NTIA Report 94-313

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Ronald H. Brown, Secretary

July 1994
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iii
The authors wish to thank the many persons and organizations who contributed to the

completion of this report, and without whom much of the information in this report could not

have been obtained. Particular personnel in other Federal agencies who assisted the NTIA

effort included Mr. Jeffery Lucas of the Naval Electronics Engineering Activity and Captain

Susan Holliday of the Air Force Frequency Management Agency.

The completion of this report would also have been impossible without the generous

assistance of engineers at radio and cable television stations in south Florida. In particular,

we wish to express our thanks to Mr. Richard Rowland of radio station WGUF in Naples and

to Mr. William Gannon of Colony Cablevision in Naples and Bonita Springs. Both Mr. Rowland

and Mr. Gannon provided substantial support for NTIA personnel in terms of short-notice

access to their facilities, modifications to their antennas and earth station receiver systems,

availability of communications, and provision of their own time in the completion of the Florida

efforts.

We also wish to thank NTIA personnel who supported the Radio Spectrum

Measurement System (RSMS) operations in the field. These include Messrs. John Ewan and

Marvin Ross of the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences, who drove the vehicle and

assisted in measurements on short notice, and Mr. Ted Mullen (also of ITS), who also drove

the vehicle. Finally, we wish to acknowledge the work of Mr. John Smilley (retired), who

headed the RSMS measurement team for many years, and who played an instrumental role

in the acquisition of some of the radar emission spectra which appear in this report.

iv
ABSTRACT

KEY WORDS
CONTENTS

Page

SECTION 1 

INTRODUCTION

1.1

1.2

1.3

2.1

2.2

2.3

2.4

BACKGROUND

OBJECTIVE . .

APPROACH . .

SECTION 2

RULES AND REGULATIONS

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

NATIONAL ALLOCATION RULES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

SPECTRUM STANDARDS (Government and Non-Government) . . . . . . . . .

Government Spectrum Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Radar Spectrum Engineering Criteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Non-Government Spectrum Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Non-Government Fixed-Satellite Earth Station Standards. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

POLICY REGARDING SPURIOUS EMISSION INTERFERENCE . . . . . . . . . .

INTERFERENCE

3.1

3.2

3.3

3.4

3.5

3.6

3.7

3.8

3.9

SECTION 3

COUPLING MECHANISMS AND MITIGATION OPTIONS

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

RECEIVER FRONT-END OVERLOAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

LNA/LNB/LNC Response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Gain Response and Noise Figure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Gain Compression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Other Overload Responses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Gain Compression Interval . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

FRONT-END OVERLOAD INTERFERENCE MITIGATION OPTIONS . . . . . . .

RF Filtering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

FRONT-END OVERLOAD INTERFERENCE CASES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

SUMMARY REMARKS ON RECEIVER FRONT-END OVERLOAD . . . . . . . .

INTERFERENCE DUE TO RADAR SPURIOUS EMISSIONS

IN THE 4 GHZ BAND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

RADAR SPURIOUS EMISSIONS INTERFERENCE MITIGATION OPTIONS . .

Radar Station Refiltering.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

EARTH STATION MITIGATION OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Antenna Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Site Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

SPURIOUS EMISSION INTERFERENCE CASES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

vi
CONTENTS

(Continued)

Page

SECTION 4

ELECTROMAGNETIC COMPATIBILITY ANALYSIS

4.1 INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

4.2 RADAR STATION CHARACTERISTICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

4.3 EARTH STATION CHARACTERISTICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

4.4 RECEIVER FRONT-END OVERLOAD INTERFERENCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

4.5 SEPARATION DISTANCE REQUIRED TO PRECLUDE OVERLOAD

INTERFERENCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

4.6 RADAR TRANSMITTER SPURIOUS EMISSIONS INTERFERENCE . . . . . . . 36

Effects of Radar Spurious Emissions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

4.7 SEPARATION DISTANCE REQUIRED TO PRECLUDE SPURIOUS EMISSIONS

INTERFERENCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

4.8 SUMMARY OF ELECTROMAGNETIC COMPATIBILITY ANALYSIS . . . . . . 41

SECTION 5

DETERMINATION OF COUPLING MECHANISM

5.1 INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

5.2 MEASUREMENT PROCEDURES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Determination of Front-End Overload in an Earth Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Simultaneous Occurrence of Front-End Overload and Spurious Emission

Interference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Determination of Radar Spurious Emissions in an Earth Station . . . . . . . . 48

Identification of the Radar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

SECTION 6

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

6.1 INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

6.2 GENERAL CONCLUSIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

6.3 SPECIFIC CONCLUSIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Spectrum Policy and Regulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Earth Station Receiver Front-end Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Radar Transmitter Spurious Emissions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

6.4 RECOMMENDATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

APPENDIX

MEASUREMENT OF RADAR SPURIOUS EMISSIONS AND APPLICATION OF THE RSEC

A.1 MEASUREMENT OF RADAR SPURIOUS EMISSIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

A.2 APPLICATION OF THE RSEC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

vii
CONTENTS

(Continued)

FIGURES

Figure 1.

Figure 2.

Figure 3.

Figure 4.

Figure 5.

Figure 6.

Figure 7.

Figure 8.

Figure 9.

Figure 10.

Figure 11.

Figure 12.

Figure 13.

Figure 14.

Fixed-satellite earth stations operating in the 3700-to 4200-MHz

(4-GHz) band may experience interference from airborne,

shipborne and terrestrial radar stations . . . . . . , . , . . . . . . . . .

Gain and noise figure of a 4-GHz LNA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Gain and noise figure of a 4-GHz LNB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Gain and noise figure of a second 4-GHz LNB . . . . . . . . . . . . .

LNA response as a function of simulated radar inputs . . . . . . . .

LNB #1 response as a function of simulated radar inputs . . . . .

LNB #2 response as a function of simulated radar inputs . . . . .

Time domain behavior of LNA at gain compressions of 10, 20,

30 and 40 dB in desired signal at 4000 MHz . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Time domain behavior of LNB #1 at gain compressions of 10,20,

30 and 40 dB in desired signal at 4000 MHz . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Time domain behavior of LNB #2 at gain compressions of 10,20,

30 and 40 dB in desired signal at 4000 MHz . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Frequency response curve of a commercially procured 3700-to

4200-MHz bandpass filter of same type as were used to mitigate

out-of-band interference to 4-GHz TVRO receivers in south

Florida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Measured frequency response curve of a bandpass filter installed

on naval radar (Figure 13) to suppress spurious emissions and

enhance electromagnetic compatibility with 4-GHz receivers . . .

Spectrum of a naval radar showing effect on spectrum when

bandpass filter is installed on radar output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Spectrum of a WSR-74S weather radar, showing spurious emissions in the 3700-to 4200-MHz range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Page

2

13

14

14

16

17

18

20

21

21

23

28

28

29

. . . viii
CONTENTS

(Continued)

Page

FIGURES

(Continued)

Figure 15.

Figure 16.

Figure 17.

Figure 18.

Figure 19.

Figure 20.

Figure 21.

Figure 22.

Figure 23.

Figure 24.

Figure 25.

Figure 26.

Emission spectrum of a long-range air search radar . . . . . . . . . 29

Comparison of directivities for three high-gain antenna types . . . 31

Separation distances required to preclude earth station front-end

overload by radar fundamental, as a function of Imax and antenna

height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Time waveforms of a weather radar at center frequency (5575

MHz) and at three frequencies in the 3700- to 4200-MHz band . 38

Time waveforms of a radar in two pulse modes (long and short)

at center frequency (2883 MHz), and at two frequencies in the

3700 - to 4200-MHz band . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Separation distance required to preclude earth station interference by radar spurious emissions, as a function of FDR and

antenna height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Block diagram for determination of interference coupling

mechanism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Channels A and B of oscilloscope when test arrangement of

Figure 21 is used and LNB front-end is not overloaded . . . . . . . 46

Channels A and B of oscilloscope when test arrangement of

Figure 21 is used and LNB front-end is overloading . . . . . . . . . 46

Channels A and B of oscilloscope when test arrangement of

Figure 21 is used and radar pulses are not overloading LNA

front-end . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Channels A and B of oscilloscope when test arrangement of

Figure 21 is used and front-end LNA is overloading . . . . . . . . . 47

Channels A and B of oscilloscope when test arrangement of

Figure 21 is used and spurious emissions occur at received

frequency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

ix
Figure A-1.

Figure A-2.

Table 1.

Table 2.

Table 3.

Table 4.

Table A-1.

(Continued)

FIGURES

(Continued)

Block diagram of the NTIA/lTS Radio Spectrum Measurement

System (RSMS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Measured emission spectra of a radar in two different

measurement bandwidths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

TABLES

United States Frequency Allocations 2700-4200 MHz . . . . . . . .

Page

56

58

5

Gain Compression Intervals of LNA and LNB Devices . . . . . . . . 22

Radar Output Device Inherent Spurious Emission Levels . . . . . . 27

Characteristics of 4-GHz Earth Station Receiver Systems . . . . . 34

Relation Between Measurement Bandwidth, Radar Pulse Width

and NTIA Correction for Wide-Bandwidth Measurements . . . . . 59

x
SECTION 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is responsible

for managing the Federal Government’s use, of the radio frequency spectrum. NTIA’s

responsibilities include establishing policies concerning spectrum assignment, allocation and

use, and providing various departments and agencies with guidance to ensure that their

conduct of telecommunication activities is consistent with these policies.

1 In discharging

these responsibilities, NTIA assesses spectrum utilization, identifying existing and/or potential

compatibility problems among the telecommunication systems that belong to various

departments and agencies, provides recommendations for resolving any compatibility conflicts

that may exist in the use of the radio frequency spectrum, and recommends changes to

promote spectrum efficiency and improve spectrum management procedures.

This report addresses possible causes and solutions to reported cases of interference

to earth stations from radar stations. (Radar stations include radiolocation, radionavigation

and meteorological radar stations. ) In recent years, NTIA has noted a significant increase in

the number of reported cases of interference to 3700- to 4200-MHz (hereafter referred to in

this report as “4-GHz band”) fixed-satellite service earth stations from radar stations allocated

in adjacent spectral bands between 2700 and 3700 MHz. Both the desired and interfering

signal paths are shown schematically in Figure 1. The increase in interference has been

largely attributed to the rapid growth of television receive-only (TVRO) and audio distribution

earth stations. Because many of the radars that have been involved in these cases have been

Federal Government systems, NTIA has had responsibility for investigating the causes of such

interference, as well as for developing solutions to these problems.

1.2 OBJECTIVE

The objective of this task was to develop procedures to assess the potential for

interference, and techniques to minimize electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) conflicts,

between radar stations operating in the 2700- to 3700-MHz portion of the spectrum and

fixed-satellite service (space-to-earth) earth stations operating in the 4-GHz band.

