Radiocommunications (Unacceptable Levels of Interference — 27 GHz Band) Determination 2000

Radiocommunications (Unacceptable Levels of Interference — 27 GHz Band) Determination 2000

as amended

made under section 145 of the

Radiocommunications Act 1992

This compilation was prepared on 16 November 2005
taking into account amendments up to Radiocommunications (Unacceptable Levels of Interference — 27 GHz Band) Amendment Determination 2002 (No. 1)

Prepared by the Office of Legislative Drafting and Publishing,
Attorney-General’s Department, Canberra

Contents

 1 Title [see Note 1]

 2 Commencement 

 3 Purpose 

 4 Interpretation 

 5 Unacceptable levels of interference 

 6 Group of transmitters 

 7 Group of receivers 

 8 Emission designator 

Schedule 1 Centre location and effective radius of a transmitter 

Schedule 2 Antenna height above ground 

Notes  

1 Title [see Note 1]

  This determination is the Radiocommunications (Unacceptable Levels of Interference — 27 GHz Band) Determination 2000.

2 Commencement

  This determination commences on 21 September 2000.

3 Purpose

  This determination sets out what is an unacceptable level of interference caused by a transmitter operating under a spectrum licence issued for the 27 GHz band.  It ensures that high levels of emission from transmitters operated under the licence are kept within the geographic area and frequency band of the licence.

Note 1   The ACA may refuse to register a transmitter if the operation of the transmitter could cause an unacceptable level of interference to the operation of other radiocommunications devices — see section 145 of the Act.

Note 2   The ACA has issued written advisory guidelines under section 262 of the Act about compatibility requirements in relation to the assignment of frequencies for transmitters operated under apparatus licences and the operation of transmitters under spectrum licences.  The ACA will take these guidelines into account during the settlement of interference disputes.  Each case will be assessed on its merits.  The guidelines do not prevent a licensee negotiating other compatibility requirements with another licensee.  The guidelines are:

• Radiocommunications Advisory Guidelines (Managing Interference from Non-spectrum-licensed Transmitters — 27 GHz Band) 2000
• Radiocommunications Advisory Guidelines (Protection of Non-spectrum-licensed Receivers — 27 GHz Band) 2000
• Radiocommunications Advisory Guidelines (Managing Interference between 27 GHz and 28 GHz Spectrum-Licensed Services) 2000.

Copies are available from the ACA.

4 Interpretation

 (1) In this determination, unless the contrary intention appears:

Act means the Radiocommunications Act 1992.

Australian National Spheroid means the Australian National Spheroid published in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette on 6 October 1966 and used with the Australian Geodetic Datum 1984.

effective occupied bandwidth, for a transmitter, means the minimum width of a frequency band having fixed upper and lower limits that is necessary to contain not less than 99% of the true mean power of the transmitter’s emission at any time.

emission centre frequency, for a transmitter, means the frequency midway between the lower and upper frequency limits of the transmitter’s effective occupied bandwidth.

emission designator has the meaning given by clause 8.

error means the uncertainty, relating to the estimated value of a specified parameter, that results in a 95% level of confidence that the true value of the parameter is within the range:

 (a) estimated value minus the uncertainty; to

 (b) estimated value plus the uncertainty.

fixed receiver means a radiocommunications receiver located at a fixed point on land or sea and not established for use while in motion.

fixed transmitter means a radiocommunications transmitter located at a fixed point on land or sea and not established for use while in motion.

geographic area, for a spectrum licence, means the area within which operation of a radiocommunications device is authorised under the licence.

group of receivers has the meaning given by clause 7.

group of transmitters has the meaning given by clause 6.

indoor, for a fixed transmitter, means a transmitter having an antenna with its phase centre located within, and at least 5 metres from the external surface of, an enclosed space.

outdoor, for a fixed transmitter, means a transmitter that is not an indoor fixed transmitter.

publish includes publish electronically.

27 GHz band means the frequency band 26.5 GHz – 27.5 GHz.

Note   The following terms, used in this determination, are defined in the Radiocommunications Act 1992 and have the meanings given to them by that Act:

 (2) In this determination, the range of numbers that identifies a frequency band includes the higher, but not the lower, number.

5 Unacceptable levels of interference

 (1) This clause sets out what are unacceptable levels of interference for the purposes of section 145 of the Act.

Note   Under section 145 of the Act, the ACA may refuse to register a transmitter if the operation of the transmitter could cause an unacceptable level of interference to the operation of other radiocommunications devices.

 (2) A level of interference caused by a transmitter or group of transmitters operated under a spectrum licence issued for the 27 GHz band is unacceptable if the operation results in a breach of a core condition of the licence about the maximum permitted level of radio emission from the transmitter or any transmitter within the group:

 (a) outside the parts of the spectrum the use of which is authorised by the licence; or

 (b) outside the geographic area of the licence.

Note   Subsection 66 (1) of the Act deals with core conditions relating to maximum permitted levels of radio emissions.

 (3) A level of interference caused by a transmitter or group of transmitters operated under a spectrum licence issued for the 27 GHz band is unacceptable if the operation would result in a breach of any condition of the licence about protection limits for satellite services from a transmitter or any transmitter within a group.

Note   Under subsection 71 (1) of the Act the ACA may include other conditions in spectrum licences.  The ACA proposes to include conditions setting additional emission limits.

 (4) If the centre location or effective radius cannot be calculated as set out in Schedule 1 for a transmitter or a group of transmitters, the transmitter or group is taken to cause unacceptable interference.

