Brennan Price discusses new challenges and opportunities for amateur radio from developments in technologies like 5G, Internet of Things, and intelligent transport systems. These technologies could impact amateur radio spectrum through proposed allocations at upcoming international conferences. However, Price argues amateur radio is well positioned to experiment with disruptive technologies within its allocations. While some amateur bands may face pressure, amateurs exploring new areas like millimeter waves and small satellites are pushing boundaries. Price concludes amateur radio licenses provide flexibility to advance these fields in ways that benefit the hobby.

1. New Frontiers in Wireless
Challenges to and Opportunities for
Amateur Radio
Brennan Price, N4QX
Chief Technology Officer
ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio
ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference
September 17, 2016

2. Oh, you do IT? I’d like to pitch
my hardware/software platform.

3. So who am I and what do I do?
• ARRL By-Law 36(d): “The Chief Technology
Officer . . . shall advise the Chief Executive
Officer and the Board on matters relating to the
encouragement and use of new technologies in
the amateur services. He shall assist the
President and Chief Executive Officer in
representing the League to federal government
agencies and international organizations on
technical issues.”

4. What do I really do?

5. Preaching to the choir at TAPR
• “Price said he’ll be discussing how developments in
various fields — including 5G mobile, the Internet of
Things, and Intelligent Transport Systems — offer
opportunities to technically inclined radio amateurs
while also presenting spectrum defense challenges.
He’ll touch on relevant domestic and international
aspects as well.”—ARRL Web site, August 19.
• We’ve already had two IoT presentations.
• Michelle Thompson and Bob McGwier are talking
about spectrum tomorrow, and talked about
microwaves today.
• This audience gets the necessity of pushing
boundaries to remain relevant.

6. The challenges are real.
• Just a few WRC-19 items impacting Amateur Radio:
• 1.1 to consider an allocation of the frequency band 50-54 MHz to the amateur service in Region 1;
• 1.7 to study the spectrum needs for telemetry, tracking and command in the space operation service
for non-GSO satellites with short duration missions, to assess the suitability of existing allocations to the
space operation service and, if necessary, to consider new allocations [although this item will not study
amateur allocations, as described above, it is in our interest to move this to an affirmative conclusion that
does not rely on amateur allocations];
• 1.11 to take necessary actions, as appropriate, to facilitate global or regional harmonized frequency
bands to support railway radiocommunication systems between train and trackside within existing mobile
service allocations [some of which may overlap amateur service allocations];
• 1.12 to consider possible global or regional harmonized frequency bands, to the maximum extent
possible, for the implementation of evolving Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) under existing mobile-
service allocations [some of which may overlap amateur service allocations];
• 1.13 to consider identification of frequency bands for the future development of International Mobile
Telecommunications (IMT), including possible additional allocations to the mobile service on a primary
basis [the 47 GHz amateur allocation is nominated for consideration];
• 1.15 to consider identification of frequency bands for use by administrations for the land-mobile and
fixed services applications operating in the frequency range 275-450 GHz; and
• 1.16 to consider issues related to wireless access systems, including radio local area networks
(WAS/RLAN), in the frequency bands between 5 150 MHz and 5 925 MHz, and take the appropriate
regulatory actions, including additional spectrum allocations to the mobile service.

7. The millimeter waves aren’t just for
point-to-point stuff anymore.
• We continue to achieve impressive feats on hilltops.
A new W ↔ VE distance record was achieved on 47
GHz on June 30.
• But the development of compact, adaptable beams
and new understandings in millimeter wave
propagation—pioneered in large part by Ted
Rappaport and his team at NYU—are making the
millimeter waves suitable for point-to-multipoint
exploitation.
• Some EU countries are salivating over the 47 GHz
amateur allocation, despite the dozens of GHz
allocated to the mobile service in the mm waves.

8. The Internet of Things, both moving
and stationary
• As Scotty Cowling indicated earlier today,
interconnection in IoT will almost universally be
wireless.
• All those devices have to go somewhere. But
where?
• Both RLANs and Intelligent Transport Systems
looking at 5 GHz. Which one is a better sharing
partner in a band that isn’t really ours?
• ITS has potential safety of navigation and safety of
life concerns.
• The trick with RLANs is achieving appropriate
mitigation techniques with cognitive systems.

9. I’ve developed and perfected the
ultimate RLAN mitigation technique!

10. Small Amateur Radio satellites:
Victims of own success?
• Amateurs proved the small satellite concept.
• Non-amateurs borrowed the concept lock,
stock, and barrel, including the frequencies
used by the amateurs.
• There is a realization that this is untenable in
the long term, and international efforts to
improve the situation are underway, both on
the education and allocation front.
• At WRC-19, 2m and 70cm not under
consideration for TTC of small satellites.

11. What if CubeSats Increased by
an Order of Magnitude?
• Presuming such an increase in active amateur
satellites, we would have to reconsider our
voluntary terrestrial/satellite division within the
amateur allocations.
• Our ability to accommodate non-amateur
projects in the amateur-satellite allocations
would become proportionally more untenable.
• Finding a CubeSat TTC solution that does not
rely on the amateur-satellite allocations is a goal
IARU supports.

12. What bands are suitable for
small satellite TTC?
• It is unclear that CubeSats must continue to utilize
VHF and UHF almost exclusively, although that’s
what the WRC-19 agenda item suggests (for
unspecified “technical reasons”).
• There are existing space operations allocations
overlapping terrestrial fixed and mobile.
• Suitability depends both on the space operations
use and the terrestrial service use.
• The answer is not simple, and will vary from case to
case.

13. Are all of these things bad?
•Heavens to gimbels, no!

14. Amateur Radio licenses give great
flexibility to push envelopes.
• Automatic control of an amateur station sending a
RTTY or data transmission is universally permitted
at 50 MHz and above.
• The potential uses of an Amateur Radio license are
only limited by one’s imagination.
• There is absolutely no reason why amateurs can’t
work with new and disruptive technologies within our
allocations.
• IARU Region 1 is even working on a standard for a
“HAMnet of Things” to support international
harmonization of 50-54 MHz

15. In Summary
• Scary things are out there.
– Our secondary footholds at the microwaves face ever
increasing pressures.
– Our small primary footholds at the millimeter waves face
new pressures as technology advances.
• The scary things need not be scary.
– It is safer for us to use disruptive technologies
on our bands than it is for others to do so.
• ARRL supports radio amateurs who push
the boundaries of our comfort zone, both
in what amateurs do and where they do it.

16. TNX ES 73 DE N4QX
Brennan Price, N4QX
Chief Technology Officer
American Radio Relay League
PO Box 3470
Oakton VA 22124-9470
Tel +1 860 594-0247
bprice@arrl.org
brennanprice@verizon.net