Spectrum Sharing Dynamic Protection Area Neighborhoods for Radio Astronomy

TL;DR

This paper develops an algorithm to determine dynamic protection distances for radio astronomy facilities in spectrum sharing systems, enhancing protection while enabling more efficient spectrum use.

Contribution

It introduces a novel algorithm for calculating DPA neighborhood distances specifically for radio astronomy, adaptable for integration into existing spectrum access systems.

Findings

Recalculated existing DPA distances confirming algorithm viability.

Proposed 112 km and 144 km distances for HCRO, improving spectrum sharing.

Identified outdated metrics in current DPA practices.

Abstract

To enforce incumbent protection through a spectrum access system (SAS) or future centralized shared spectrum system, dynamic protection area (DPA) neighborhood distances are employed. These distances are distance radii, in which citizen broadband radio service devices (CBSDs) are considered as potential interferers for the incumbent spectrum users. The goal of this paper is to create an algorithm to define DPA neighborhood distances for radio astronomy (RA) facilities with the intent to incorporate those distances into existing SASs and to adopt for future frameworks to increase national spectrum sharing. This paper first describes an algorithm to calculate sufficient neighborhood distances. Verifying this algorithm by recalculating previously calculated and currently used neighborhood distances for existing DPAs then proves its viability for extension to radio astronomy facilities. Applying the algorithm to the Hat Creek Radio Observatory (HCRO) with customized parameters results in distance recommendations, 112 kilometers for category A (devices with 30 dBm/10 MHz max EIRP) and 144 kilometers for category B (devices with 47 dBm/10MHz max EIRP), for HCRO's inclusion into a SAS and shows that the algorithm can be applied to RA facilities in general. Calculating these distances identifies currently used but likely out-of-date metrics and assumptions that should be revisited for the benefit of spectrum sharing.