 (5) If the antenna height above ground cannot be calculated as set out in Schedule 2 for a transmitter or a group of transmitters, the transmitter or group is taken to cause unacceptable interference.

 (6) A level of interference caused by a transmitter or group of transmitters operated under a spectrum licence issued for the 27 GHz band is unacceptable if the maximum error in the antenna azimuth and mechanical antenna tilt is greater than:

 (a) 2 degrees for a transmitter; and

 (b) 180 degrees for a group of transmitters.

 (7) A transmitter on an airship or on a balloon is taken to cause unacceptable interference when it is operated at a height greater than 100 metres above the ground.

6 Group of transmitters

 (1) For the purpose of this determination, two or more fixed transmitters are a group of transmitters if a height can be calculated for the group and:

 (a) they have the same:

 (i) emission centre frequency; and

 (ii) emission designator; and

 (b) each has an antenna of the same type, model and manufacturer; and

 (c) they are operated for the purpose of communicating with the same receiver or group of receivers.

 (2) A transmitter may belong to more than one group of transmitters.

7 Group of receivers

 (1) For the purpose of this determination, two or more fixed receivers are a group of receivers if a height can be calculated for the group and:

 (a) each has an antenna of the same type, model and manufacturer; and

 (b) they are operated for the purpose of communicating with the same transmitter or group of transmitters.

 (2) A receiver may belong to more than one group of receivers.

Note   The height of a group of receivers is calculated using the same method as that for a group of transmitters.

8 Emission designator

 (1) In this determination, a reference to an emission designator, for a transmitter, is a reference to the designation of the transmitter’s emission worked out in accordance with Appendix S1 of the Radio Regulations published by the International Telecommunication Union as in force on the day this determination commences.

 (2) To work out the designation of the transmitter’s emission, the references in Appendix S1 to necessary bandwidth for a given class of emission are taken to be references to the effective occupied bandwidth of the transmitter.

Schedules

Schedule 1 Centre location and effective radius of a transmitter

(clause 9 (1))

1.  The centre location of a transmitter is the centre of a circle lc with an effective radius re.  This Schedule sets out the lc and re of particular transmitters.

Note   For the purpose of registration and interference analysis the effective location of a transmitter or a group of transmitters is modelled using the circumference of the circle defined by the centre location and effective radius.

2. Centre location and effective radius of a fixed transmitter

  For a fixed transmitter, lc is the location (by latitude and longitude with reference to the Australian National Spheroid) of the phase centre of the transmitter’s antenna and re is zero.

  In measuring the latitude and longitude, the following errors are acceptable:

 (a) in a high radio-dense area — less than 10 metres, measured using a differential GPS unit;

 (b) in a medium radio-dense area — less than 100 metres, measured using a standard GPS unit;

 (c) in any other area — less than 1 kilometre, measured using a map.

Note   The ACA issues site identifiers for established radiocommunications locations.

3. Centre location and effective radius of a group of fixed transmitters operating on land and not covered in paragraph 4

  For a group of fixed transmitters operating within the limits of a town specified in the towns mobile list, lc and re are taken to be those specified in the towns mobile list for that town.

4. Centre location and effective radius of a group of fixed transmitters located near a central point

  For a group of fixed transmitters:

 (a) supported by the same structure; and

 (b) having the phase centre of each transmitter’s antenna located within 10 metres of the same central point;

  lc is the central point and re is zero.

Note   The centre location, effective radius and antenna height above ground of a receiver are calculated as if the receiver is a transmitter.

Schedule 2 Antenna height above ground

(clause 4 (1))

1.  The antenna height above ground is determined in accordance with its transmitter, as set out in this Schedule.

2. Antenna height above ground of an outdoor fixed transmitter

  The antenna height above ground (‘hg’) for an outdoor fixed transmitter, is the vertical height in metres of the phase centre of the fixed transmitter’s antenna measured with an error of less than 5 parts in 100 and relative to the point:

 (a) located on the line of intersection between the external surface of the structure supporting the antenna and the surface of the ground or sea; and

 (b) having the lowest elevation on that line.

Note   Indoor transmitters are exempt from registration.

3 Antenna height above ground of a group of fixed transmitters

  For a group of fixed transmitters where the antenna height above ground of the highest transmitter (hgmax), calculated in accordance with clause 2, is equal to or less than 20 metres, the antenna height above ground of the group is hgmax.

  However, if a fixed transmitter in the group transmits for more than 5% of the time in any 1 hour period:

 (a) each transmitter in the group is to be treated as if it were a single fixed transmitter; and

 (b) the antenna height above ground of each fixed transmitter is to be worked out as for a single fixed transmitter.

4 Antenna height above ground of a group of fixed transmitters located near a central point

  For a group of fixed transmitters:

 (a) all supported by the one structure; and

 (b) having the phase centre of each transmitter’s antenna located within 10 metres of the same central point;

  the antenna height above ground of the group is calculated as if it is a single fixed transmitter located at the central point and with a hg, calculated in accordance with clause 2, equal to that calculated for the antenna with the largest hg.

Notes to the Radiocommunications (Unacceptable Levels of Interference — 27 GHz Band) Determination 2000

Note 1

The Radiocommunications (Unacceptable Levels of Interference — 27 GHz Band) Determination 2000 (in force under section 145 of the Radiocommunications Act 1992) as shown in this compilation is amended as indicated in the Tables below.

Table of Instruments

Table of Amendments