Radio Regulations
As part of any radio transmissions, be it the uplink of data from the ground station to the satellite or the downlink or beacon coming from satellite, there are some restrictions imposed on the manner of transmission which is used for these forms of communications. Some of them are listed below:
- Getting the satellite transmission frequency licensed: The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) is the body responsible for allocating amateur radio frequency of transmission to the amateur satellites as per requirement. The procedure for application may vary with what kind of transmission one selects for one’s satellite. The major factors for licensing could be: Frequency band of transmission required, modulation type, bandwidth and so on. For getting this license, it is highly important that one of your team member is a General Grade Amateur Radio License holder as it is a necessity for the application. One of the major reason behind having this as a criteria is that it is assured that the person using it has a good idea about the rules of transmission and respects and follows them with a responsible attitude.
- Staying within the bandwidth: It is highly important that the satellite remains within the bandwidth of frequency allotted. If the satellite’s transmission frequency gets shifted to some other frequency anytime during its flight, a command to make it come back to its frequency should be sent (if such a provision exists) else the satellite has to be killed.
- Inclusion of call-sign in the beacon: The satellite’s beacon transmission should have the call-sign of the amateur radio license holder under whom the transmission frequency was licensed for the satellite. This will be used as a reference for any further contacts that has to be done pertaining to the satellite by any amateur radio enthusiasts or the concerned authorities.
These are some of the major things which have to be respected as part of the radio regulations when you are designing your satellite. Though this list is not exhaustive, it probably sums up some major aspects common to any form of transmission one selects for one’s satellite. It is generally advised that the application for transmission frequency is done as soon as possible as they themselves may impose some requirements on the bus, which then has to be implemented in the system design. Hence, an early application will help a lot along the way.
It is advised to contact IARU to know all the requirements for complying with the regulations as per the international norms set for amateur radio satellites. They are responsible for the allocations of frequency for amateur radio satellites, which is generally the category in which most of the student satellites fall.
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