144 and 1240 MHz Bands – RSGB information

144 and 1240 MHz Bands – RSGB information

RSGB volunteers continue to be engaged with IARU and Ofcom on WRC matters including the 144 MHz and 1240 MHz bands as well as WRC-19 Agenda Items in CEPT-PTD (50 MHz, WPT, 5GHz) and CEPT-PT1 (24/47 GHz).

At UK level, RSGB are members of the Ofcom IFPG groups that consider these matters.

The RSGB has updated their special focus page with the latest documents and CEPT meeting minutes. See Proposed WRC-23 Agenda Items at
https://rsgb.org/main/news/special-focus/wrc-19/wrc-19-papers/

June 21 – RSGB Update on 144MHz and 1240 MHz band threats
https://rsgb.org/main/blog/news/gb2rs/headlines/2019/06/21/update-on-144mhz-and-23cm-threats/

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CEPT Project Team A, responsible for some aspects of the CEPT position for WRC-19, met in Prague from June 17-21. The meeting minutes are available for download

Regarding the 1240-1300 MHz band the minutes say:

The representative of the European Commission (EC) stated that, RNSS systems are global by nature, and that the radio amateur service is allocated in all regions. Once RNSS receivers (including Galileo E6 receivers) are deployed ubiquitously, the number of interference cases coming from radio amateur emissions will increase significantly and represent an important burden to Administrations, unless clear guidelines are available in order to drive the amateur community towards an appropriate usage of their allocation.

For these reasons, the EC believes that the French proposal of a WRC-23 agenda item is essential in order to complement the work being started within CEPT, and to find a sustainable solution for all parties. Also, the EC considers that WRC-23 is the right time for a decision enabling the better regulation of the RNSS-amateur coexistence at international level, as Galileo will start providing freely available high accuracy services in the 1260-1300 MHz band on a global basis from 2020.

The EC noted that some of the 7 Administrations which objected to the French contribution are open to consider a revised version of the proposal, and therefore believes that relevant support may be achievable at CPG level, following further discussions until end August.

Regarding the 144 MHz band the minutes say:

The representative of the IARU stated that, the IARU views with grave concern the element of the WRC-23 agenda item proposal 1.6 in the AI10 ECP, on studies towards a possible new allocation to the aeronautical mobile service in the band 144-146 MHz. This band is an important and the only globally harmonised primary allocation to the amateur and amateur satellite services in the VHF range. Examination of the RR below and above the 144-146 MHz range suggests that alternative proposals could be developed that could provide further spectrum for the aeronautical applications without impacting on this amateur service spectrum. The proposal provides no justification for addressing this band and the IARU believes that sharing with airborne systems is likely to be difficult and will lead to constraints on the development of the amateur and amateur satellite services in this band.

Meeting minutes https://cept.org/Documents/cpg-pt-a/52280/pta-19-105_minutes-pta-7

See the WRC-23 Agenda Items update issued by IARU Region 1 June 21
https://amsat-uk.org/2019/06/21/144-and-1240-mhz-bands-wrc-23-agenda-items-update/

Some background on previous CEPT WGFM and CPG/PTA discussions on the 1240-1300 MHz band
https://amsat-uk.org/2019/05/31/1240-1300-mhz-band-discussed-by-cept-wgfm-and-cpg-pta/

Get The Details…

m5aka

AMSAT-UK

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‘Green’ Alternative Fuel Set for First In-Space Test

‘Green’ Alternative Fuel Set for First In-Space Test

Satellites love hydrazine – a type of space propellant – but it’s toxic to people and extremely difficult to handle. A non-toxic alternative will be put to the test with NASA’s Green Propellant Infusion Mission (GPIM), set to launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.

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NASA Image of the Day

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16-year-old ham radio satellite builder in the press

16-year-old ham radio satellite builder in the press

FossaSat-1 PocketQube SatelliteFossaSat-1 PocketQube Satellite

16-year-old radio amateur Julián Fernández EA4HCD was interviewed by the newspaper El Mundo Chronicle about his FossaSat-1 PocketQube satellite.

A Google translation of an extract of the article says:

…at the age of seven someone told him about the International Space Station and, since then, he has not stopped fantasizing about the idea of a voyage safe from gravity. “Unlike the children of previous generations who dreamed of being astronauts without knowing very well how to get it, I have grown up with all the information at my fingertips,” he tells Crónica.”

Now Julián Fernández [EA4HCD], already as CEO of Fossa Systems, has just launched a crowdfunding campaign through GoFundMe with which he intends to finance his latest talent: a mini-satellite (the smallest in Spain and the third in the world) that will allow the Internet access throughout the world. “It is not designed to provide Wi-Fi hotspots,” jokes this student of 4th of ESO, “but to try to democratize access to telecommunications in the environment of the internet of things.” To meet its objective, and in order to reduce launch costs, the last two years have been devoted to miniaturizing the size of the satellite. “My prototype will take the internet to rural areas, many of them without coverage of any kind, so that monitoring data can be sent at no cost”.

Read the English version of the full article at https://tinyurl.com/El-Mundo-FossaSat-1

The Fossa team is made up of international members from all over the world working together thanks to the magic of the internet https://fossa.systems/about-us/

The IARU have coordinated a frequency of 436.700 MHz for the 100 mW downlink which is capable of 183 Hz Shift FSK RTTY 45 baud ITA2 and LoRa 125 kHz B/W 180 bps, details at
http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/finished_detail.php?serialnum=652

The ITU API/A is available here.

Fossa say they have signed a orbital launch contract with UK company Alba Orbital and a launch on a Electron rocket is expected in the 4th quarter of 2019
https://fossa.systems/fossasat/
https://twitter.com/FossaSys

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m5aka

AMSAT-UK

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Media Invited to See Progress on NASA’s Space Launch System for Its First Moon Mission

Media Invited to See Progress on NASA’s Space Launch System for Its First Moon Mission

Media are invited to NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans at 9:30 a.m. CDT Friday, June 28, to view progress on the rocket core stage for the Space Launch System’s Artemis 1 Moon mission.

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NASA Breaking News

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NASA Invites Media to Renaming Ceremony for West Virginia Facility

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Media are invited to a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. EDT Tuesday, July 2, celebrating the renaming of NASA’s Katherine Johnson Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) Facility in Fairmont, West Virginia, after the West Virginia native and storied NASA icon.

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NASA Breaking News

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