1.3 APPROACH

In order to accomplish the objective of this task, the following approach was taken:

a) determine the mechanism(s) by which the interference from radars to fixedsatellite earth station receivers occurs, through measurements by NTIA at

several earth station sites and laboratory testing at the NTIA Institute for

Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) in Boulder, CO

1 NTIA, “Manual of Regulations and Procedures for Federal Radio Frequency

Management,” U.S. Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and

Information Administration, May 1992 edition with revisions September 1993 and May

1994. (Hereafter referred to as the “NTIA Manual”).

Section 1 Introduction

b) identify various interference mitigation methods, applicable to both radar

stations and fixed-satellite earth stations

c) determine the degradation criteria and susceptibility of 4-GHz fixed-satellite

earth station receiver systems to interference from radar emissions

d) determine the emission characteristics (frequency domain and time domain) of

interfering radars, using NTIA’s Radio Spectrum Measurement System (RSMS)

van and portable Compact Radio Spectrum Measurement Systems (CRSMS)

e) determine separation distances at which interference from radar stations to

earth stations may occur for each identified interference coupling mechanism

f) determine measurement procedures to identify the interference coupling

mechanism(s) at earth stations experiencing interference.

3
SECTION 2

RULES AND REGULATIONS

2.1 INTRODUCTION

In the United States, the spectrum between 2700 -to 3700-MHz is mainly used by

radar stations operating in the radiolocation, aeronautical and maritime radionavigation, and

meteorological aids services. The bands included in this part of the spectrum are: 2700-

2900, 2900-3100, 3100-3300, 3300-3500, 3500-3600, and 3600-3700 MHz. The band

adjacent to these bands, 3700-4200 MHz, is used by fixed-satellite (space-to-earth) earth

stations.

This section contains the rules and regulations applicable to systems in these bands.

The National allocations, definitions, and applicable footnotes for these bands are discussed

along with the applicable spectrum standards for Government and non-Government radar

stations and earth stations.

2.2 NATIONAL ALLOCATION RULES

In the United States, the band 2700-2900 MHz is allocated for exclusive Government

services (except as indicated in note US18), as listed in Table 1. The Government allocates

this band to the aeronautical radionavigation and meteorological aids services on a primary

basis, and to military radiolocation on a secondary basis.

The band 2900-3100 MHz is allocated on a shared basis for Government and nonGovernment maritime radionavigation services. Radiolocation services are secondary in this

band. For cases in which the Government NEXRAD weather radar cannot be accommodated

in the band 2700-2900 MHz, the band 2900-3000 MHz is allocated to radionavigation and

meteorological aids services on a primary basis (see US316).

The bands 3100-3300 MHz and 3300-3500 are allocated on a primary basis to

Government radiolocation service. These bands are allocated on a secondary basis to nonGovernment radiolocation and amateur services (see 664).

The bands 3500-3600 MHz and 3600-3700 MHz are allocated on a primary basis to

Government ground-based aeronautical radionavigation services and radiolocation services,

and on a secondary basis to the non-Government radiolocation service. The band 3600-3700

MHz is allocated on a primary basis to the non-Government fixed-satellite (space-to-earth)

service.

The band 3700-4200 MHz is allocated exclusively to non-Government fixed and fixedsatellite (space-to-earth) services. These services share the band on a primary basis.

4
Section 2 Rules and Regulation

TABLE 1.

UNITED STATES FREQUENCY ALLOCATIONS 2700-4200 MHz.

Band (MHz) PROVISIONS GOVERNMENT NON-GOVERNMENT

2700-2900 US18 AERONAUTICAL

717, 770 RADIO NAVIGATION

G2, G15 METEOROLOGICAL

AIDS

Radiolocation

2900-3100 US44, US316 MARITIME MARITIME

775A RADIONAVIGATION RADIO NAVIGATION

G56 Radiolocation Radiolocation

3100-3300 US110 RADIOLOCATION Radiolocation

713, 778

G59

3300-3500 US108 RADIOLOCATION Amateur

664, 778 Radiolocation

G31

3500-3600 US110 AERONAUTICAL Radiolocation

G59, G110 RADIONAVIGATION

(Ground-based)

RADIOLOCATION

3600-3700 US110, US245 AERONAUTICAL FIXED-SATELLITE

G59, G110 RADIONAVIGATION (apaca-to-Earth)

(Ground-basad) Radiolocation

RADIOLOCATION

3700-4200 NG41 FIXED

FIXED-SATELLITE

(spaca-to-Earth)

US18

US44

US108

US110

Navigation aids in the US and possessions in the bands 9-14 kHz, 90-110 kHz, 190-415 kHz, 510-535 kHz, and 2700-

2900 MHz are normally operated by the US Government. However, authorizations may be made by the FCC for nonGovernment operation in these bands subject to the conclusion of appropriate arrangements between the FCC and the

Government agencies concerned end upon special showing of need for service which the Government is not yet

prepared to render.

The non-Government radiolocation service may be authorized in the band 2900-3100 MHz on the condition that no

harmful interference is caused to Government services.

Within the bands 3300-3500 MHz and 10000-10500 MHz, survey operations, using transmitter with e peak power

not to exceed five watts into the antenna, may be authorized for Government and non-Government use on a secondary

basis to other Government radiolocation operations.

In the frequency bands 3100-3300 MHz, 3500-3700 MHz, 5250-5350 MHz, 8500-9000 MHz, 9200-9300 MHz,

9500-10000 MHz, 13.4-14.0 GHz, 15.7-17.3 GHz, 24.05-24.25 GHz and 33.4-36 GHz, the non-Government

radiolocation service shall be secondary to the Government radiolocation service and to airborne doppler radars at 8800

MHz, and shall provide protection to airport surface detection equipment (ASDE) operating between 15.7-16.2 GHz.

5
Section 2 Rules and Regulations

Table 1. United States Frequency Allocations 2700-4200 MHz (continued)

US245 Ths Fixed-Satellite Service is Iimited to International inter-Continential systems and subject to case-by-case

electromagnetic compatibility analysis.

US316 Tha band 2900-3000 MHz is also allocated on a primary basis to the Meteorological Aids Service. Operations in this

service are limited to Government Next Generation Waather Radar (NEXRAD) systems where accommodation in the

2700-2900 MHz band is not technically practical and are subject to coordination with existing authorized stations.

International Footnotes

6 6 4

7 1 3

7 1 7

7 7 0

775 A

7 7 8

In the bands 435-438 MHz, 1260-1270 MHz, 2400-2450 MHz, 3400-3410 MHz (in Regions 2 and 3 only) and 5650-

5670 MHz, tha amateur-satellite service may operate subject to not causing harmful interference to other services

operating in accordance with the Table (see No. 435). Administrations authorizing such use shall ensure that any

harmful interference caused by emissions from a staticn in the amateur-satellite service is immediately eliminated in

accordance with the provisions of No. 2741. The use of the bands 1260-1270 MHz and 5650-5670 MHz by the

amateur-satellite service is limited to the Earth-to-space direction.

In the bands 1215-1300 MHz, 3100-3300 MHz, 5250-5350 MHz, 8550-8650 MHz, 9500-9800 MHz and 13.4-14.0

GHz, radiolocation stations installad on spacecraft may also be employed for the earth exploration-satellite and space

research services on a sacondary basis.

The use of the bands 1300-1350 MHz, 2700-2900 MHz and 9000-9200 MHz by the aeronautical radionavigation

service is restricted to ground-based radars and to the associated airborne transponders which transmit cnly on

frequencies in these bands and only when actuated by radars operating in the same band.

In the band 2700-2900 MHz, ground-based radars used for meteorological purposes are authorized to operate on a

basis cf equality with stations of the radionavigation service.

In the bands 2900-3100 MHz and 9300-9500 MHz, the respcnse from radar transponders shall not be capable of being

confused with the response from radar beacons (racons) and shall not cause interference to ship or aeronautical radars

in the radionavigation service, having regard, however, to No. 347 of these Regulations.

In making assignments to stations of other services, administrations are urged to take all practicable steps to protect

tha spectral line observations of the radio astronomy service from harmful interference in the bands 3260-3267 MHz,

3332-3339 MHz, 3345.8-3352.5 MHz and 4825-4835 MHz. Emissions from space or airborne stations can be

particularly serious scurces of interference to the radio astronomy service (sea Ncs. 343 and 344 and Article 36).

Government Footnotes

G2 In the bands 216-225,420-450 (except as provided by US217), 890-902, 928-942, 1300-1400, 2300-2450, 2700-

2900, 5650-5925, and 9000-9200 MHz, the Government radiolocation is limited to the military services.

G 1 5 Use of the band 2700-2900 MHz by military fixed and shipborne air defense radiolocation installations will be fully

coordinated with the meteorological aids and aeronautical radionavigation services. The military air defense

installations will be moved from the band 2700-2900 MHz at the earliest practicable date. Until such time as military

air defense installations can be accommodated satisfactorily elsewhere in the spectrum, such operations will, insofar

as practicable, be adjusted to meet the requirements of the aeronautical radionavigation service.

G31 In the bands 3300-3500 MHz, the Government radiolocation is Iimitad to the military services, except as provided by

footnote US 108.

G 5 6 Government radiolocation in the bands 1215-1300, 2900-3100, 5350-5650 and 9300-9500 MHz is primarily for the

military services; however, limited sacondary use is permitted by other Government agencies in support of

experimentation and research programs. In addition, limited secondary use is permitted for survey operations in the

band 2900-3100 MHz.

6
Section 2 Rules and Regulations

Table 1. United States Frequency Allocations 2700-4200 MHz (continued)

G 5 9 In the bands 902-928 MHz, 3100-3300 MHz, 3500-3700 MHz, 5250-5350 MHz, 8500-9000 MHz, 9200-9300 MHz,

13.4-14.0 GHz, 15.7-17.7 GHz and 24.04-24.25 GHz, all Government non-military radiolocation shall be secondary

to military radiolocation, except in the subband 15.7-16.2 GHz airport surface detection equipment (ASDE) is permitted

on a co-equal basis subject to coordination with the military departments.

G11 0 Government ground-based stations in tha aeronautical radionavigation service may be authorized between 3500 and

3700 MHz where accommodation in the 2700-2900 MHz band is not technically and/or economically feasible.

Non-Government Footnotes

NG41 Frequencies in the bands 3700-4200 MHz, 5925-6425 MHz, and 10.7-11.7 GHz may also be assigned to stations in

the international fixed public and international control services located in the U.S. Possessions in the Caribbean area.

2.3 SPECTRUM STANDARDS (Government and Non-Government)

The following is a summary of spectrum standards pertaining to Government and NonGovernment radar stations and non-Government 4-GHz earth stations. Only spectrum

standard requirements that affect the electromagnetic compatibility between radar stations

and earth stations are discussed in detail.

Government Spectrum Standards

Chapter 5 of the NTIA Manual contains the Radio Frequency Spectrum Standards that

are applicable to Federal radio stations and systems. However, within the Federal

Government, any Government agency may promulgate more stringent standards for its own

use.

Radar Spectrum Engineering Criteria

The Radar Spectrum Engineering Criteria (RSEC) apply to all Government radar

systems. RSEC specifications are contained in Section 5.3 of the NTIA Manual. The RSEC

specifies certain equipment characteristics to ensure an acceptable degree of electromagnetic

compatibility among radar systems, and between such systems and those of other radio

services sharing the radio spectrum.

