HANDBOOK OF FREQUENCY ALLOCATIONS
AND SPECTRUM PROTECTION
FOR SCIENTIFIC USES
Second Edition
Panel on Frequency Allocations and
Spectrum Protection for Scientific Uses
Committee on Radio Frequencies
Board on Physics and Astronomy
Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, D.C.
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001
This activity was supported by Grant No. AST-1446651 from the National Science Foundation and Contract No. NNH10CD04B, TO#11 from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-37659-4
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-37659-9
DOI: 10.17226/21774
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Copyright 2015 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America
Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2015. Handbook of Frequency Allocations and Spectrum Protection for Scientific Uses: Second Edition. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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PANEL ON FREQUENCY ALLOCATIONS AND SPECTRUM PROTECTION FOR SCIENTIFIC USES: SECOND EDITION
JASMEET JUDGE, University of Florida, Chair
LIESE VAN ZEE, Indiana University, Vice Chair
WILLIAM J. BLACKWELL, MIT Lincoln Laboratory
MICHAEL DAVIS, SETI Institute (retired)
DARREL EMERSON, National Radio Astronomy Observatory (retired)
TODD GAIER, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
KENNETH JEZEK, The Ohio State University
KENNETH I. KELLERMANN, National Radio Astronomy Observatory
DAVID LE VINE, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
AMY LOVELL, Agnes Scott College
TIMOTHY J. PEARSON, California Institute of Technology
PAUL SIQUEIRA, University of Massachusetts-Amherst
GREGORY B. TAYLOR, University of New Mexico
THOMAS L. WILSON, Naval Research Laboratory
Staff
JAMES C. LANCASTER, Director
DAVID B. LANG, Senior Program Officer
NEERAJ P. GORKHALY, Research Associate
LINDA WALKER, Program Coordinator
BETH DOLAN, Financial Associate
COMMITTEE ON RADIO FREQUENCIES
JASMEET JUDGE, University of Florida, Chair
LIESE VAN ZEE, Indiana University, Vice Chair
WILLIAM J. BLACKWELL, MIT Lincoln Laboratory
TODD GAIER, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
KENNETH JEZEK, The Ohio State University
KENNETH I. KELLERMANN, National Radio Astronomy Observatory
DAVID LE VINE, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
AMY LOVELL, Agnes Scott College
TIMOTHY J. PEARSON, California Institute of Technology
PAUL SIQUEIRA, University of Massachusetts-Amherst
GREGORY B. TAYLOR, University of New Mexico
THOMAS L. WILSON, Naval Research Laboratory
Consultants
PAUL FELDMAN, Esq., Fletcher, Heald and Hildreth
MICHAEL DAVIS, SETI Institute (retired)
DARREL EMERSON, National Radio Astronomy Observatory (retired)
Staff
JAMES C. LANCASTER, Director
DON SHAPERO, Senior Scholar
DAVID B. LANG, Senior Program Officer
NEERAJ P. GORKHALY, Research Associate
LINDA WALKER, Program Coordinator
BETH DOLAN, Financial Associate
BOARD ON PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY
MICHAEL S. WITHERELL, University of California, Santa Barbara, Chair
CHARLES L. BENNETT, Johns Hopkins University, Vice Chair
RICCARDO BETTI, University of Rochester
TODD DITMIRE, University of Texas, Austin
NATHANIEL J. FISCH, Princeton University
PAUL FLEURY, Yale University
GERALD GABRIELSE, Harvard University
JACQUELINE N. HEWITT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
BARBARA V. JACAK, Stony Brook University
BARBARA JONES, IBM Almaden Research Center
HERBERT LEVINE, Rice University
ABRAHAM (AVI) LOEB, Harvard University
MONICA OLVERA DE LA CRUZ, Northwestern University
PAUL SCHECHTER, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Staff
JAMES C. LANCASTER, Director
DAVID B. LANG, Senior Program Officer
NEERAJ P. GORKHALY, Research Associate
LINDA WALKER, Program Coordinator
BETH DOLAN, Financial Associate
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Preface
This handbook was developed by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Panel on Frequency Allocations and Spectrum Protection for Scientific Uses, a panel whose membership was drawn predominantly from the Committee on Radio Frequencies (CORF). The committee was given the following task:
An ad hoc committee under the auspices of the National Research Council will prepare the second edition of the 2007 NRC report, “Handbook of Frequency Allocations and Spectrum Protection for Scientific Uses.” The report will describe the radio frequency bands used by the scientific services, primarily the passive radio astronomy and Earth remote-sensing services. The report will include relevant regulatory information and a discussion of the scientific use of frequency bands. It will serve as a reference or handbook, guiding spectrum managers and spectrum regulatory bodies on science issues, serving as a resource to scientists on spectrum regulation for research, and providing information to other spectrum users on the concerns of the scientific users of the spectrum. It will not contain any recommendations.
