-geostationary and geostationary satellites in the frequency bands 1 518-1 544 MHz,
1 545-1 559 MHz, 1 610-1 645.5 MHz, 1 646.5-1 660 MHz, 1 670-1 675 MHz and 2 483.5-2 500 MHz allocated to the mobile-satellite service, in accordance with Resolution 249 (Rev.WRC-23)

Frequency Bands
Band	Use	Service	Table
1518 - 1544 MHz	WRC-27 consideration of MSS space-to-space links	Mobile-satellite	-
1545 - 1559 MHz	WRC-27 consideration of MSS space-to-space links	Mobile-satellite	-
1610 - 1645.5 MHz	WRC-27 consideration of MSS space-to-space links	Mobile-satellite	-
1646.5 - 1660 MHz	WRC-27 consideration of MSS space-to-space links	Mobile-satellite	-
1670 - 1675 MHz	WRC-27 consideration of MSS space-to-space links	Mobile-satellite	-
2483.5 - 2500 MHz	WRC-27 consideration of MSS space-to-space links	Mobile-satellite	-

External Links:

WRC-27 agenda (see Annex 1)

Resolution 249 (WRC-23)

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Related Documents, Links, and Multimedia:

FCC Proceeding (1)

LightSquared Petition to use 1670-1680 MHz for Terrestrial Downlinks

Occupancy Measurements (10)

Legislation (1)

Other (1)

The Very Large Array Radio Telescope

Engineering Data

	Lower Frequency	Center Frequency	Upper Frequency
Frequency	1670 MHz	1672.5 MHz	1675 MHz
Wavelength	18.0 cm	17.9 cm	17.9 cm
Band designator(s)	UHF; L-band (IEEE)	UHF; L-band (IEEE)	UHF; L-band (IEEE)
Isotropic collecting area	25.6 cm²	25.6 cm²	25.5 cm²
Free space loss (1 m)	36.9 dB	36.9 dB	36.9 dB
Free space loss (1 km)	96.9 dB	96.9 dB	96.9 dB
Free space loss (10 km)	116.9 dB	116.9 dB	116.9 dB
Free space loss (100 km)	136.9 dB	136.9 dB	136.9 dB
Free space loss (1000 km)	156.9 dB	156.9 dB	156.9 dB
Free space loss (35,786 km = GEO orbit)	188.0 dB	188.0 dB	188.0 dB
Free space loss (378,370 km = Moon)	208.5 dB	208.5 dB	208.5 dB