The complete RSEC description is omitted herein; the folIowing list identifies the

technical radar characteristics for which the RSEC specifies limits:

1) emission bandwidth

2) emission level relative to the level of the radar fundamental

3) antenna pattern

4) frequency tolerance

5) frequency tunability

6) image and spurious rejection

7) local oscillator radiation.

7
Section 2 Rules and Regulations

2 J. Sell, “Measurement Procedures for the Radar Spectrum Engineering Criteria," NTIA

Report 84-157, U.S. Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and

Information Administration, August 1984.

8
Section 2 Rules and Regulations

For all fixed radars in the 2700- to 2900-MHz band which were developed and for

which subsequent procurement contracts were let after 1 October 1982 (IRAC Dec. #22834),

the RSEC spurious emission level, X(dB), is 80 dB below the maximum spectral power

density. In addition, all harmonic frequencies shall be at a level that is at least 60 dB below

the maximum spectral power density.

Non-Government Spectrum Standards

All technical standards pertaining to non-Government radiolocation and maritime

radionavigation stations may be found in CFR Title 47, Part 90. For non-Government radar

stations the spurious emission suppression limit, X decibels, is given by:

Where: P = ave mean output power, watts

= peak power, watts, x duty cycle.

The FCC Part 90 regulation for non-Government radars is roughly comparable to the

NTIA RSEC for Government radars. However, a direct comparison between these two

standards is difficult to make, as these two standards specify different spectrum measurement

procedures (e.g., average power measurements vs. peak power measurements).

Non-Government Fixed-Satellite Earth Station Standards

9
Section 2 Rules and Regulations

2.4 POLICY REGARDING SPURIOUS EMISSION INTERFERENCE

The Government policy regarding interference due to spurious emissions is contained

in the NTIA Manual, Chapter 2, Section 2.3.7 and states:

“In principle, spurious emissions from stations of one radio service shall

not cause harmful interference to stations of the same or another radio service

within the recognized service areas of the latter stations, whether operated in

the same or different frequency bands.

Providing that appropriate spectrum standards in Chapter 5 of the NTIA

Manual are met, an existing station is recognized as having priority over a new

or modified station. Nevertheless, engineering solutions to mitigate interference

may require the cooperation of all involved parties in the application of

reasonable and practicable measures to avoid causing or being susceptible to

harmful interference. ”

“When radiation in excess of that specified in paragraphs (c) and (d)

above of this section results in harmful interference, the Commission may

require, among other available remedies, appropriate technical changes in

equipment to alleviate the interference. ”

CFR Title 47 does not contain a policy regarding interference due to spurious emissions when

the interfering system is in conformance with all applicable spectrum standards.

10
SECTION 3

INTERFERENCE COUPLING MECHANISMS AND MITIGATION OPTIONS

3.1 INTRODUCTION

This section describes how energy radiated from radar stations may cause degradation

to earth station receiver performance (interference coupling mechanisms) and methods to

enhance compatibility between radar stations and earth stations (interference mitigation

options).

Investigations of several interference cases have identified two interference coupling

mechanisms that have occurred between radar stations in the 2700-to 3700-MHz portion of

the spectrum and 4-GHz fixed-satellite service earth stations. These interference coupling

mechanisms are earth station receiver front-end overload and receiver in-band interference due

to radar transmitter spurious emissions.

Separation distances at which interference from radar stations to earth stations may

occur for each of the interference coupling mechanisms are discussed in Section 4.

Measurement procedures to identify the interference coupling mechanisms are described in

Section 5.

3.2 RECEIVER FRONT-END OVERLOAD

Receiver front-end overload coupling occurs when energy from the fundamental

frequency of an undesired signal saturates the receiver front-end (e.g., low-noise amplifier,

or LNA), resulting in gain compression (reduction in output signal level) of the desired signal

sufficient to degrade performance. Receiver front-end overload generally occurs from highpower signals in adjacent bands.

The input threshold at which receiver front-end overload occurs is a function of the 1-

dB output gain compression level (saturation level) and the gain of the front-end low-noise

amplifier:

T =C- G (4)

Where:

A typical 1 -dB output gain compression level for a low-noise amplifier is +10 dBm. Earth

station receiver systems typically use low-noise amplifiers with 50 to 65 dB gain in the 4-GHz

band, and varying (and sometimes even higher) gain outside that band. The input threshold

at which receiver front-end overload may be expected to occur is approximately in the range

of -55 to -40 dBm.

11
Section 3 Interface Coupling Mechanisms and Mitigation Options

LNA/LNB/LNC Response

An earth station receiver system typically employs a low-noise, high-gain preamplifier

at the antenna feed. The preamplifier may produce output at the same frequencies as are

received in the 4-GHz band, in which case it is designated an LNA. Or, the preamplifier may

incorporate a mixer which downconverts the signal to a lower frequency band near 1000 MHz

(e.g., 950-1450 MHz), in which case it is designated an LNB. A third preamplifier type,

designated LNC, downconverts frequencies from the 4-GHz band to a few hundred MHz (e.g.,

270-770 MHz) output.

The purpose of a front-end preamplifier is to provide sensitivity to a weak input signal

(which requires that the noise figure of the preamplifier be low) and to produce an output with

enough gain to compensate for both the line loss between the antenna and the receiver and

the noise figure of the receiver. To achieve this functionality, 4-GHz front-end preamplifiers

are typically designed to operate with noise figures of about 0.4-0.7 dB (noise temperatures

of about 30-50 K) and gain values of about 50-65 dB.

Ideally, the frequency response range of such a preamplifier would be the same as the

assigned operational band of the receiver (i.e., 3700- to 4200-MHz). If the frequency

response of an amplifier is wider than the allocated band of the receiver, then the likelihood

of overloading an earth station preamplifier by emissions from transmitters outside the

receiver band is increased.

As part of the effort to resolve occurrences of interference involving fixed 4-GHz

satellite earth station receiver systems, the NTIA study sought to quantify the frequency

response (gain and sensitivity) of LNAs and LNBs that are representative of devices currently

in use at 4-GHz earth stations. For this purpose, one LNA model (designated LNA in this

report) and two LNB models (designated LNB #1 and LNB #2 in this report), all of which are

commercially available and are in use at earth stations, were purchased by NTIA from retail

suppliers. LNB #2 was specified by the manufacturer as incorporating bandpass filtering in

its design; the other two devices did not incorporate any built-in bandpass filtering in their

designs. All three devices were tested at the NTIA/lTS laboratory in Boulder, CO.

Gain Response and Noise Figure

The gain and noise figure of the LNA and LNB devices were measured using a +18 dB

excess noise ratio (ENR) noise diode. Standard Y-factor calibrations were performed to

determine gain and sensitivity as a function of frequency. 3 Gain and noise figure curves for

3 Y-factor calibrations are performed by connecting a calibrated excess noise source to

the input of the device under test, and comparing the output power levels when the

noise source is turned on and off. The gain and noise figure that are measured are

those of the entire system, which in this case consists of the preamplifier under test

and a spectrum analyzer used to perform the power measurements. However, if the

preamplifier sufficiently overdrives the spectrum analyzer noise figure (as these devices

12
Section 3 Interference Coupling Mechanisms and Mitigation Options

these units are shown in Figures 2 through 4. The in-band gain of the devices was

approximately 50-65 dB, and the in-band noise figures were typically found to be less than

or equal to 1 dB. (The noise figures shown in Figures 2 through 4 are about 2 dB, due to the

fact that the amplifiers were overdriving a 26-dB spectrum analyzer noise figure.) The LNA

exhibited slightly more gain below the operational band than it did in its nominal operational

band. LNB #2, which incorporates some bandpass filtering in its design, exhibits this feature

as a somewhat sharper cut-off characteristic at about 3500 MHz.

Frequency, MHz

Figure 2. Gain and noise figure of a 4-GHz LNA. Same LNA model has been used in an

earth station experiencing RF interference. Y-factor calibration performed with

+ 18 dB ENR noise diode.

13
Section 3 Interference Coupling Mechanisms and Mitigation Options

Figure 3.

Figure 4. Gain and noise figure of a second 4-GHz LNB, specified by manufacturer as

incorporating bandpass filtering. Y-factor calibration performed with + 18 dB

ENR noise diode.

14
Section 3 Interference Coupling Mechanisms and Mitigation Options

Gain Compression

15
16

Figure 5. LNA response as a function of simulated radar inputs. Radar

parameters: 1 :s pulses, 1000/sec, at 3300, 3400, 3500 MHz. Desired

(in-band) signals are marked at 3900, 4000, 4100 MHz.
17

Figure 6. LNB #1 response as a function of simulated radar inputs. Radar

inputs identical to Figure 4. Note products at -30 dBm and -40 dBm

input amplitudes. Desired signals at 3900, 4000, 4100 MHz.
18

Figure 7. LNB #2 response as a function of simulated radar input. Radar

inputs identical to Figures 5-6. Built-in bandpass has decreased

susceptibility to overload at input frequencies below 3500 MHz.
Section 3 Interference Coupling Mechanisms and Mitigation Options

At the lowest radar input level (-50 dBm peak power) in each of Figures 5 through 7,

the amplifiers are not overloaded and the amplifier gain and the power level of the in-band

(desired) signals are normal. We discovered during the tests that the gain of the LNA and of

LNB #2 decreased by 1 dB (1 -dB compression point occurred) at a peak power input of about

-40 dBm. LNB #1 gain was compressed by about 10 dB at that input level. When the input

power of the out-of-band simulated radar signal at 3500 MHz was increased by another 10

dB, to -30 dBm peak, the gain was severely compressed in all three devices. In summary, the

gain compression of the LNA/LNB is dependent upon the gain of the device at the frequency

of the simulated radar signal.

Note that, although LNB #2 showed an overload response to a simulated radar signal

at -30 dBm peak input and a frequency of 3500 MHz, the same device showed essentially no

compression when the frequency of the input was shifted down to 3300 MHz. This finding

is consistent with the earlier measurement of the 3500-MHz bandpass cutoff built into this

device. This response makes this device more resistant to the phenomenon of front-end

overload, but does not eliminate the problem for radars tuned above 3500 MHz.

Other Overload Responses

Gain compression may not be the only result of front-end overload; mixing products

to the input signal can be generated as part of the device output. Such products are

especially likely to occur if the device incorporates a mixing stage (downconversion), as is the

case for an LNB or an LNC. A device lacking such stages, such as an LNA, would be

expected to be less susceptible to this phenomenon.

