Assessment of Radio Spectrum Depletion on ATC Voice Communications

1
Assessment of Radio Spectrum Depletion onATC
Voice Communications
Steve Zaidman, AAF-1 George Sakai, ASR-1 Federal
Aviation Administration Washington, DC September
16, 2003
There are no benefits to compromising safetyonly
dire consequences
2
Objective

• To determine the availability of frequencies to
  meet the FAAs spectrum requirements until 2015

3
Methodology

• How many new en-route sectors can be accommodated
  in todays environment at all 20 centers
• Without implementation of 23 Initiatives?
• With the implementation of some Initiatives?
• With optimization?
• How many new terminal requirements can be
  supported at 4 major OEP airports
• Without implementation of 23 Initiatives?
• With the implementation of some Initiatives?
• With optimization?

4
Spectrum Depletion Analysis(Without
Implementation of 23 Initiatives)
5
  Spectrum Depletion Analysis Cont(Without
Implementation of 23 Initiatives)
6
Spectrum Depletion Analysis Cont(With
Implementation of Some Initiatives)
Notes --- indicates that the frequency can be
assigned if inter-modulation problems are
resolved Values in ( ) indicate the
total number of potential assignments, including
---
7
Spectrum Depletion Analysis - Cont(With
Implementation of Some Initiatives)
Notes --- indicates that the frequency can be
assigned if inter-modulation problems are
resolved Values in ( ) indicate the
total number of potential assignments, including
---
8
Spectrum Depletion Analysis - Cont(With
Optimization)

• En-route To support 1 additional high sector
  requirement for ZNY, the following re-tunes to
  the existing environment are required

• Terminal To support 1 additional
  departure/arrival requirement at JFK, the
  following re-tunes to the existing environment
  are required

9
Spectrum Depletion Analysis Summary

• Without Optimization of Existing Environment
• En-route No channels available for Super High,
  High, and Low sectors in ZAU, ZDC, ZID, ZNY, ZOB,
  and ZTL
• Terminal No channels available for JFK, ATL,
  ORD, and DFW
• With Optimization of Existing Environment
• Provides the potential ability to satisfy
  additional requirements
• Examples
• En-route 6 existing facilities need to be
  re-tuned to accommodate 1 new high enroute sector
  in ZNY
• Terminal 5 existing facilities need to be
  re-tuned to accommodate 1 new departure/arrival
  requirement at JFK

10
What We Can Support until 2015

• En-route
• Without Optimization
• Accommodate up to 3 new Super High, High, or Low
  en-route sector requirements for the Eastern-half
  of the US (provided that 2 flight-inspection
  channels are moved above 136 MHz and a frequency
  swap with AFTRCC is accomplished)
• If all commercial and business aircraft are
  equipped with 760 channel radios, up to 30
  additional new Super High, High, or Low en-route
  sector requirements in the US can be accommodated
• With Optimization
• May be able to satisfy additional requirements
  (approx. 3-5) in the Eastern-half of the US,
  however, it would be difficult and costly
• Terminal
• Without Optimization
• No frequencies currently available for the 4 OEP
  airports used in the study. Other OEP airports
  will likely have similar or limited number of
  available channels.
• With Optimization
• Additional requirements (2-3 per OEP airport in
  congested areas) may be satisfied

11
What Needs to be Done if NEXCOM IOCis Delayed
Until 2015

• Restrict Air-Traffic operational requirements
  (e.g. National Airspace Re-Design)
• Obtain funding to complete the following
• Procure maintenance radios for AF technicians
  (frees-up 2 flight inspection frequencies below
  136 MHz)
• Move users above 136 MHz (Treasury, Customs,
  AFTRCC, etc.)
• Procure equipment for increased co-site
  interference mitigation
• Optimize the VHF spectrum in congested areas
• Procure equipment and resources for more
  selective keying (frees up approx. 113 frequency
  assignments)
• Procure equipment and resources for 6 kHz
  off-set carrier frequency use
• Require all commercial and business aircraft to
  upgrade to 760 channel radios (This will require
  rule-making)
• Air-Traffic needs to complete Phase II of the AT
  frequency audit

12
BackgroundInformation
13
Problem Limited VHF Resource ? FAA ? DoD
? Other Federal ? Non-Federal
76-88 MHz TVChannels 5,6
108-137 MHz VHF Nav and Comm
88-108MHz FM Broadcast
54-72 MHz TV Channels 2,3,4
NAV
COMM.
108-117.975 MHz
117.975 MHz-137.0 MHz
VOR / ILS
ATC
ATC
ATC
AOC
Other
AOC
124 MHz
129 MHz
137.0 MHz
118 MHz
122 MHz
132 MHz
108 MHz
136.5 MHz
136.0MHz
ATC Voice
ATC Voice
AOC Voice ACARS
ATC Voice
14
Current VHF Spectrum Utilization
Channel Usage
Air Traffic Services Usage
Others 10
EnRoute 25.3
Terminal 40.2
ATS 70.5
AOC 19.5
ATIS/AWOS/ASOS 15.3
Search Rescue 6.7 (121.5 MHz, 123.1 MHz)
All Others 12.5
Total Number of Channels Available (118-137 MHz)
760 Total Channels Available for ATC
535 Number of channels include those channels
made available from implemented VHF initiatives
to date.
15
U. S. Growth of ATC Frequency Assignments
Average increase in number of channel assignments
per year 307
16
This Leads to VHF Congestion

• Increasingly difficult to satisfy ATC
  requirements in some parts of the country
• New York
• Washington D.C.
• Chicago
• Cleveland
• Atlanta
• New spectrum requirements continue to grow --
  additional sectors, runways, FIS, AWOS/ASOS, etc.

17
(No Transcript)
18
VHF 23 Initiatives

• Developed to obtain additional spectrum resources
  or to make available current spectrum resources
  through various proposals
• Regulatory
• Technical
• Administrative

19
VHF 23 Initiatives (Regulatory Proposals)

• Review FCC frequency utilization plan and
  investigate the use of UNICOM and other FCC
  aeronautical frequencies for ATC
• Investigate the possibility of using FSS channels
  for ATC, including the frequencies 123.6 through
  123.65 MHz
• Review fire-fighting frequency assignment policy
• Review policy for AWOS and ASOS frequency use
• Review air show frequency policy

20
VHF 23 Initiatives (Technical Proposals)

• Investigate use of part of 121.5 MHz guard band
  for ATC channels
• Investigate use of the band 136-137 MHz
• Investigate use of existing communications
  air/ground radios on VOR frequencies for AWOS and
  ASOS (broadcast only)
• Investigate offset operation (/- 6 to 10 kHz
  off-tuned from the primary frequency) for high
  altitude use
• Investigate lowering ground control transmit
  antennas
• Investigate advantages of optimizing equipment
  location
• Investigate co-site mitigation techniques, for
  example, new technologies such as active
  interference cancellers, and testing to determine
  use of lower transmit powers

21
VHF 23 Initiatives (Administrative Proposals)

• Conduct Air Traffic audit of ATC frequencies
• Investigate alternate frequencies for flight
  check
• Investigate use of law enforcement channels
• Review operational coverage requirements for
  communications facilities
• Review ground control sub-band
• Review use of two VHF DoD common channels
• Modify FAA data base to accept additional data
  which would allow tighter packing of
  frequencies
• Improve coordination with ARINC on their VHF
  frequency usage
• Investigate increased use of select keying and
  voting systems
• Re-use ground control frequencies at high
  altitude (vertical separation)
• Review use of high-gain (directional) antennas