Experimental Radio Applications at the FCC

This summarizes a selection of applications for the Experimental Radio Service received by the FCC during February 13-20: landslide monitoring, WiMAX, earth-station antennas, radar, military mobile data, automatic aircraft landing, psyops transmission.

  • Skyport Global Communications filed an application (with supporting exhibits) to test a 55cm slot-array X-band antenna manufactured by EMS Technologies on 8218-8400 MHz. The test will be done using a satellite link between the 55cm antenna in Atlanta, Georgia and a hub in Houston, Texas using the XTAR LANT X-band satellite.

Skyport

  • Ingegneria Dei Sistemi S.p.a. filed an application for special temporary authority to operate on 17.1-17.3 GHz in support of a landslide monitoring system to be tested in Bingham Canyon, Utah. This testing is in conjunction with Rio Tinto, an international mining group.
  • Columbia University filed an application (with supporting exhibits) for an experimental license to operate WiMAX equipment on 2590-2596 MHz as part of the GENI project.
  • SET Corporation filed an application (and supporting exhibits) for special temporary authority to operate on 35.75 GHz in Denver, Colorado and vicinity. There are not many technical details in the filing; the company has requested confidential treatment of the information describing the proposed operation. The company is using equipment from Norden Millimeter, a vendor of millimeter wave amplifier products for what is apparently a radar project.
  • DRS Tactical Systems filed an application (and supporting exhibit) requesting special temporary authority to operate in Melbourne, Florida on 4.94-4.99 GHz. This is to be in support of a test of three data nodes – two fixed, and one mobile. In the test, a Harris Broadband Ethernet Radio system will be attached to a DRS Gateway System The testing is intended to develop complex gateway functionality for military and commercial users in a mobile environment.
  • Sierra Nevada Corporation filed an application (with supporting exhibits) for experimental license to operate near Sparks, Nevada on 9.30-9.32 and 33.0-33.4 GHz. This is to support design and development of a receiver that is to be part of an Automated Carrier Landing System, an all-weather automatic landing system used on some ships to land high-performance fighter aircraft.
  • Oklahoma State University-University Multispectral Laboratories, LLC filed an application (with supporting exhibits) for experimental license to operate  on 495.25 609.25, and 753.25 at Chilocco, Oklahoma. Those frequencies correspond to the visual carrier frequencies for analog television channels 18, 37, and 61, respectively. The modulating signal may be NTSC television.

The purpose of the proposed operation is to fulfill a government contract, but there is little additional detail. Part of the application says the operation is “to provide various sensor test and evaluation services.” Another part says operation is for “testing of the Psyops transmitting equipment.”

Leave a Reply