During the NTIA tests, such mixing products were not observed for the LNA, but were

observed for both LNB devices. In Figures 5 through 7, the only signals that should be seen

are the simulated radar inputs at 3300, 3400, and 3500 MHz, and the simulated desired

signals at 3900, 4000, and 4100 MHz. However, the LNB responses shown in Figures 6 and

7 exhibit a number of additional responses. Mixing products were produced at peak input

power levels of -40 dBm and -30 dBm. For LNB #2, which incorporated bandpass filtering

with a 3400-MHz cutoff, a peak input power level of -30 dBm at 3500 MHz (within the

bandpass) resulted in generation of undesired products, but the same input power level at

3300 MHz (below the bandpass cutoff) did not produce such responses.

It is critical to note that some of the undesired products in the LNB devices occurred

at frequencies within the 4-GHz band. Such responses could result in interference in a

receiver system if they were to coincide with the frequencies of desired in-band signals. Also,

such responses may easily be misinterpreted by measurement personnel as spurious signals

generated by the radar, rather than being correctly identified as a response generated within

the earth station’s own RF front-end. (See Section 5 for methods of determining the

difference.)

19
20

Figure 8. Time domain behavior of LNA at gaiin compression of 10,

20, 30 and 40 dB in desired signal at 4000 MHz.

Compression created by out-of-band pulses (1-μs pulse

width) at 3500 MHz.

Section 3 Interference Coupling Mechanisms and Mitigation Options

Gain Compression Interval

The interval of overload gain compression of an amplifier is finite. The length of the

compression interval is one of the factors which determines the amount of data that a receiver

system may lose as a result of overload. NTIA tests were conducted on the three devices

previously described to determine their overload compression intervals. For each device, the

overload signal was applied at four different peak power levels, which were adjusted to

produce gain compressions of 10, 20, 30 and 40 dB in a simulated in-band (desired) signal

at 4000 MHz. The input overload signal was pulsed to simulate an out-of-band radar, as had

been done during the earlier gain compression tests, with a pulse width of 1 μs, pulse

repetition rate of 1000/s, and radar fundamental frequency of 3500 MHz. The output power

of the amplifier at the frequency of the simulated desired signal was recorded as a function

of elapsed time on a digital oscilloscope, documenting the process of gain compression and

the interval of that compression. The results of these tests are shown in Figures 8 through

10. The compression intervals are presented in Table 2.

The compression intervals for the LNA were found to be on the order of several

hundred microseconds, whereas the compression intervals for the LNB devices were about

two orders of magnitude shorter, on the order of a few microseconds. For the LNA, the

interval resulting from a compression of 40 dB was 900 μs, which approached the 1000-μs

interval between simulated radar pulses. For LNB #1, the 1-μs gain compression interval from

10-dB compression which is indicated in Figure 9 is probably longer than the device's inherent

compression interval; the input pulse was itself 1 μs long. The reason for the difference in

gain compression intervals between the LNA and the two LNB devices is not known, and was

not pursued as part of this study.

Section 3 Interference Coupling Mechanisms and Mitigation Options

TABLE 2.

GAIN COMPRESSION INTERVALS OF LNA AND LNB DEVICES

Compression Compression Compression Compression

Interval Interval Interval Interval

LNA 150 200 650 900

LNB #1 1.5 2.5 3

LNB #2 1.5 2.5 3 3.5

3.3 FRONT-END OVERLOAD INTERFERENCE MITIGATION OPTIONS

RF Filtering

22
Section 3 Interference Coupling Mechanism and Mitigation Options

Figure 11. Frequency response curve of a commercially procured 3700-to 4200-MHz

bandpass

- filter of same type as were used to mitigate out-of-band

interference to 4-GHz TVRO receivers in south Florida.

The frequency response curve shown in Figure 11 was measured at the NTIA/lTS

laboratory in Boulder, CO. The same filter type was used to mitigate interference from the

south Florida airborne radar discussed in Section 3.4. The in-band (3700- to 4200-MHz)

insertion loss ranges between O and 1 dB, and is typically about 0.5 dB. Out-of-band

attenuation is approximately 25 dB within 50 MHz of the band edges, and is in excess of 45

dB within 100 MHz of the band edges. Suppression exceeds 90 dB within 300 MHz of the

band edges. In cases in which a radar fundamental is so close to the band edge that the rolloff of the filter is not sufficient to prevent front-end overload, the filter can be re-tuned to

shift the bandpass roll-off point to higher or lower frequencies.

3.4 FRONT-END OVERLOAD INTERFERENCE CASES

A case of interference to a 4-GHz earth station from a radar was jointly investigated

by NTIA and the U.S. Naval Electronics Engineering Activity (NAVELEX), Charleston, SC, in

23
Section 3 Interference Coupling Mechanisms and Mitigation Options

4 J.A. Lucas and B.J. Ramsey, “Daniel’s CableVision Satellite Receiver Earth Station

Interference Study,” July 1990, E3 Task Number E90135-C093.

5 See Section 5, Identification of the Radar, and Appendix A.

s F.H. Sanders and R.L. Hinkle, “Interference Resolution Report on Station WGUF

Naples, Florida,” letter report for NTIA, dated April 7, 1993, and F.H. Sanders and R.L.

Hinkle, “Interference Resolution Report on Colony Cablevision of Florida,” letter report

for NTIA, dated July 6, 1993.

7 R.L. Hinkle and G. Hurt, “Interference Resolution Report on Time Warner Cable,” letter

report for NTIA, dated June 22, 1993.

8 Memo from William D. Gamble to Arlan K. van Doom, “South Florida Radar

Interference,” dated October 5, 1993.

9 J.D. Smilley and F.H. Sanders, data and summary of RSMS “Norfolk, VA February

1988 Measurements Notebook. ”

24
Section 3 Interference Coupling Mechanisms and Mitigation Options

3.5 SUMMARY REMARKS ON RECEIVER FRONT-END OVERLOAD

Front-end overload is a phenomenon which occurs when a low-noise, high-gain

preamplifier is located at the front-end of a radio receiver system and is subjected to a strong

signal from an external source, as given by Equation 4. In this condition, the amplifier will not

only gain-compress at the frequency of the overloading signal, but also at all other frequencies

in the amplifier’s gain response band. Thus, desired signals will be lost at frequencies which

may be hundreds or even thousands of megahertz away from the frequency of the signal

which is causing overload to occur. The majority of cases of interference to 4-GHz satellite

earth stations that have been investigated by NTIA have been found to be due to the

phenomenon of front-end overload.

It is important to note three aspects of receiver front-end overload interference which

are not always appreciated. First, the filtering provided in a receiver IF stage is irrelevant to

the problem of receiver front-end overload. The overload and loss of desired signal occur

before the IF stage is reached.

Second, earth station front-end amplifiers may have a significantly wider frequency

response range than is indicated by the manufacturer’s specifications. Although an amplifier

is specified for a given band by the information on its package case (e.g., “3.7-4.2 GHz”), this

does not mean that it does not respond to (or filters out) signals outside that range. Quite to

the contrary, it is highly likely, especially with current gallium-arsenide field-effect transistor

(GaAsFET) technology, that the actual frequency response range of such amplifiers will

typically be several gigahertz wide (e.g., 2800-4800 MHz). The actual response of an

amplifier can be assessed by connecting the amplifier output to the input of a spectrum

analyzer, and observing the frequency range over which the amplifier compensates for the

spectrum analyzer noise (that is, the frequency range over which the amplifier excess noise

is observed above the analyzer noise floor).

Third, in the presence of an overloading signal outside the 4-GHz band, undesired

products may be generated in front-end amplifiers which incorporate mixer/downconverter

stage(s) (i.e., LNB/LNC devices); such products may occur anywhere in the frequency

response range of the amplifier, including the 3700- to 4200-MHz spectral range used by 4-

GHz earth stations. If such products happen to occur at the same frequency or frequencies

as desired signals, then interference with earth station operations could result. Also, if a

spectrum analyzer is used to observe the spectrum through the earth station receiver, the

products which occur in the 4-GHz band may easily be mistakenly identified as spurious radar

emissions in this band. Thus, the observed presence of apparent interfering signals in the

3700- to 4200-MHz band does not necessarily mean that such signals are originating from

an external source, such as a radar. (See Section 5 for methods of determining the difference

between radar spurious emissions in the 4-GHz band and mixing products generated by the

front-end LNB/LNC in that band.)

25
Section 3 Interference Coupling Mechanisms and Mitigations Options

3.6 INTERFERENCE DUE TO RADAR SPURIOUS EMISSIONS IN THE 4-GHz BAND

Radar spurious emission coupling occurs when energy from the radar transmitter

spurious emissions in the 3700- to 4200-MHz band causes degradation in the earth station

receiver system performance. The predominant factor that governs the level of spurious

emissions from radars is the transmitter output device10 (also referred to as an output tube).

It is important to know the inherent spurious emission levels and variances for the

different types of transmitter output tubes in order to assess the potential for interference

from radars utilizing these tubes. This information is important in identifying microwave radar

tube types that promote efficient use of the spectrum and as a parameter in interference

resolution prediction.

Microwave radar tubes inherently generate spurious emission noise that generally

dominates spectral emissions at frequency separations greater than 50 MHz from the radar

fundamental frequency. (Such emissions are often referred to as “transmitter noise.”) Thus,

at frequency separations of greater than 50 MHz, the radar emission spectrum is independent

of radar system characteristics such as the pulse modulation parameters (e.g., pulse width,

pulse modulation, and pulse rise/fall times). Based on measurements contained in studies

conducted by NTIA11and a review of tube characteristics with major microwave radar tube

manufacturers, the inherent spurious emission level for the various types of microwave tubes

used in radars are shown in Table 3.

Additional attenuation of spurious emission levels can be achieved through the use of

RF bandpass filters inserted in the radar after the output device. With the use of RF bandpass

filters, the spurious emission levels of crossed-field amplifiers (CFAS), magnetrons, and coaxial

magnetrons can be reduced below -100 dBc. Examples of such output filtering and the effect

on a radar’s emission spectrum are shown in Figures 12-13. However, in cases where radars

use phased array antennas, RF waveguide filters cannot be installed.

Measurements conducted by NTIA (see footnotes 10 and 11 ) have shown that radars

using magnetrons, coaxial magnetrons, and klystrons comply with the spurious emission limits

imposed by the RSEC (see Section 2). Although it is not possible to make the power levels

of spurious emissions in the 4-GHz band arbitrarily low, some limits, such as those defined

by the RSEC, can reasonably be achieved. Measurable emissions may still occur in the 4-GHz

band even when a radar meets the RSEC. These emissions may interfere with 4-GHz satellite

earth stations by decreasing the carrier-to-interference (C/I) ratio to an unacceptably low level

if the radar main beam aims at the earth station. Some examples of radar spurious emissions

in the 4-GHz band are shown in Figures 13 through

10 R.J. Matheson, J.D. Smilley, G.D. Falcon and

Characteristics of Operational Radars,” NTIA

15.

V.S. Lawrence, “Output Tube Emission

Report 82-92, January 1982.

11 R.L. Hinkle, “Background Study on Efficient Use of the 2700-2900 MHz Band,” NTIA

Report 83-117, August 1983, NTIS # PB83-214288.

