Saturday, October 01, 2011

Radio Spectrum Jamming in Europe

From the Southgate Amateur Radio News website:

Ofcom has announced that jamming of radio spectrum will take place during 2 weeks in October.

Times: 0700Z 3 Oct 11 to 2000Z 17 Oct 11.

Location: The jamming events will take place throughout the UK FIR/UIR north of 51 degrees North.

GPS Jamming locations: Faraid Head - from N58° 36.2' W004° 46.4'. Loch Ewe B - from N57° 51.9' W005° 41.1'. Loch Ewe A – from 57.7869N 5.7917W.

Frequency: Radar – discrete spots within MOD allocated frequencies within Charlie / Delta (specifically avoiding IFF/SSR frequency bands), Echo / Foxtrot, Golf. India / Juliet (avoiding Marine Navigation Bands in conditions of poor visibility) and Kilo Bands.

Communications – Exercise JW discrete frequencies only in bands HF 2000-26500 KHz and V/UHF 137-400 MHz (avoiding international Distress, Emergency and Exercise Safety frequencies).

In all cases jamming will be avoided on the TABOO frequencies listed in the UK Procedures for the Control of Non-Operational Jamming (Annex B).

For further in formation contact
InfoGPS.Notices@ofcom.org.uk

Wiki - Flight Information Region (FIR) & Upper Information Region (UIR)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_information_region

EW letter bands
http://www.microwaves101.com/encyclopedia/letterbands.cfm

Global Navigation Space Systems: reliance and vulnerabilities
http://www.raeng.org.uk/news/publications/list/reports/RAoE_Global_Navigation_Systems_Report.pdf

NATS - GPS Jamming in July
http://www.ead.eurocontrol.int/eadbasic/pamslight-1401DD6358958D3A2101578467A542F6/7FE5QZZF3FXUS/EN/AIC/P/047-2011/EG_Circ_2011_P_047_en_2011-06-16.pdf

SatNav jamming in September and October
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/june2011/gps_jamming.htm

Graham Tanner, longtome member of the WUN/UDXF newsgroup pinned the following on the UDXF newsgroup this morning:

"It occurs to me what this is all about ... there is a big naval exercise around the northern UK for the next 2 weeks. The exercise is known as 'Joint Warrior', and there is plenty of info on the 'web if you just search for it.

"It involves maritime patrol aircraft, surface ships, and submarines; it also usually attracts the attention of some Russian long-range aircraft who come for a look-around and to make things 'interesting!'"