[amsat-bb] Re: Galileo interference on L band

[Michael R. Owen]

Friends,

My job deals with Air Traffic Control systems (I'm not a controller... I 
am an engineer for a company that makes all sorts of ATC electronics 
systems).  You can be assured that neither the FAA nor Eurocontrol (the 
European version of FAA) will require any navigation or landing system 
without years of testing. And re-testing.  And more testing after that.  
GPS has been under study for at least 10 years... Galileo will receive 
the same scrutiny when it is operational.  That means that adoption of 
any GPS +/- Galileo system for precision air navigation or landing is a 
LONG way off.

Having said this, AMSAT planners should know that any amateur 
interference or intrusion into the GPS & Galileo "band" would be 
supremely foolish.  All the arguments about how ham radio is great in 
emergencies will count for nothing the first time an aircraft crashes 
after losing its satellite navigation due to interference.  I have been 
a ham for 35+ years and love the hobby dearly, but we must keep in mind 
that in the Big Picture, we are not very important.  The FCC and its 
European counterparts will yank our 13cm ("L" band) allocation in a 
heartbeat if we interfere with GPS/Galileo.

73,
W9IP

-- 
Michael R. Owen, W9IP