26
TABLE 3.

RADAR OUTPUT DEVICE INHERENT SPURIOUS EMISSION LEVELS*

“ As contained in Radiocommunications Bureau Report 914-2, “Efficient Use of the Radio

Spectrum by Radar Stations in the Radiodetermination Service, ” International Radio

Consultative Committee (CCIR) XVllth Plenary Assembly, Dusseldorf, 1990.

3.7 RADAR SPURIOUS EMISSIONS INTERFERENCE MITIGATION OPTIONS

The following is a discussion of options to mitigate interference from radar stations due

to radar transmitter spurious emissions in the 3700- to 4200-MHz band.

Radar Station RF Filtering

RF waveguide filters can be used in some radars stations to reduce interference to

earth stations to acceptable levels. Measurements have shown (see Figures 12 and 13) that

RF waveguide filters will suppress radar spurious emissions in the 4-GHz band by at least 40

to 50 dB. In Figure 12, note that the filter is characterized by attenuation in excess of 80 dB

at frequencies immediately above the upper cutoff at 3700 MHz, but that this attenuation

decreases to as little as 15 dB at frequencies above 4300 MHz. This demonstrates that,

while filter installation on a radar station may reduce the potential for interference in one band,

it may not provide a solution for other bands even farther removed in the spectrum.

When radar interference to 4-GHz earth stations is caused by spurious emissions from

the radar transmitter, the installation of an RF filter for the appropriate band at the radar

transmitter is considered a practicable solution provided that it is technically and/or economic27
Interference Coupling Mechanisrns and Mitigation Options

Figure 12. Measured frequency response curve of a bandpass filter installed on naval

radar (Figure 13) to suppress spurious emissions and enhance

electromagnetic compatibility with 4-GHz receivers.
Section 3

2700 2950 3200 3450 3700 3950 4200

Frequency, MHz

Figure 14. Spectrum of a WSR-74S weather radar, showing spurious emissions in the

3700- to 4200-MHz range. The spurious emissions from this radar caused

interference to a 4-GHz terrestrial radio link.

Frequency, MHz

Figure 15. Emission spectrum of a long-range air search radar.

emissions and third harmonic occur in the 4-GHz band.

produced interference to a terrestrial 4-GHz link.

29

Both spurious

Third harmonic
Section 3 Interference Coupling Mechanisms and Mitigation Options

ally possible. The policy and responsibility for dealing with the purchase and installation of

an RF filter for a specific radar transmitter are discussed in Section 2 of this report.

3.8 EARTH STATION MITIGATION OPTIONS

Antenna Selection

Antenna discrimination, the response of an antenna to signals arriving from various

azimuths, varies widely among antenna types. In some situations, it may be possible to take

advantage of those characteristics to reduce the response of a system to interference arriving

from a particular direction. Currently, the vast majority of earth stations use standard

parabolic antennas with prime focus feeds. Other types of antennas used which have lower

sidelobe levels include those incorporating cassegrain reflectors, offset-fed reflectors and horn

reflectors. Antenna manufacturers have stated that shrouded parabolic antennas used for

radio-relay systems can also be used in 4-GHz earth stations. Each type has a different

response to off-axis signals; typical patterns for these general types of antennas are shown

in Figure 16. At off-axis angles in excess of 10 degrees, shrouded parabolic and conical horn

reflector antennas can provide 10 to 20 dB of additional suppression of an interfering signal

and 20 to 50 dB of suppression for off-axis angles greater than 50 degrees.

Site Selection

Site selection can be used during the design phase of new earth stations to avoid

potential interference exposures to operational radar stations. There are many factors that

determine the site selection of earth stations. When possible, one of the factors should be

the electromagnetic environment. For site selection to be successful as an interference

mitigation option, knowledge of the location of radar stations is necessary. It should be

recognized, however, that additional constraints on site selection may significantly impact the

economics of the earth station construction. The key to mitigation of radar interference in

selection of a site is electromagnetic shielding by surrounding terrain.

3.9 SPURIOUS EMISSION INTERFERENCE CASES

NTIA has not investigated any cases in which a 4-GHz satellite earth station has

experienced interference due to radar transmitter spurious emissions in the 4-GHz band.

Some such cases have been documented by NAVELEX Charleston, however. In one case,

spurious emissions from a shore-based, long-range naval search radar located on Crown

Mountain, St. Thomas, USVI, caused interference to two 4-GHz commercial earth stations on

that island.l 2 One was an analog TVRO, and the other was a digital telephone satellite earth

station. In another set of cases, spurious emissions from high-power radars on ships have

caused interference at earth stations located at sites that overlook the ocean.

12 J.A. Lucas, “Radar Interference Due to Receive System Susceptibility and Spurious

Emissions,” presentation to the Federal Communications Commission, Naval Electronic

Systems Engineering Center (NAVELEX), Code 222, Charleston, SC, July 14, 1992.

30
Section 3 Interference Coupling Mechanisms and Mitigation Options

Azimuth Degrees from Main Lobe

Figure 16. Comparison of directivities for three high-gain antenna types. Shrouded

parabolas and conical horns can exhibit higher directivities than ordinary

parabolic. Note scale change at 15 degrees.

31
Section 3 Interference Coupling Mechanisms and Mitigation Options

There have been no substantiated cases of airborne radars causing interference due

to spurious emissions in the 3700- to 4200-MHz band. All high-power airborne radars in the

2700- to 3700-MHz band use linear beam output devices which have spurious emissions

down at least 100 dB from the fundamental.

32
13M.A. Maiuzzo and W.E. Frazier, "A Theoretical Groundwave Propagation Model - N8

Model," DOD Electromagnetic Compatibility Analysis Center (ECAC), December 1968.

14G. Benoit, "Terrain-Integrated Rough-Earth Model (TIREM) Handbook, 

ECAC-HDBK-86-076, DOD Electromagnetic Compatibility Analysis Center, September 1986.

33

SECTION 4

ELECTROMAGNETIC COMPATIBILITY ANALYSIS

4.1 INTRODUCTION

This section contains analysis procedures for determining the separation distances

between radar stations and earth stations necessary to mitigate interference due to

receiver front-end overload and radar transmitter spurious emissions. The separation

distances are based on radar station and earth station characteristics associated with

regulatory standards contained in Section 2 and 3. Since nominal radar and earth station

system characteristics and typical antenna heights are used in these calculations, the

separation distance calculations presented in this section are to assess the potential for

interference and to provide an estimate of when a detailed electromagnetic compatibility

(EMC) analysis may be required.

A smooth-earth propagation model, NLAMDA13 (N8), was used to calculate the 

required separation distances presented in this section. For detailed EMC analyses, a

propagation model that takes into consideration the terrain (such as TIREM14) between the

radar station and earth station should be used in determining the propagation loss. Also,

building attenuation, foliage attenuation, and ducting should be considered in

determining the propagation loss.

In addition when performing a detailed EMC analysis, it is also necessary to

perform an analysis for indirect path coupling (multiple path scattering). When the direct

path between a transmitter and a receiver contains propagation obstacles, multiple path

scattering caused by terrain or building reflections can result in significantly less

propagation loss than along the direct path. Such multiple path propagation can also

cause an apparent stretching of radar pulses. The effect of such stretching is to increase

the time interval of the interference, thus increasing the potential degradation to an earth

station.

4.2 RADAR STATION CHARACTERISTICS

The following are nominal characteristics of radar stations operating in the 2700-

to 3700-MHz bands. These characteristics are identified for the purpose of EMC analysis.

Peak Transmit Power (PT) = 0.86 to 4.0 MW (+89 to +96 dBm),

nominal +90 dBm

Main Beam Gain (GT) = 30 to 34 dBi, nominal 32 dBi

Pulse Width = 1 to 60 μs

Pulse Repetition Rate = 100 to 27,000 pps

Duty Cycle = 0.1 to 6 percent
Section 4 Electromagnetic Compatibility Analysis

4.3 EARTH STATION CHARACTERISTICS

Table 4 summarizes the nominal characteristics of earth stations in the 4-GHz band

associated with TVRO and audio receive only (ARO) terminals. Currently there is a mix of

analog and digital earth station systems in the 4-GHz band with a majority of the TVRO earth

stations using analog frequency modulation (FM). However, there is a trend toward use of

digital modulations. The susceptibility of these digital modulations to pulsed emissions is a

function of the order of digital modulation used (i.e., BPSK, QPSK, etc.). Manufacturers of

4-GHz earth stations have indicated that digital modulation systems are more susceptible to

interference than analog systems.

TABLE 4.

CHARACTERISTICS OF 4-GHz EARTH STATION RECEIVER SYSTEMS

34
Section 4 Electromagnetic Compatibility Analysis

35

4.4 RECEIVER FRONT-END OVERLOAD INTERFERENCE

Due to the high power levels required to cause receiver front-end overload in a 4-GHz

earth station, it is likely that radar interference will occur only when the main beam of a radar

is directed at the earth station site. Also, based on the results of NTIA front-end recovery

tests (Figures 8 through 10), gain compression will occur in coincidence with each pulse in

the radar main beam, with a finite recovery time that varies with the amount of gain

compression and type of LNA/LNB amplifier. As shown in Figures 8 through 10, the gain

compression from each pulse may last as little as about 1μs (the pulse width of the radar)

or may approach the entire interval between pulses (see the 40-dB gain compression curve

in Figure 8). In summary, the effects of earth station front-end overload interference will be

a function of the degree of gain compression and the radar pulse repetition rate.

As a radar antenna main beam scans across an earth station, approximately 20 pulses

will typically be directed at that station. The operational characteristics of 2700- to 3700-

MHz radars are such that each pulse will be about 1-60 μs long, and the spacing between

pulses will usually be about 1-3 ms, although much shorter intervals, on the order of tens of

microseconds, are possible for some radars. If the radar main beam is utilized in a

mechanically scanned rotation, then it will sweep across the earth station site at very precise

and regular intervals of typically 5-1 5 s. (Some radars scan electronically in elevation while

rotating mechanically, and thus the interval for such radars may appear slightly irregular.) If

the radar utilizes a phased array antenna, then the main beam will still probably be directed

at the earth station every few seconds, but the exact interval between visitations will be

irregular.

For analog TVRO systems, these interference bursts may be observed on a television

screen as a pattern of black or white spots. For earth stations using digital systems

(television or audio), the performance degradation will be manifested as an increase in bit error

rate (BER) for slight gain compression, to loss of sync (out-of-frame) for severe (long recovery

time) gain compression. Because of the potential for loss of sync, the potential performance

degradation of digital systems may be more catastrophic than for analog systems, thus

increasing the susceptibility of digital systems to pulse-type emissions and reported

interference cases.

4.5 SEPARATION DISTANCE REQUIRED TO PRECLUDE OVERLOAD INTERFERENCE

The following is a discussion of the procedure to determine separation distance

between radar stations and earth stations to ensure compatibility for receiver front-end

overload coupling. To determine the separation distance it is necessary to calculate the

propagation loss required to preclude interference to an earth station receiver system. For

direct path coupling, the required propagation loss is given by

Lp = PT + GT + GR(O) - LT - LR - IMAX (5)
$ection 4

Where:

I

Electromagnetic Compatibility Analysis

Median propagation path loss between the transmitting and receiving

antennas, in dB.

