Possible use of the 5351.5–5366.5 kHz band by the amateur serviceConsultation paperMAY 2020

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Executive summary

Issue for commentBackground 3Purpose

3International arrangements 3Domestic arrangements 3Domestic use 4Band considerations—analysis 5Band planning options 6

Invitation to commentMaking a submission 8

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Executive summary

The amateur service is a longstanding user of radiofrequency spectrum, with a range of bands made available for qualified amateurs. The amateur service is designed primarily to facilitate hobby radiocommunications and technical experimentation. Amateur radio operators communicate using transmission modes including Morse code, voice and data.

The ACMA supports the amateur service through planning arrangements that recognise the need for amateur radio operators to access frequency bands, while balancing other demands for spectrum. The ACMA’s spectrum management work program contained in the Five-year spectrum outlook 2019–23 includes considering outcomes of WRC-15 in the 5351.5–5366.5 kHz band.

In Australia, the high frequency (HF) band 5351.5–5366.5 kHz (15 kHz) was allocated to the amateur service on a secondary basis in 2017. However, it was not made available for amateur use because of unresolved sharing issues in the band with existing services. The band is used by 526 other licensed services, almost exclusively in the land mobile and aeronautical services. The band may also be used by stations in the radiolocation service for the purposes of defence.

The ACMA manages use of the spectrum consistent with the objects of the Radiocommunications Act 1992, including maximising the overall public benefit derived from its use and, of relevance to this matter giving existing use of the band by Defence, making adequate provision for use by agencies involved in the defence or national security of Australia.

This paper discusses sharing issues between existing and potential amateur uses of the band and seeks comments on a range of options for the potential amateur use of the band.

Comments are sought by Friday 19 June 2020.

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Issue for commentThe ACMA invites comments on options for the possible use of the band 5351.5–5366.5 kHz by the amateur service on a secondary basis. The ACMA has identified a range of options, exploring differing degrees of segmented use, on a geographical and/or frequency block use. Four options are presented:> Option 1: Australia-wide access to the whole band (5351.5–5366.5 kHz) but

excluding Queensland and zones around existing transmitters.> Option 2: Australia-wide access to 5351.5–5365 kHz, that is, exclude the top

1.5 kHz to mitigate against most known sharing issues.> Option 3: Segmented and/or channelised use to mitigate against interference to

existing services.> Option 4: No amateur use.

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Possible use of the 5351.5–5366.5 kHz band by the amateur serviceBackgroundThe International Telecommunication Union (ITU) allocated the band 5351.5–5366.5 kHz (the 5 MHz band) to the amateur service on a secondary basis at its 2015 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-15). This allocation amounts to 15 kHz, whereas Australia’s position at WRC-15 was to support not more than a 10 kHz secondary allocation somewhere in the 5275–5450 kHz range. One of Australia’s stated objectives at WRC-15 was to limit ‘the potential for increased congestion and subsequent impact on systems operating in accordance with Australian footnote AUS57’.

Australia amended its position to an allocation of 15 kHz during WRC-15 on the basis that Australia has the discretion as to whether it chooses to implement arrangements to authorise amateur stations in the band under the allocation domestically.

The allocation was ultimately made at the conference and subsequently adopted in Australia in 2017 as an allocation in the Australian Radiofrequency Spectrum Plan. It is noted that the existence of a service allocation does not automatically provide for its use—in this case, the necessary licensing arrangements to make it available for deployments in the amateur service have not been developed.

Amateur service use of the band would need be included in the Radiocommunications Licence Conditions (Amateur Licence) Determination 2015. If a decision is made to support amateur use of this band, consultation will take place on amendments to the Determination.

PurposeThis paper provides information on current uses of the band and puts forward options on how the amateur service might operate in it. Comment is sought on the options presented. Any other pertinent information is also welcomed.

International arrangementsThe ITU currently allocates the 5 MHz band to the fixed service and the mobile (except aeronautical mobile) service on a primary basis, and to the amateur service on a secondary basis. Footnote 133B applies to the amateur service. It specifies a maximum Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (e.i.r.p.) of 15 watts and provides information on other power limits adopted by various countries. These limits came about through studies leading up to WRC-15 and acknowledge that the band is shared among various users. Information on the amateur services used in sharing studies is available in Report ITU-R M.2281-0 Characteristics of amateur radio stations in the range 5250-5450 kHz for sharing studies.

Amateur operations in and around this frequency range began in 2002 in the United Kingdom, United States, Ireland, Iceland, Finland, Norway and Denmark. In the ensuing years, several other countries have authorised its use. Use has been supported in various ways, including short-term access, on a trial basis, access to spot frequencies only, channelised operation or open band use.

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Domestic arrangementsIn Australia, the Australian Radiofrequency Spectrum Plan allocates the 5 MHz band to the fixed and mobile (except aeronautical mobile) services on a primary basis and to the amateur service on a secondary basis. The band is also allocated to the radiolocation service under Footnote AUS57. This use is limited to defence purposes and on the condition that harmful interference is not caused to other licensed services.

Domestic useAs at 1 March 2020, the ACMA’s register of radiocommunications licences (RRL) lists eight licensees operating in the 5 MHz band. These licensees operate 526 frequency assignments, almost exclusively in the land mobile and aeronautical services. Table 1 lists the licensees, number of assignments and their centre frequencies. Figure 1 shows the locations of these assignments. All assignments have a bandwidth of 3 kHz. Use of the band for defence purposes under Australian Footnote AUS57 is on an as-needs basis and is not recorded in the RRL.

Table 1: Licensed services in the 5 MHz band

Licensee Centre frequency (kHz) Total5352.5 5356.5 5361.5 5365.

