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Ocean Radar (WRC-2012)
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The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), charged by the United Nations with coordinating global radio spectrum use, came to an agreement in February 2012 that will foster improvements in ocean radar technology, which may eventually allow near real-time detection and tracking of tsunamis and prediction of the likely paths of oil spills, ocean debris and persons lost at sea.
Global interest in ocean radars increased dramatically in recent years due to events such as the Gulf oil spill and the massive loss of life caused by the Indonesian and Japanese tsunamis. February's action by the ITU's 2012 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) provided specific radio frequency bands for ocean radars, which until now operated only on an informal basis and were subject to immediate shut-down if they caused interference with other radio systems.
Ocean radars are small radio systems typically installed on beaches and use radio signals to map ocean currents to distances as great as 100 miles. Users typically employ them for science, including the study of global ocean currents and their role in weather and climate change.
With further technical developments, including a reduction in the time between taking radar measurements and constructing maps of ocean currents, ocean radars could be used to alert authorities to the existence of tsunamis resulting from earthquakes and follow their path in near real time, allowing better warnings of impending dangers. The radars may also be able to predict the likely path of persons or vessels lost at sea and to predict the evolution of debris fields and oil spills after shipwrecks or oil rig disasters.
"The WRC's decision to identify dedicated ocean radar bands will help speed up technological development of these radars," said Andrew Clegg, a radio spectrum manager with the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), who chaired the international drafting group at the WRC that developed the ocean radar spectrum solution. "Many countries, particularly those recently devastated by ocean disasters, were particularly interested in reaching a global agreement for the use of ocean radars."
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Frequency Bands |
| Band | Use | Service | Table |
| 4438 - 4488 kHz | Ocean radars (primary in Region 2; secondary in Regions 1 & 3) | Radiolocation | - |
| 5250 - 5275 kHz | Ocean radars (primary in Region 2; secondary in Regions 1 & 3) | Radiolocation | - |
| 9305 - 9355 kHz | Ocean radars (secondary in Regions 1 & 3; no allocation in Region 2) | Radiolocation | - |
| 13450 - 13550 kHz | Ocean radars (secondary in all ITU Regions) | Radiolocation | - |
| 16100 - 16200 kHz | Ocean radars (primary in Region 2; secondary in Regions 1 & 3) | Radiolocation | - |
| 24450 - 24650 kHz | Ocean radars (secondary in Regions 1 & 3; 24450-24600 primary in Region 2) | Radiolocation | - |
| 26200 - 26420 kHz | Ocean radars (primary in Region 2; 26200-26350 secondary in Regions 2 & 3) | Radiolocation | - |
| 39 - 39.5 MHz | Ocean radars (secondary in Region 1) | Radiolocation | - |
| 39.5 - 40 MHz | Ocean radars (primary in Region 3) | Radiolocation | - |
| 41.015 - 41.665 MHz | Ocean radars (primary in U.S. and Rep. of Korea) | Radiolocation | - |
| 43.35 - 44 MHz | Ocean radars (primary in U.S. and Rep. of Korea) | Radiolocation | - |
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Associated Files:
An ocean radar at Refugio State Beach, California. The Interdisciplinary Oceanography Group at the University of California Santa Barbara operates the radar, which is sponsored in part by the National Science Foundation.
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Radio Astronomy (13.36 - 13.41 MHz)
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The band 13.36 - 13.41 MHz is the lowest frequency band allocated to the radio astronomy service. It is allocated on a primary basis in the U.S. and in all three ITU regions.
One radio astronomy facility that is being designed to make use of frequencies in this range is the Long Wavelength Array (LWA), which is co-located with the Very Large Array near Socorro, NM. The LWA design range is 10-88 MHz, with the main science goals and observing targets being relativistic particles in space (including supernova remnants, radio galaxies, and cosmic rays); cosmic evolution and the high-redshift universe; plasma astrophysics and space science; and transient cosmic radio sources.
Two major factors make radio astronomy at this low frequency very difficult. First, under normal conditions, the ionosphere heavily absorbs radio signals in this frequency range. Radio signals that are not absorbed will suffer strong and time-variable distortions due to density fluctations and motion of ionized material in the ionosphere.
Second, due to long-distance propagation of terrestrial radio signals in this range, radio frequency interference is a substantial problem, even for radio telescopes that are located at very remote sites. Within all three ITU regions, the band is shared with the fixed service.
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Frequency Bands |
| Band | Use | Service | Table |
| 13360 - 13410 kHz | Radio Astronomy (13.36-13.41 MHz) | Radio Astronomy | - |
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Access Broadband over Power Line (Access BPL)
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According to the FCC's definition, Access BPL is "a carrier current system installed and operated on an electric utility service as an unintentional radiator that sends radio frequency energy on frequencies between 1.705 MHz and 80 MHz over medium voltage lines or over low voltage lines to provide broadband communications and is located on the supply side of the utility service’s points of interconnection with customer premises. Access BPL does not include power line carrier systems as defined in § 15.3(t) or In-House BPL as defined in § 15.3(gg)."
Low voltage lines are defined as lines carrying, for example, 240/120 volts from a distribution transformer to a customer's premises. Medium voltage lines carry between 1,000 and 40,000 volts from a power substation to neighborhoods, and may be overhead or underground.
Access BPL is an unlicensed service operated under Subpart G of Part 15 of the FCC's rules. Radiated emission limits from medium voltage lines in the 1.705-30 MHz range must not exceed the limits in 47 CFR 15.209, and those from 30-80 MHz must not exceed the limits in 15.109(b). Systems that operate on low voltage lines must comply with 15.109(a) limits across the entire 1.705-80 MHz range.
When Access BPL systems must use notch filters to protect licensed services, the notch must be at least 25 dB below applicable Part 15 limits in the 1.705-30 MHz band, and at least 10 dB below the limits in the 30-80 MHz band.
There are 12 sub-bands in which Access BPL systems are not allowed to operate anywhere to protect aeronautical (land) stations and aircraft receivers. Those excluded bands are listed in 15.615(f), and are excluded in the list of Access BPL bands in this entry.
Access BPL systems are not allowed to operate within the sub-band 2173.5-2190.5 kHz within 1 km of coast station facilities listed in 47 CFR 15.615(f)(2)(i), to protect the internationally-recognized standard maritime calling frequency of 2182 kHz.
No Access BPL emissions are allowed in the 73.0-74.6 MHz radio astronomy band on overhead medium voltage lines within 65 km of the Very Large Array radio telescope in New Mexico (34 04 43.5N, 107 37 03.82W), or within 47 km of the VLA on underground power lines or overhead low voltage lines.
Access BPL operators must consult at least 30 days in advance when deploying systems near various FCC field offices, aeronautical and maritime stations, radar systems, radio astronomy stations, and research areas. Details are in 47 CFR 15.615(f)(3).
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