The volume sets forth the principles for the allocation and protection of spectral bands for services using the radio spectrum for scientific research. The purposes of the handbook are as follows:
- To document the panel’s positions on spectrum issues,
- To guide spectrum managers and spectrum regulatory bodies on science issues,
- To serve as a resource for scientists on spectrum regulation for research, and
- To provide information to other spectrum users on the concerns of the scientific users of the spectrum.
Among the resources used to prepare this handbook were the following: the Handbook on Radio Astronomy by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU);1 the “Redbook” of the National
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1 International Telecommunication Union, Handbook on Radio Astronomy, 3rd edition, Geneva, Switzerland, 2013.
Telecommunications and Information Administration2 (NTIA) (please note that the NTIA Redbook is a dynamic document; it is suggested that readers check the NTIA Web site, listed below, for the latest allocations and regulations); the Table of Frequency Allocations published by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)3; Spectrum Management for Science in the 21st Century4; and the handbooks for radio astronomy and frequency management from the European Science Foundation’s Committee on Radio Astronomy Frequencies (CRAF). Because radio-frequency regulations, regulatory footnotes, and frequency allocations are subject to change, readers are advised to check the ITU, NTIA, and FCC websites, listed below, for the latest information.
Further information on frequency management for scientific uses can be found at the following websites:
- Committee on Radio Frequencies (CORF) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine: http://sites.nationalacademies.org/bpa/bpa_048819;
- International Telecommunication Union: http://www.itu.int;
- Scientific Committee on Frequency Allocations for Radio Astronomy and Space Science (IUCAF) of the International Council for Science: http://www.iucaf.org;
- Federal Communications Commission: http://www.fcc.gov;
- National Telecommunications and Information Administration: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/osmhome/redbook/redbook.html;
- National Radio Astronomy Observatory Spectrum Management: http://www.cv.nrao.edu/~hliszt/RFI/RFI.htm;
- Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ Frequency Allocations in Remote Sensing (FARS) Committee: http://www.grss-ieee.org;
- Committee on Radio Astronomy Frequencies (CRAF) of the European Science Foundation: http://www.craf.eu; and
- National Science Foundation Electromagnetic Spectrum Management (ESM): http://nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5654.
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2 National Telecommunications and Information Administration, Manual of Regulations and Procedures for Federal Radio Frequency Management (Redbook), May 2013 edition, revised May 2014, available at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/osmhome/redbook/redbook.html.
3 Federal Communications Commission, Table of Frequency Allocations, May 15, 2015, available at https://www.fcc.gov/oet/spectrum/table/fcctable.pdf.
4 National Research Council, Spectrum Management for Science in the 21st Century, The National Academies Press, Washington, D.C., 2010.
Acknowledgments
This handbook grew out of materials presented and ideas expressed in the first edition of this report, Handbook of Frequency Allocations and Spectrum Protection for Scientific Uses.1
This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:
Tomas E. Gergely, National Science Foundation,
Michael Marcus, Marcus Spectrum,
James M. Moran, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics,
Jeffrey Piepmeier, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and
Charles Wende, NASA Headquarters.
Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Martha P. Haynes, Cornell University, who was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.
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1 National Research Council, Handbook of Frequency Allocations and Spectrum Protection for Scientific Uses, The National Academies Press, Washington, D.C., 2007.