Peak transmitted power of radar station, nominal +90 dBm.

Radar station main beam antenna gain, nominal +32 dBi.

Earth station antenna gain in the direction of the radar station, nominal

Insertion loss in the radar station transmitter, in dB (assumed 2 dB).

Insertion loss in the earth station receiver system, in dB (assumed O dB)

Maximum radar signal level at the antenna output which precludes

receiver front-end overload (See Equation 4), nominal -50 to -40 dBm.

4.6 RADAR TRANSMITTER SPURIOUS EMISSIONS INTERFERENCE

36
Section 4 Electromagnetic Compatibility Analysis

associated with spurious emissions from radar stations on earth station receiver system

performance, it is necessary to characterize the pulse time waveform responses in the receiver

IF passband.

0 30 60 90 120 150 180

Off-Axis Angle (degrees)

Figure 17.

Figures 18-19 show pulse time waveform measurements at the radar fundamental

frequency (reference pulse width) as well as at other frequencies in the 4-GHz band. These

measurements were made with the RSMS front-end (RF preselector through IF output) and

a digital oscilloscope. The time waveforms indicate that the radar spurious emissions in the

4-GHz band produce two types of time waveform response at the receiver IF output:

1) spurious emissions produced from the pulse modulation leading edge and trailing edge

2) spurious emissions produced by the radar output device inherent noise during the pulse

interval.

37
Section 4 Electromagnetic Compatibility Analysis

Figure 18. Time waveforms of a weather radar at center frequency (5575 MHz) and at

three frequencies in the 3700- to 4200-MHz band. Radiated measurement in

3-MHz bandwidth.

Effects of Radar Spurious Emissions

The spurious emissions occurring during the leading and trailing edges of the pulses

are broadband in nature, thus producing an impulse response in the earth station receiver IF

output. The amplitudes of the leading and trailing edge impulse responses are not always

equal, and some received pulses may lack a leading or trailing edge altogether. Because the

actual widths of the leading and trailing edge features are often only a few nanoseconds, the

apparent widths of these impulse responses in the receiver are a function of the reciprocal of

the receiver IF bandwidth (that is, they are bandwidth-limited in the receiver). Therefore,

leading and trailing edge impulse responses will appear to be approximately 30 to 50 ns for

nominal IF bandwidths used by 4-GHz earth stations. Thus, the leading and trailing edge

impulse responses appear as short pulses approximately equal to a baud interval of a digital

system. The effect of these receiver impulses on digital systems is to cause background or

residual error rates.

38
Section 4

Time waveforms of radar in two pulse modes (long and short) at center

frequency (2883 MHz), and at two frequencies in the 3700- to 4200-MHz

band. Radiated measurement in 3-MHz bandwidth.

spurious emissions occurring between the leading and trailing edges of the

Figure 19.

Radar

pulses will appear at the receiver IF output as non-coherent noise. The duration of such noise

in a pulse may be equal to or shorter than the nominal pulse width. If the noise pulses are

approximately equal in length to the nominal radar pulse width (which may be at least several

microseconds), and are at amplitudes that exceed the earth station C/l protection ratio, then

error rates momentarily above the earth station maximum bit error rate (BER) may occur.

Also, when the full noise pulse duration exceeds the required protection ratio, the noise may

defeat the receiver error correction function and result in a block of errors for each incoming

pulse.

If the radar spurious emissions produce pulses at the receiver if output for several

framing pulses in digital systems, system out-of-frame condition will occur. The reframe

interval may last for tens of milliseconds and will inevitably cause a severely errored second.

Error correction provides no advantage when out-of-frame condition occurs. Generally, for

39

Section 4 Electromagnetic Compatibility Analysis

FDR = Frequency-dependent rejection of spurious emissions between the radar

transmitter and the earth station receiver system, in dBc.

Nominal +60 to +80 dB -10 log(BWIF(MHz)/(1 MHz)). (60 to 80 dBc

represents worst-case RSEC and nominal magnetron/coaxial magnetron

spurious emission levels in a 1-MHz bandwidth; see Table 3.)

BWIF = Earth station receiver intermediate frequency (IF) bandwidth, nominal 30

MHz.

After the required propagation loss was determined, the NLAMDA propagation model

was applied to determine the nominal separation distance between radar stations and earth

stations at which radar transmitter spurious emission interference would be precluded. At

separations less than that distance, it may be necessary to perform a detailed analysis.

4.8 SUMMARY OF ELECTROMAGNETIC COMPATIBILITY ANALYSIS

In summary, there are many radar station, earth station, and environmental factors that

influence the effects of pulsed radar emissions on earth station receiver system performance

and the resulting separation distance required to preclude interference. The analytical

determination of these effects is very complex. Because of this complexity, every effort

should be made to ensure compatibility. Methods of mitigating interference between radars

and earth stations are discussed in Section 3. The EMC analysis showed that interference

from radar stations to 4-GHz earth stations can occur even if all current Federal standards for

radars and earth stations are satisfied.

The separation distance to preclude front-end overload from airborne radars is several

hundred kilometers even at off-axis angles greater than 10 degrees. For surface radars, frontend overload interference may occur at ranges of 60 km for a few degrees off-axis to less

than 40 km for off-axis angles greater than 30 degrees. The separation distance required to

preclude radar transmitter spurious emission interference ranges from several hundred

kilometers at off-axis angles of less than 5 degrees to less than 50 km for off-axis angles

greater than 30 degrees.

Although most radar types can accept the installation of an output filter to reduce

spurious emissions, some radar systems utilize distributed, phased-array transmitters and thus

cannot be effectively output filtered. Therefore, the required spurious emission attenuation

41
Section 4 Electromagnetic Compatibility Analysis

Off-Axis Angle (degrees)

Figure 20. Separation distance required to preclude earth station interference by radar

spurious emissions, as a function of FDR and antenna height. Nominal station

parameters used (see text).

must be provided by one or more of these mitigation measures: improved earth station

sidelobe suppression levels, or improved earth station antenna site selection.

42
SECTION 5

DETERMINATION OF COUPLING MECHANISM

5.1 INTRODUCTION

With reference to Section 4, interference mitigation measures will be ineffective unless

the correct interference coupling mechanism (radar transmitter spurious emissions or earth

station front-end overload) is identified. This section describes methods by which the

interference mechanism may be determined, so that appropriate mitigation measures may be

implemented as reliably as possible. It should be noted that the tests and measurements

required to determine the interference mechanism are not necessarily easy to perform, even

if the earth station facility has access to the necessary test equipment (a spectrum analyzer

and digital oscilloscope are recommended, at a minimum).

Commercially available RF front-end bandpass filters (passband of 3700-4200 MHz)

for earth stations typically cost a few hundred dollars and can be installed relatively quickly.

Installation of such a filter ahead of the first LNA/LNB/LNC in the earth station RF front-end

is recommended as a first step at an earth station which is experiencing interference. If the

only interference mechanism is front-end overload which is occurring outside the 3700- to

4200-MHz band, then the filter should mitigate the problem. (It should be noted that the

presence of front-end overload does not necessarily mean that the overloading signal is

outside the earth station’s band, but under United States spectrum allocations (see Section

2) it would not be expected that a sufficiently strong signal, and particularly not a radar

fundamental, would occur in the 3700-to 4200-MHz portion of the spectrum. No case of inband front-end overload is known. )

It is also possible for front-end overload interference and radar spurious emission

interference to occur simultaneously. In that case, installation of a bandpass filter on the

earth station will only eliminate the front-end overload interference component; the station will

still experience interference effects due to the radar spurious emissions in the 3700-to 4200-

MHz band. Because of this possibility, the installation of a bandpass filter on the earth station

ahead of the LNA/LNB/LNC is recommended before tests for radar spurious emission

interference are attempted. If no such filter is installed, then the absence of earth station

front-end overload must be verified through tests described below.

Finally, it should be noted that an earth station front-end amplifier which also incorporates a

mixer/downconverter (LNB or LNC) may generate undesired products in the 3700- to 4200-

MHz band when it is in an overload condition, as shown in Section 3. These products may

be easily mistaken for radar spurious emissions in the earth station band. Thus, it is critical

that the possibility of front-end overload be eliminated by installation of a front-end bandpass

filter before tests for spurious emissions are performed.

5.2 MEASUREMENT PROCEDURES

Determination of Front-End Overload in an Earth Station

There are several steps in the process of determining whether or not front-end overload

is occurring in an earth station. The first and most obvious step is to physically examine the

43
Section 5 Determination of Coupling Mechanism

RF front-end of the system, usually at the antenna, and determine if any preselection already

exists. It is important not to be misled by schematic diagrams, which may indicate the

presence of filters which may not have actually been installed, or by narrow frequency ranges

which are specified on an amplifier case (e.g., “3.7-4.2 GHz”); the actual amplifier response

may be much wider than the label indicates. If RF bandpass filtering ahead of the first

preamplifier is verified as being present, then it is very unlikely that the coupling mechanism

is front-end overload. If no such filtering is present, then such a filter should be installed. If

the installation results in elimination of the problem, then the mechanism is probably front-end

overload.

If a bandpass filter for the earth station is unavailable, or for any other reason the

presence of front-end overload must be independently verified, then the following

measurement procedure can be performed through the front-end of the earth station during

an interference event. The goal of this measurement is to determine the extent, if any, to

which the amplifier is gain-compressing when energy from the radar is received. In order to

document this effect clearly, it is necessary to simultaneously monitor the radar energy at the

radar fundamental frequency, as well as the response of the earth station to that energy. A

block diagram for the hardware arrangement to used in this test is shown in Figure 21.

With reference to Figure 21, this test is performed with the antenna feed horn

connected directly into the earth station’s front-end amplifier (LNA/LNB/LNC). THERE

SHOULD NOT BE ANY BANDPASS FILTER AHEAD OF THE LNA/LNB/LNC DURING THIS

TEST. The signal out of the amplifier is then split into two paths. One side of the split is sent

to a spectrum analyzer, and the analyzer video output is in turn routed to one channel of an

oscilIoscope, 15 The analyzer should be tuned to the equivalent preamplifier output of the

radar fundamental frequency (see Identification of the Radar, below), and the analyzer

frequency span should be set to O Hz. (If two or more radar fundamentals are produced, any

one of them will suffice. ) The analyzer IF bandwidth should be set to 1 MHz, and analyzer

trace sweeping should be suspended.

The other side of the split is routed to the earth station receiver, and the receiver’s IF

output is routed to a second channel of the oscilloscope. The oscilloscope should be triggered

from the radar pulse train coming out of the spectrum analyzer. Thus, both the radar pulse

train and the earth station response to that pulse train maybe simultaneously observed on the

oscilloscope. If the radar is overloading the earth station front-end, then gain compression

should be observed on the IF trace when pulses from the radar are observed on the other

oscilloscope trace. Examples of such responses are shown for an LNA and an LNB in Figures

22-25.