55366.5

Ambulance Service of NSW 8 8Aviair Pty Ltd 2 2Department of Health, Queensland 2 2Lloyd Helicopters Pty Ltd 2 2Queensland Fire and Emergency Services

2 504 506

Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia

2 2

The Wireless Institute of Australia 2 2Virgin Australia Regional Airlines Pty Ltd

2 2

Total 2 10 2 2 510 526

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Figure 1: Geographical distribution of assignments in the 5 MHz band

Band considerations—analysisExcluding Defence access under Australian Radiofrequency Spectrum Plan Footnote AUS57, the list of current assignments in the band indicates light use across most of the band (16 assignments) and then 510 assignments centred on the upper limit of the band. The bandwidth of each of these 510 assignments is 3 kHz.

The number of assignments in the band has been relatively stable over the last three years (2018–20) but had increased significantly in the preceding three (2015–17). Sharing HF bands between the amateur service and other services occurs successfully in other bands, for example, the 10 MHz amateur band (50 kHz wide) also contains around 26 other assignments. The use of the upper 1.5 kHz of the proposed 5 MHz band is extensive, so it does not seem feasible to share this part of the band.

The usual propagation mode for this band is near vertical incidence skywave. Communication range is usually in the 0–200 km range.1 This range would vary considerably with propagation conditions and transmitter e.i.r.p.

1 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/313885105_Radio_communication_via_Near_Vertical_Incidence_Skywave_propagation_an_overview

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Band planning optionsFour options are presented below for use of the 5 MHz band for the amateur service. As this allocation to the amateur service is of secondary status, any use could only be on a secondary basis.

In considering which option is the most appropriate, the ACMA will consider the objectives of the Radiocommunications Act 1992.2 This includes maximising the overall public benefit derived from the use of the radio spectrum and, of particular importance in this matter given Defence usage, making adequate provision for use by agencies involved in the defence or national security of Australia.

If licensing arrangements were established, the ACMA proposes to adhere to the ITU specified e.i.r.p. constraint of 15 watts for any use of amateur service in this band. Specifying an e.i.r.p. limit is not usual practice for the amateur service and so may present challenges. As e.i.r.p. is determined mainly by multiplying the transmitter peak envelope power with the antenna gain in the intended direction of transmission, knowledge of both parameters is needed. Transmitter peak envelope power is relatively easy to determine. Antenna gain is not easily measured but can be estimated for various antenna types.

Option 1: Australia-wide access to the whole band (5351.5–5366.5 kHz) but excluding Queensland and zones around existing transmitters

The Queensland Fire and Emergency Service operates 510 of the 526 assignments on 5366.5 kHz. Their use is potentially critical to their operations in Queensland. One option is to constrain amateur use to the rest of Australia to mitigate against interference issues. An exclusion zone or zones would need to be added around assignments on 5366.5 kHz.

Because of the variability of propagation conditions in the HF spectrum, it is challenging to arrive at dimensions for an exclusion zone that provides consistent protection for the Queensland Fire and Emergency Service. If the zone were to be based on a distance of, say, 200 km from any assignments on 5336.5 kHz, that would exclude areas of NSW, South Australia and the Northern Territory.

It is expected that this option would have some impact on Defence use of the band.

Option 2: Australia-wide access to 5351.5–5365 kHz, that is, exclude the top 1.5 kHz to mitigate against most known sharing issues.

Compared to Option 1, this option proposes a different geographic segmentation to manage incumbent uses. Under this option, it is proposed to exclude the top 1.5 kHz of the band (that is, constrain the upper limit of the band to 5365 kHz) to avoid the existing cluster of assignments on 5366.5 kHz.3

This option significantly reduces potential interference issues, but it also modestly reduces the overall size of the band. Care would need to be taken to ensure any amateur transmitter emission is contained within the band. This option is expected to have only a minor effect on the utility of the band for the amateur service.

It is expected that this option would have some impact on Defence use of the band.

2 The object of the Radiocommunications Act 1992 is at Part 1.2.3 This option was suggested by the Radio Amateur Society of Australia in its submission to the ACMA five-year spectrum outlook.

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Option 3: Segmented and/or channelised use to mitigate against interference to existing services.

Under this option, parts of the band are available for shared or channelised use. Where an analysis of evidence provided by stakeholders shows that parts of the band are unsuitable for sharing while other parts could be shared, using some segments of the band for the amateur service may be the optimal arrangement. For example, the upper 1.5 kHz and 5355-5358 kHz could be excluded, leaving two segments for amateur use. Segmentation could also include channelization, where amateur use would be limited to defined 3 kHz channels with certain channels excluded.

It is expected that this option will have some impact on Defence use of the band, but the scale of any impact will be dependent on the nature of the segmentation/channelisation.

Option 4: No amateur use

Noting the current levels of use by a range of licensees, permitting amateur shared use of the band will raise additional interference management issues that may preclude amateur use of the band. Under this option, there is no impact on any incumbent use of the band.

The ACMA is seeking feedback (particularly from non-amateur users) to inform its analysis of sharing opportunities with existing services across the entire band, Australia-wide or on a more geographically limited basis. The ACMA will analyse any evidence presented.

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Invitation to commentMaking a submissionThe ACMA invites comments on the issues set out in this discussion paper.

> Online submissions can be made by uploading a document. Submissions in PDF, Microsoft Word or Rich Text Format are preferred.

> Submissions by post can be sent to:

Chris WorleySpectrum Planning SectionAustralian Communications and Media AuthorityPO Box 78Belconnen ACT 2616

The closing date for submissions is COB, Friday 19 June 2020.

Consultation enquiries can be emailed to freqplan@acma.gov.au.

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