The panel thanks the past members of the Committee on Radio Frequencies and the authors of and contributors to the previous edition for their contributions to this effort. The panel also thanks Mangala Sharma, Sandra Cruz-Pol, and Glen Langston of the National Science Foundation; Thomas von Deak and John Zuzek of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; and Tomas Gergely, whose knowledge and support were essential resources. In addition, the panel thanks the following members of the larger scientific community for their contributions to the handbook: J. Labelle, Dartmouth College; S. A. Cummer, Duke University; A. Weatherwax, Merrimack College; P.J. Erickson, F.D. Lind, and J. Vierinen, MIT Haystack Observatory; A. Komjathy and R. Jarnot, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory; P. Bernhardt, Naval Research Laboratory; M. Durand, Ohio State University; J. Mathews, Pennsylvania State University; S. Close, Stanford University; S. Palo, University of Colorado, Boulder; T. Pavelsky, University of North Carolina; and J. Sahr, University of Washington.
Contents
1 RADIO FREQUENCY REGULATION FOR THE SCIENTIFIC SERVICES
1.1 Frequency Protection Goals for the Scientific Services
1.4 Earth Exploration Satellite Service
1.5.1 The Meteorological Satellite Service and Meteorological Aids Service
1.5.2 The Space Research and Space Operations Services
1.5.3 Frequency, Time, and Position Systems
1.6 The Economic Value of the Science Services
1.6.1 Investments in Infrastructure
1.6.2 Technologies and Techniques Developed from Radio Astronomy
1.6.3 The Value of Satellite Remote Sensing
1.6.4 Education for Scientific Literacy
2 SCIENTIFIC BACKGROUND: RADIO ASTRONOMY SERVICE
2.1.1 Types of Radio Emission: Radio Continuum
2.1.2 Types of Radio Emission: Spectral Lines
2.1.3 Atmospheric Windows and Frequency Bands for Radio Astronomy
2.2.7 Prebiotic Chemical Evolution
2.2.8 The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
2.3 The Milky Way and Other Galaxies
2.3.1 The Interstellar Medium: Neutral and Ionized Atomic Gas
2.3.2 The Interstellar Medium: Cold Molecular Gas
2.3.3 The Interstellar Medium: Dust
2.3.6 Stars and Stellar Processes
2.3.7 Pulsars and Gravitational Waves
2.3.8 Galactic Structure and Dark Matter
2.3.9 Extragalactic Distance Estimates
2.4.1 Radio Galaxies, Quasars, and Active Galactic Nuclei
2.5 Cosmology and Structure of the Universe
2.5.1 Cosmic Microwave Background
2.5.2 Dark Energy, Dark Matter, and Cosmic Evolution
2.5.4 Galaxies in the Early Universe
3 SCIENTIFIC BACKGROUND: EARTH EXPLORATION SATELLITE SERVICE
3.5.1 Sea Surface Temperatures
3.6.1 Surface Dynamics and Deformation
3.6.2 Agricultural Productivity
3.6.3 Terrestrial Carbon Storage
4 TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF PROTECTION FOR THE SCIENTIFIC USE OF THE RADIO SPECTRUM
4.1 Radio Frequency Interference
4.1.1 Radio Astronomy Considerations
4.1.2 Remote Sensing Considerations
4.1.3 Out-of-Band and Spurious Signals
4.1.4 Percentage of Time Lost to Interference
4.2 Separation of Incompatible Services
4.3 Mitigation Techniques for Radio Astronomy
4.3.2 Filtering in Radio Astronomy Receivers
4.3.3 Filtering in Transmitters
4.3.4 Transmitter Beam Shaping
4.3.5 Interferometric Excision
4.4 Mitigation Techniques for Passive Remote Sensing
4.4.2 Digitization and Signal Excision
4.5 Goals for Additional Protection
4.5.3 New Frequencies of Interest
C International Astronomical Union Spectral Lines of Most Importance Below 300 GHz
D International Astronomical Union Spectral Lines of Most Importance Between 300 and 1000 GHz
E International Astronomical Union Spectral Lines of Most Importance Above 1 THz
F Use of 0 dBi for Sidelobe Gain in Calculations of Interference in Radio Astronomy Bands
G Selected Rules and Regulations of the Federal Communications Commission