Minutes of
the RAFCAP Meeting 2025
Date: 15
May 2025
Time: 12:00 – 17:30 (UTC+8)
Chairs: Balthasar Indermuehle (CSIRO), Divya Oberoi (NCRA)
Secretary: Masaaki Hiramatsu (NAOJ)
Participants: Liroy Lourenco, Lucia McCallum, Tasso
Tzioumis (Australia), Bin Li, Haiyan Zhang (China), Masatoshi
Ohishi (Japan), Eun Jung Chung, Su-Chan Bong (South Korea), Bannawit
Pimpanuwat, Hideyuki Kobayashi, Songklod Punyawarin (Thailand), Hayo Hase, Waleed Madkour (CRAF), Boris Sorokin, Federico
di Vruno (SKAO)
1.
Opening
1.1.
Introduction to RAFCAP (Balthasar
Indermuehle) (Presentation)
Ø We are
advocacy group. Similar advocacy groups: CRAF in Europe, CORF in US.
Ø RAFCAP was
recognized by Asia Pacific Telecommunity (not sure about formal recognition).
In 2003 RAFCAP was allowed to participate in APT’s WRC preparation meeting (APG),
but there was no engagement in recent 20 years.
Ø RAFCAP is
not a sector member of ITU-R, so the target group involved is the researchers,
not ITU-R. CRAF, on the other hand, as a sector member, participates directly
in the ITU-R (Study Groups/Working Parties) and is involved in discussions;
CORF is involved in the decision-making process regarding spectrum management
in the United States.
Ø Future
directions: exchange information between radio astronomers in the Asia Pacific
region, encourage and support taking up issues with national admins, pick up
activities at APT. Consider a possibility to become a sector member of the
ITU-R.
2.
Reports from Members
2.1.
Australia
Ø Update on
CSIRO facilities and interference mitigation measures with a focus on large
satellite constellations (Balthasar Indermuehle) (Presentation)
l Radio
astronomy facilities: operated by CSIRO and UTAS. Others including SKA, MWA, EDGES.
l ACMA is
the regulator that makes Spectrum Plan in Australia. Plan’s Preamble and
footnotes includes lists all facilities.
l RALIs (Radiocommunications
assignment and licensing instructions): notification zones around radio astronomy
facilities. CSIRO is the coordination body for those who want to emit radio
signals in certain areas around radio astronomy facilities.
l New
developments: traditional protections are not working, like terrain shielding,
clutter loss, for increasing satellites. Need for new coordination method recognized
by ACMA, like observational data sharing (ODS): https://www.narrabri.atnf.csiro.au/ods/
l ODS shows
current RAS facility status (observing frequency and pointing direction) in
JSON format for use by satellite operators. Currently boresight avoidance is
supported for Space X in X band and DTC frequency, and LIPD transmissions at
the ARQZWA (Australian Radio Quiet Zone WA).
l Questions:
ü Federico:
Is it possible to get Australian support in ITU-R in the UEMR discussion?
Balt: Australian position is still considering whether ITU is responsible for
UEMR.
Ø Update on
UTAS facilities and GeoVLBI initiatives (Lucia McCallum) (Presentation)
l UTAS Hobart
26 m, Ceduna 30 m, AuScope 12m (Yarragadee, Katherine, Hobart)
l AuScope:
VLBI array for Geoscience. Operational since 2011 with legacy S/X receivers but
in 2020 upgraded to VGOS
l IVS
(International VLBI Service for Geodesy and Astrometry): nonprofit organization
for coordinating geodetic VLBI globally. Members from +20 countries.
l Two networks: S/X Legacy network using 2/8 GHz with ~40 stations of large
variety of radio telescopes and VGOS network using broadband 3-14 GHz with 17
stations of 13-m class telescopes, operational since 2020.
l Needs frequency protection for VGOS. Current activities include awareness
campaign about the imprtance of geodetic VLBI. Policy
brief by the UN Global Geodetic Center of Excellence (GGCE) on safeguarding
VLBI radio frequencies issued in May 2025.
l Aiming to set an agenda item for WRC-31 for protection of
VGOS.
l Comments and questions:
ü Masatoshi: I’d like to suggest to conduct sharing studies
before proposing an agenda item publicly.
Hayo: Parallel approach is needed because time is running. Detailed study comes
after agenda item.
Masatoshi: If I’m active service, I will request evidence that shows there is
no additional heavy burden for incumbent services.
Tasso: Support must come from countries. Getting support is necessary to get it
up to an WRC agenda item.
2.2.