A variation on this technique can be implemented on an antenna that incorporates two

cross-polarized feeds: install a bandpass filter ahead of the preamplifier on one feed. If

15 Documentation of these measurements is important.

can transfer data to a magnetic medium or an analog

be used for this purpose.

44

Either a digital oscilloscope that

oscilloscope with a camera can
Section 5 Detemninetion of Coupling Mechanism

Figure 21. Block diagram for determination of interference coupling mechanism.

Characteristics of either front-end overload or radar spurious emissions are

observed in coincidence with radar pulses.

interference subsequently occurs on the unfiltered feed but not on the filtered feed, then the

problem is earth station front-end overload. As a caveat, however, it should be noted that

interference may be polarization-dependent, and the cross polarization between feeds can

unintentionally produce a filtering effect of its own. So it is critical, if this technique is

attempted, that both feeds are known to have previously been affected by the interference

simultaneously.

Simultaneous Occurrence of Front-End Overload and Spurious Emission Interference

As stated at the beginning of this section, it is entirely possible for both earth station

front-end overload and radar spurious emission interference to occur simultaneously. This

would be the case if a radar produced strong spurious emissions at the earth station’s center

frequency, while the earth station was being operated with an unpreselected front-end.

However, before the spurious emission interference problem can be addressed, the possibility

of front-end overload must first be eliminated by installing an RF filter on the earth station.

45
Figure 2 3 . Channels A and B of oscilloscope when test arrangement of

Figure 21 is used and LNB front-end is overloading. Note faster

recovery time of LNB than of LNA, (interval the same as pulse

width).

4 6
Section 5

Figure 24. Channels A and B of oscilloscope when test arrangement of

Figure 21 is used and radar pulses are not overloading LNA

front-end.

47
Section 5 Determination of Coupling Mechanism

Determination of Radar Spurious Emissions in an Earth Station

If tests for front-end overload are negative or interference persists when a 3700- to

4200-MHz bandpass filter has been installed ahead of the first RF amplifier in the earth

station, then the interference is probably occurring as a result of spurious emissions in the

earth station band.

It must be emphasized that, if the tests for radar spurious emission interference are to

utilize unpreselected earth station RF front-ends, as shown in Figure 21, then the possibility

that interference is caused by front-end overload must be eliminated before these tests are

conducted. While the use of a bandpass filter on the earth station front-end is not absolutely

required under these circumstances, the presence of such a filter during the tests increases

the confidence that no front-end overload is occurring.

The observations may be accomplished in two ways. One method uses the same block

diagram arrangement as shown in Figure 21 (but preferably with a bandpass filter inserted

ahead of the LNA/LNB/LNC). The result will be to observe the radar spurious emission pulses

superimposed on the desired signal, as shown in Figure 26. The spurious emission radar

pulses will usually be observed as pairs of high leading and trailing edges (“rabbit ears”); the

time-domain spacing will be the same as the nominal pulse width. It is also possible for

spurious emissions to appear as noise-like pulses. A disadvantage to this method is that the

presence of the desired earth station signal may have the effect of masking the radar spurious

emissions.
Section 5 Determination of Coupthg Mechamism

The second observation technique eliminates the desired signal, thus reducing possible

masking of the radar spurious emission pulses. With reference to Figure 21, this is

accomplished by substituting an omnidirectional antenna for the earth station parabolic

antenna (and again, preferably with a bandpass filter inserted ahead of the LNA/LNB/LNC).

The omnidirectional antenna must have a frequency response of at least 2700- to 4400-MHz.

This method may be most practical if the earth station has a spare receiver system already

available, to which the omni antenna can be attached.

If radar spurious emissions are established as causing interference to an earth station,

then the radar that is involved must be identified. The radar spurious emission levels must

be quantified so that steps can be taken to resolve the problem.

Identification of the Radar

Identification of the radar can be achieved most easily if the parameters of pulse width,

pulse repetition rate, fundamental frequency or frequencies, beam scanning technique, and

beam scanning interval are obtained. (Direction finding is desirable but is often difficult for

personnel who are unfamiliar with such techniques.) Measurements of radar emission

parameters can be performed with a spectrum analyzer and an oscilloscope attached to the

analyzer’s video output. It is critical that the measurement system be deselected, so that

front-end overload does not affect the measurements. An omnidirectional antenna should be

used, because it will probably provide more gain in the direction of the radar than the earth

station’s dish antenna will provide.

The radar’s fundamental frequency may be determined by sweeping the analyzer as

rapidly as possible across the 2700- to 4400-MHz portion of the spectrum, using the widest

possible IF bandwidth and positive peak detection with a maximum hold trace mode. The

fundamental frequency of the radar should become roughly defined after a few rotations of

the radar’s main beam. The analyzer should then be tuned to the measured fundamental

frequency and a narrow frequency span (about 50 MHz) should be selected. After a few more

rotations, the center frequency should be well-defined. The analyzer should then be re-tuned

to the radar center frequency again, and the frequency span should be adjusted to O Hz. In

this mode, the spectrum analyzer becomes a slow-motion oscilloscope.

The sweep time should be set to about 60 s, and then the time trace of the radar’s

beam scanning will become visible. If the radar is rotating mechanically, the time trace will

be repetitive and the rotation interval can be read directly off the analyzer screen using a delta

marker function. If the radar is a phased array system, or if it is a three-dimensional system

that scans elevation as well as azimuth, the time trace will be irregular but a typical time

interval between visitations of the main beam may be estimated. In any event, at this point

the radar’s fundamental frequency or frequencies, beam scanning technique, and rotation

interval, if any, should have been acquired.

Next, a storage oscilloscope should be attached to the analyzer’s video output. A time

scale of several microseconds per division and a voltage scale appropriate to the analyzer’s

video output level should be selected. With the analyzer still running in the 60-s time trace

49
Section 5 Determination of Coupling Mechanism

mode, the oscilloscope triggering level should be adjusted high enough that a trace will be

triggered just at the point that the radar’s main beam swings past the measurement site. The

radar pulse train will now be captured every time the radar aims at the measurement site. The

pulse width, pulse repetition rate, stagger, and phase coding of the pulses (if any) can be read

directly from the oscilloscope display.

It must be emphasized that it is very important to acquire as many of the radar

emission parameters as possible, as these parameters are the only reliable electronic means

by which a radar may be identified, and by which other radars may be eliminated from

consideration.

When the radar is identified, it may be necessary to measure the radar spurious

emissions to determine whether or not the radar spurious emissions comply with the RSEC

(see Section 2). Such measurements and analysis may require the resources of a spectrummanagement agency. Procedures for such measurements and the application of the RSEC are

described in the Appendix.

When a reliable measurement of radar spurious emissions has been performed, another

measurement of the extended radar spectrum should be performed through the antenna and

RF front-end of the earth station that is experiencing interference. If the interference is

occurring as a result of in-band spurious emissions from the radar, then the exact amplitude

of the spurious emissions in the earth station system can be unambiguously determined. This

measurement of spurious emission amplitude in the earth station can then be used to

determine the minimum amount of attenuation that must be provided by one or more of these

mitigation measures: RF filtering installed on the radar transmitter output, earth station

antenna sidelobe suppression, or earth station site selection.

There is no fixed process for coordination of radar spurious emission interference

mitigation. The contingencies that arise in the coordination process must be accommodated

on a case-by-case basis. If the radar involved is a Government installation, agencies such as

NTIA, the FCC, and the spectrum management section of the agency operating the radar may

assist the process.

50
SECTION 6

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

6.1 INTRODUCTION

The use of the 4-GHz (3700- to 4200-MHz) band by earth stations in the fixed-satellite

service has increased rapidly in recent years due to the growth in the number of earth stations

associated with broadcasting, such as television receive-only (TVRO) and audio distribution

systems. As the transition to earth stations associated with broadcasting has evolved, there

have been several reported cases of interference to 4-GHz earth stations caused by radar

stations operating in the bands below 3700 MHz. The potential for interference from highpower radars could escalate as broadcasting systems continue to proliferate and to rapidly

migrate towards digital-type systems. The foIlowing are conclusions and recommendations

based on findings contained in this report.

6.2 GENERAL CONCLUSIONS

1. Interference from both Government and non-Government radars to 4-GHz earth

stations has been documented.

2. Interference from radar stations to 4-GHz earth stations can occur even if all current

NTIA standards applicable to radar transmitters and FCC standards applicable to earth

station receiver systems are satisfied.

3. NTIA measurements and tests have shown that the interference from radars to 4-GHz

receive-only earth stations can occur as a result of two interference coupling

mechanisms:

a) receiver front-end overload from the radar center-frequency (fundamental)

emissions causing gain compression (reduction in desired signal level) in the

earth station front-end low-noise amplifier; the compression occurs not just at

the radar fundamental frequency, but also across the entire response band of

the earth station front-end

b) radar transmitter spurious emissions in the 3700- to 4200-MHz band, which

cause degradation by increasing the C/l ratio at the frequency or frequencies

used by the earth station.

4. Resolution and mitigation of interference from radars to 4-GHz fixed-satellite earth

stations depends upon the ability to determine the interference coupling mechanism.

The interference coupling mechanism can generally be substantiated by installing a

3700- to 4200-MHz bandpass filter ahead of the low-noise amplifier. If interference

continues, the test and measurement procedures contained in Section 5 of this report

should be used to determine the interference coupling mechanism.

51
Section 6 

6.3 SPECIFIC CONCLUSIONS

Spectrum Policy and Regulations

The following are conclusions related to spectrum policy

with compatibility between stations.

1. There are no interference immunity standards pertaining

and regulations associated

to non-Government 4-GHz

earth stations. The FCC generally declines to establish effective receiver system

spectrum standards and lets the marketplace reach a consensus on receiver design.

2. For Federal radar stations, the responsibility for mitigating interference due to radar

transmitter spurious emissions is dependent upon radar station compliance

appropriate spectrum standards and which system (radar or earth station) existed

(NTIA Manual Section 2.3.7).

Earth Station Receiver Front-end Overload

with

first.

The following are conclusions related to radar interference cause by earth station

receiver front-end overload.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

The desired signal level received by earth stations is very low, thus requiring low-noise

amplifiers (LNA/LNB/LNC) of 50-65 dB gain in the earth station RF front-ends.

Low-noise amplifiers (LNA/LNB/LNC) used in some earth stations produce gain over 40

percent of the spectrum below 5 GHz (2.8-4.8 GHz). This makes the receiver systems

extremely susceptible to interference from high-powered radar systems operating in

adjacent bands and in accordance with regulations.

Radar signal peak power levels at which receiver front-end overload occurs are a

function of the gain of the low-noise preamplifier (LNA/LNB/LNC) used in the earth

station. Since the gain of preamplifiers used by earth stations in this band range

between 50-65 dB, the gain compression threshold may occur at radar signal levels at

the input to the LNA/LNB/LNC of -55 to -40 dBm.

Radar interference due to earth station receiver front-end overload can be mitigated by

inserting an RF bandpass (preselector) filter ahead of the low-noise amplifier.

Measured in-band insertion losses of RF preselector filters are typically 0.5 dB.

