The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) of Japan proposed amendments to the technical regulations for satellite communication equipment.
This is regarding the existing satellite communication system using L-band based on the satellite constellation by non-geostationary satellites.
Japan is responding to these new usage needs for “Non-geostationary satellite system using advanced L-band” and will formulate the technical requirements for implementing this non-geostationary orbit satellite system using Advanced L-band.
The proposed date of entry is July 2020
An outline of the amendment is below.
Table 1: Basic Technical Requirements of Radio Equipment
| System | Advanced L-Band Non-Geostationary System | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Station Class | Mobile Earth Station (except for GMDSS) | Aircraft Earth Station | Ship Earth Station (for GMDSS) |
| General Conditon | Appropriate measures shall be taken to prevent inappropriate use for promoting security, and to satisfy the Radio-radiation protection guidelines in order to countermeasure effects on the human body, etc. | ||
| Frequency Band | Service Link: 1,618.25-1,626.5MHz. In operating, frequency band shall comply with the results of international coordination by the Radio Regulations. | Service Link: 1,621.35-1,626.5MHz. In operating, frequency band shall comply with the results of international coordination by the Radio Regulations. | |
| Transmitter | |||
| Frequency Tolerance | 30x10^(-6) | ||
| Antenna Power Tolerance | Upper limit 50%, Lower limit 50% | ||
| Tolerance of Unwanted Emission Intensity | To meet Radio Regulations Appendix 3 and Recommendation ITU-R M. 1343 | To meet ETSI EN 301 473 | To meet Radio Regulations Appendix 3 and Recommendation ITU-R M. 1343 |
| Power Level When No Carrier is Transmitting | To meet Recommendation ITU-R M. 1343 | To meet ETSI EN 301 473 | To meet Recommendation ITU-R M. 1343 |
| Automatic Radio Emission Stop Function | To meet Recommendation ITU-R M.1343 | ||
| Receiver | |||
| Limit of Secondary Radiated Emissions | Same as Power level when no carrier is transmitting | ||
| Antenna | |||
| Minimum Elevation Angle of Transmitting Antenna | To keep at least 3 degrees from the horizontal plane | To meet Table 2 | To keep at least 3 degrees from the horizontal plane |
| Polarization | Right-Handed circular polarization |
Table 2: Additional Technical Requirements for Aircraft Earth Stations
| System | Aircraft Earth Station of Advanced L-Band Non-Geostationary System | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Transmitter | |||
| Power Handling Performance | To have 20W CW handling performances. For AES3, to design according to the maximum number of transmission carriers. | ||
| Antenna Voltage Standing Wave Ratio | 1.8:1 | ||
| Equivalent Isotropic Radiation Power | Upper limit 9dBW, lower limit -4dBW of EIRP of one carrier. The average EIRP within the transmission burst time shall not exceed 15dBW minus antenna gain. | To meet ETSI EN 301 473 | To meet Radio Regulations Appendix 3 and Recommendation ITU-R M. 1343 |
| Power Control | For AES2 and AES3, to have the ability to control the radiated power level within a back-off range of 8 dB and a step size of 1 dB. | To meet ETSI EN 301 473 | To meet Recommendation ITU-R M. 1343 |
| Transmission Performance | Operable flight speeds below 800 knots (1480 km/h). | ||
| Receiver | |||
| Receive Sensitivity | The allowable noise level shall be as follows. Wideband: -124dBm @ 200kHz (desired signal level: -106dBm @ 35 kHz). Narrow band: -121 dBm @ CW (same channel), -106dBm @ CW (adjacent channel), -66 dBm @ CW (10ch apart). | ||
| Packet Error Rate | 1x10^(-6) | ||
| Interference Elimination | Enable to receive and track the satellite downlink signal even under the interference signal of -10dBm, in the band of 470MHz to 18,000MHz except for the band of 0.95 × 1616MHz to 1.05 × 1626.5MHz. Enable to reduce the interference signal to a value obtained by linear interpolation from -50 dBm to -72 dBm between 0.95 × 1616 MHz and 0.99938 × 1616 MHz, and to a value obtained by linear interpolation from -72 dBm to -10 dBm between 1.00062 × 1626.5 MHz and 1.05 × 1626.5 MHz. Enable to receive and track satellite downlink signals in the 1626.5 MHz to 1660.5 MHz band, even under -96 dBm CW interference signals, when there is no other AMS (R) S device in the same aircraft. Enable to receive and track satellite downlink signals in the 1626.5 MHz to 1660.5 MHz band, even under -2 dBm CW interference signals, when there is other AMS (R) S device in the same aircraft. | ||
| Reception Performance | Operable at flight speeds below 800 knots (1480 km/h). | Service Link: 1,621.35-1,626.5MHz. In operating, frequency band shall comply with the results of international coordination by the Radio Regulations. | |
| Antenna | |||
| Minimum Elevation Angle of Transmitting Antenna | Satisfying requirements for antenna polarization, antenna gain, and axial ratio in the range of elevation angle of 8° to 90°. | ||
| Antenna Gain | Minimum gain: -2 Weighted dBic, Maximum gain: 3 Weighted dBic | ||
| Axle Ratio | 2.5 dB or lower. | ||
| Carrier Multipath Difference | The decibel difference between the minimum antenna gain at the minimum elevation angle and the maximum antenna gain at the same elevation angle below the horizon shall be larger than the minimum carrier multipath difference. Minimum carrier multipath difference shall be greater than 3dB. |
Type of Aircraft Earth Station:
- AES1: Consists of one Short Burst Data (SBD) transceiver and one Passive Low Gain Antenna (LGA)
- AES2: Consists of one or two L-band transceivers and one passive LGA
- AES3: Consists of two or more SBD and / or L-band transceivers and one Passive LGA
Table 3: Ship Earth Station of Advanced L-Band Non-Geostationary System (for GMDSS)
| System | Aircraft Earth Station of Advanced L-Band Non-Geostationary System |
|---|---|
| General Condition | |
| Other Requirements | Required functions, interfaces, identification of ship earth stations, transmission of distress alerts/calls, reception of distress, urgency and safety alerts/calls, audible signal and visual indications, test facilities, Enhanced Group Call (EGC) communications including Maritime Safety Information (MSI), position updating, power and energy supply, and antenna locations shall comply with IMO resolution MSC.434 (98). Safety precautions and maintenance shall comply with IMO Resolution A.694 (17).Labeling and identification shall comply with IMO Resolution MSC.434 (98) and IMO Resolution A.694 (17). |