Mobile spectrum monitoring

The growing need of the spectrum also encompasses challenges in planning the frequency bands and their monitoring to ensure legitimate usage with no interference to other users.

Realising this, Pangtel (soon to become NICTA), in partnership with Rohde & Schwarz (R&S), has selected the ESMD wideband monitoring receiver that offers a range of functions - as a 20 MHz real-time bandwidth and a wide frequency range, the receiver also detects signals quickly and without interruption, and performs accurate signal measurements and demodulation.

Radio monitoring receivers can be used for several purposes, including frequency monitoring in line with ITU guidelines, radio reconnaissance, detection of pulsed signals, searching for jammers and direction finding.

Since the receiver is based on modular hardware and software, it can be quickly adapted to different requirements and expanded for future tasks.

The basic version covers a frequency range from 20 MHz to 3.6 GHz, however. Pangtel has expanded on its options to include the shortwave bands and the microwave range, which enables it to detect frequencies from 9 kHz to 26.5 GHz.

With the use of this mobile monitoring van and the portable test and monitoring equipment already bought by Pangtel, which includes GSM radio network analyser, portable monitoring receiver PR100, directional finders, and spectrum analysers, additional spectrum options incorporated into PR100 have pushed its measurement capabilities to 18 GHz. This system will further push the spectrum monitoring capabilities to 26.5 GHz.