Earth station receiver front-end preamplifiers that incorporate mixer/downconverters

(LNB and LNC devices) are more likely to generate undesired product responses than

low-noise preamplifiers which do not incorporate downconversion. Such responses

may cause interference with the desired signal, and may also be mistaken for radar

spurious emissions.

52
53

Section 6 Conclusions and Recommendations

6. Earth station receiver front-end preamplifiers that incorporate built-in preselection 

showed reduced susceptibility to front-end overload from radar-like signals in the

2700-3500 MHz portion of the spectrum, but were still susceptible to overload by

strong signals in the frequency range of 3500-3700 MHz. Because some radar

systems operate in the 3500-3700 MHz portion of the spectrum, the use of such

preamplifiers reduces but does not eliminate the possibility of front-end overload in

such devices.

7. The gain compression interval of front-end preamplifiers ranges from less than 1 μs to

approximately 900 μs. The compression interval depends upon the characteristics of

the preamplifier and the amount of gain compression which has occurred. Devices

incorporating mixer/downconverters (LNB/LNC) exhibited recovery intervals that were

about two orders of magnitude shorter than the LNA recovery intervals.

8. The separation distance required to preclude receiver front-end overload from airborne

radars in bands adjacent to the 4-GHz band is several hundred km even at off-axis

angles greater than 10 degrees. For surface radars, receiver front-end overload

interference may occur at ranges of 60 km for a few degrees off-axis to less than 40

km for off-axis angles greater than 30 degrees.

Radar Transmitter Spurious Emissions

 The following are conclusions related to interference to earth stations caused by radar

transmitter spurious emissions.

1. The predominant factor that governs the level of spurious emissions from radars is the

transmitter output device.

2. When radar transmitter spurious emissions are identified as the interference source,

then the additional task of identification of the radar must be performed. Measurement

procedures for obtaining radar transmitter characteristics that will assist in such

identification are contained in Section 5.

3. Interference mitigation options for radars to reduce radar transmitter spurious emission

coupling include inserting an RF filter after the radar output device. However, in cases

where radars use antenna phased array techniques, such filters cannot be installed.

4. Interference mitigation options for earth stations to reduce radar transmitter spurious

emissions coupling include the use of shrouded antenna dishes and careful site

selection.

5. There have been no substantiated cases of radar spurious emission interference from

airborne radars to 4-GHz earth stations. All airborne radars in the 2700-3700 MHz

range use klystron output tubes which have very low spurious emission levels

(approximately -110 to -120 dBc).
Section 6 Conclusions and Recommandations

6. The separation distance required to preclude radar transmitter spurious emission

interference ranges from several hundred km at off-axis angles of less than 5 degrees

to less than 50 km for off-axis angles greater than 30 degrees.

6.4 RECOMMENDATIONS

1. NTIA should hold discussions with major earth station manufacturers and system

integrators to recommend that RF front-end preselection filters be included as a

standard part of new 4-GHz earth station installations; the purpose of the preselectors

would be to preclude receiver front-end overload due to strong adjacent-band radar

signals. This practice would enhance compatibility between radars in the 2700- to

3700-MHz portion of the spectrum and fixed-satellite earth stations in the 3700- to

4200-MHz portion of the spectrum.

2. NTIA should hold discussions with manufacturers of LNAs, LNBs and LNCS to

recommend that they incorporate very sharp preselector filters (similar to preselector

filter characteristics shown in Figure 11 ) in those devices.

3. In response to reported cases of radar interference to 4-GHz earth stations, NTIA

recommends that the following action(s) be taken:

a) install a 3700- to 4200-MHz bandpass filter (preselector) ahead of the lownoise preamplifier

b) if the interference continues, use the procedures described in Section 5 to

identify the interference coupling mechanism and, if the interference is

identified as radar transmitter spurious emissions in the 4-GHz band, identify

the radar emission parameters (i.e., center frequency, scan pattern, scan rate,

pulse repetition rate, pulse width).

4. NTIA should inform appropriate industry associations and service providers of the

findings of this report to work towards the development of possible solutions to the

interference problem.

5. NTIA should submit the measurement procedures described in Section 5 to the

International Telecommunication Union, Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R), to aid

administrations in determining the interference coupling mechanism(s) when radar

interference to fixed-satellite earth stations occurs.

54
APPENDIX

MEASUREMENT OF RADAR SPURIOUS EMISSIONS AND APPLICATION OF THE RSEC

A.1 MEASUREMENT OF RADAR SPURIOUS EMISSIONS

This appendix outlines procedures for the measurement of radar spurious emissions.

Such measurements can be used to determine compliance of the radar with the RSEC (see

Section 2). Such a measurement may require the resources of a frequency management

agency. The measurement may be used to determine the radar’s compliance with the RSEC

or other applicable emission criteria. Measurement of the extended radar spectrum will

indicate the power density at the frequency of the earth station, and hence the likelihood that

sufficient power exists at the earth station’s frequency and in the earth station’s bandwidth

to cause in-band interference.

A broadband radar emission spectrum will typically have to be measured across a

frequency range of at least 1 GHz, and possibly much more. The dynamic range required of

the measurement system will typically be at least 100 dB, so that both the power at the

center frequency of the radar and in the spurious emission spectrum can be observed. To

achieve this dynamic range, a variable RF attenuator should be installed at the front-end of

the measurement system. If, for example, the attenuator is 0-70 dB and the measurement

system has an instantaneous dynamic range of at least 50 dB, then 120 dB of total dynamic

range can be achieved.

It is important that the measurement system not experience front-end overload while

the measurement is in progress. Therefore, tunable front-end preselection is required. Current

technology provides yttrium-iron-garnet (YIG) preselectors which can be used for this function

in the range of 500 MHz to 18 GHz. Varactor preselection may be used below 500 MHz.

High sensitivity is required for the portion of the measurement that includes the

spurious emissions in the extended radar spectrum. Low-noise amplifiers following the

preselector can compensate for line loss and other components of measurement system noise

figure. The NTIA Radio Spectrum Measurement System (RSMS), shown as a block diagram

in Figure A-1, incorporates all of the features described here: Variable RF attenuation for wide

dynamic range, automatic tracking preselection to prevent front-end overload from strong outof-band signals, and low-noise preamplification to provide maximum measurement system

sensitivity. A subset of the equipment shown in Figure A-1, called the Component Radio

Spectrum Measurement System (CRSMS), can also be used for measurements of radar

spurious emissions, and incorporates the same features of wide dynamic range, preselection,

and sensitivity.

The most efficient way to measure an extended radar emission spectrum is stepping

across the spectrum in the frequency domain rather than sweeping across in the more

conventional manner. Stepping means tuning the measurement system to a single frequency

in a measurement (IF) bandwidth and using a fast-running positive peak detector to capture

the highest emission received from the radar at that frequency during one full rotation of the

radar beam. (Video bandwidth, which is post-detected lowpass filtering, should be as wide

or wider than the measurement bandwidth. ) That highest emission received during the radar

rotation is then retrieved by a controller computer, corrected for calibration factors, and stored

55
56
Appendix Measurement of Radar Sputfous Emissions and Applioetion of the RSEC

in memory. Then, the measurement system is tuned in frequency by an amount

approximately equal to the measurement bandwidth (e.g., the measurement frequency is

tuned 1 MHz higher if the measurement bandwidth is 1 MHz), and the process is repeated for

the new frequency during the next rotation of the radar. Thus, one measured frequency step

occurs with each rotation of the radar. The stepping process is continued until the entire

measurable spectrum has been acquired. All radar spectra presented in this report (e.g.,

Figures 13-1 5) were made using the stepped technique. The stepped technique has several

advantages over the conventional swept technique for spurious radar emission measurements:

1) Stepping is at least twice as fast at filling in the spectrum as sweeping in a maximum

hold mode

2) Stepping allows for greater dynamic range than sweeping, because attenuation can be

increased and decreased as a function of measurement frequency and as required by

the rise and fall of the measured spectrum across that frequency range

3) Stepping creates a deterministic, rather than a probabilistic, spectral envelope. That

is, a dip in a swept spectrum may be the result of not having sampled adequately at

those frequencies where the dip occurred, and verification of whether or not the dip

is real is difficult, whereas a dip in a stepped spectrum measurement must represent

a real dip in the emission spectrum.

A.2 APPLICATION OF THE RSEC

Application of the RSEC to the measured spectrum of a radar is complicated by the

fact that the measured peak power of the spurious emissions relative to the measured peak

power of the radar fundamental frequency may be dependent upon the selection of the

measurement (IF) bandwidth. Such dependence will occur if the measurement is peakdetected and utilizes a video bandwidth (post-detected low-pass filtering) which is as wide

as or wider than the IF bandwidth, as is usually true for radar spectrum measurements. Such

a case is shown in Figure A-2.

In Figure A-2, the radar spectrum has been measured in IF bandwidths of 300 kHz and

1 MHz. While the center frequency power levels are unchanged when measured in these two

bandwidths, the spurious emission levels change by anywhere from 5 to 15 dB, with a typical

difference of about 10 dB. This 10 dB difference is consistent with the theoretically expected

change of 20 Iog(measurement bandwidth ratio). (In this example, 20 Iog(1 MHz/300 kHz)

= 10.5 dB expected difference between the two spurious emission measurements. )

This phenomenon (a bandwidth-independent power measurement at center frequency

with a bandwidth-dependent power measurement in the spurious emission spectrum) will

occur in peak-detected measurements utilizing wide video bandwidths and measurement (IF)

bandwidths which are wider than approximately (1 /radar pulse width). If the measurement

bandwidths are equal to or less than (1 /radar pulse width), then the power measurement at

the center frequency will also be bandwidth-dependent and will go as 20 Iog(measurement

bandwidth ratio), and the ratio between power levels at the center frequency and in the

57 
Appendix Measurement of Radar Spudous Ernissions and Application of the RSEC

spurious emissions will be constant. Table A-1 summarizes the relationship between the

measurement bandwidth, the radar pulse width, and the correction which NTIA applies to

measured radar emission spectra.

Figure A-2. Measured emission spectra of a radar in two different measurement

bandwidths. The center frequency power level does not change, but the

spurious emissions change by about 20 Iog(bandwidth ratio) = 10 dB.

58
Appenidx Measurement of Radar Spurious Emissions and Application of the RSEC

TABLE A-1 .

RELATION BETWEEN MEASUREMENT BANDWIDTH, RADAR PULSE WIDTH AND NTIA

CORRECTION FOR WIDE-BANDWIDTH MEASUREMENTS*

Width of Measurement (IF) Bandwidth NTIA Correction for Application of the

Relative to Radar Pulse Width RSEC

Measurement Bandwidth > Correct either by graphically/numerically

(1/radar pulse width) reducing the measured spurious emission

levels or by raising the RSEC envelope.

Correction value is 20 Iog(measurement

bandwidth/radar pulse width)

No correction necessary.

* These corrections are appropriate for cases in which the measurement is performed using

peak detection and a video bandwidth (post-detected Iowpass filtering) which is as wide or

wider than the measurement (IF) bandwidth.

59