- evn2024@mpifr.de
Support
Contribution
Spectrum management and the EVN
Content
In recent years, the utilization of the radio spectrum has dramatically increased. Digital telecommunication applications, be it terrestrial cell-phone networks or new-space low-earth orbit satellite constellations, have not only acquired unprecedented amounts of spectrum but also use their frequencies everywhere on Earth. The consequences for radio astronomy and other scientific radio services are severe. A single cell-phone tower within hundreds of kilometers around a radio telescope can blind us and there is no place on Earth to escape the ubiquitous transmissions of satellite megaconstellations.
Since 1988, the Committee on Radio Astronomy Frequencies (CRAF) has been advocating for our rights to use the spectrum. We do this by participation in the national and international regulatory frameworks - which is a truly endless endeavor. Hundreds if not thousands of documents need to be processed every year. We not only contribute to regulatory texts, but even more importantly, perform spectrum compatibility calculations. In this presentation, I will summarize our latest activities with a focus on EVN operations.