India
Ø Update on
Interference Mitigation Measures and Spectrum Management Effort in India (Divya
Oberoi) (Presentation)
l GMRT: 30
45-m antennas in Y-shaped three 15-km arms. Observing 50-1450 MHz.
l Around
GMRT there are 231 villages in 30km with half a million people. Setting a RQZ
is not feasible. To maintain a clean spectrum, co-existence is the strategy.
l Big change
in recent years: Since 2016, strong signals in 700-950 MHz from mobile service
appeared.
l Seeking
regulatory protection over the GMRT observing band and collaboration with telecom
providers has started. Mitigation measures have been implemented, for example, 30km
around GMRT is not available for auction for 5G.
l Organizing
training for Administration’s new hires and in-service officers twice a year to
offer technical advice and work with policy makers.
l Questions
and comments
ü Balt:
SpaceX has a difficulty to get information of radio astronomy telescopes in
Direct-To-Cell services. Australia is considering put everything in Regions 3 into
one system. How do you think?
Divya: Very impressed that system.
ü Tasso: I’d
like to see more delegation from India in ITU-R meetings.
Divya: Agreed. I also desire to do that.
2.3.
Japan
Ø Recent
spectrum management activity for radio astronomy in Japan (Masaaki Hiramatsu)
l NAOJ
established the Spectrum Management Office in 2019 to have a stable connection
with the administration and other stakeholders.
l There are
~50 radio telescopes in wide range of frequency in Japan. Some are operated by
NAOJ but most of them are operated by universities.
l Ongoing
sharing/compatibility studies include: 6 GHz WLAN, HAPS, 40 GHz 5G, 40 GHz
train video transmission system, and 76 GHz car radar.
l NAOJ made
an agreement with Starlink Japan, in which Starlink does not point the beam to GSI
Ishioka station (VGOS), and does not use directly adjacent channels to the 10.6-10.7
GHz radio astronomy band around three radio telescopes.
2.4.
China
Ø Radio
astronomy facilities in China and recent activities for RFI protection (Bin Li,
Shanghai) (Presentation)
l 9 radio
telescopes in operation, 3 are under construction, including 110-m QTT.
l RQZ set around
FAST in 30km radius. Plan for “FAST core array” with 64 40-m dishes around FAST
in 2030s.
l QTT 110m:
0.27-30 GHz. In future goes up to 50-100 GHz. A coordination area is set around
30 km.
l Tianma 65m:
L/S/C/X/Ku/K.Ka/Q band, 1 km and 3 km radio quiet zone and coordination zone.
l Changbai mountain
40 m: 0.7-117 GHz, 3 km quiet zone, 7 km coordination zone but all in the
forest.
l Shigatse
40m: 5 km core radio quiet zone, 18 km coordination zone.
l Solar
facilities: MUSER 40 4.5-m and 60 2-m dishes observing 0.4-15 GHz. 3 40x140 m
cylindrical telescope newly constructed and observes 327/654 MHz with 10km
radio quiet zones.
l Domestic
spectrum management organizations are similar to ITU’s, like SG 7 and WP 7D. In
the technology side, high temperature superconductor filter is under testing.
l Question
ü Tasso: Does
China have more proactive engagement in ITU, like sending astronomer to ITU?
Bin Li: I participated online in the WP 7D meeting this March will go in person
to September meeting.
Break 20 Minutes until 14:00 (UTC+8)
2.5.
Taiwan
Ø FRB Array
(Ming-Tang Chen)
l He was
absent and no presentation.
2.6.
Korea
Ø Update on
Korean facilities including KVN and EAVN (Eun Jung Chung) (Presentation)
l Radio
astronomy antennas in Korea: Seoul National Univ. 6 m, Gwacheon National
Science Museum 7 m for education, National Geographic Information Institute 22m
(S/X band) for Geodesy, KARI 35 m, and KASI’s four KVN 21 m and Taeduk 14m.
l KVN is
capable of 22/43/86/129 simultaneous multi frequency observations. 230 GHz receivers
are available in Pyeongchang and Yonsei stations.
l EKVN receiver:
K/Q/W bands and high frequency 150/230 GHz.
l Integration
of TRAO (operated as single dish until 2024) to KVN. Being upgraded with 43/86
GHz receivers.
2.7.
Thailand
Ø Update
from the Center for Radio Astronomy and Engineering (CRAE) (Bannawit
Pimpanuwat) (Presentation)
l CRAE was
established under NARIT. CRAE has Thai National Radio Observatory (TNRO) and Advanced
Radio Frequency Laboratory
l 40-m TNRT:
L band is ready. K band is under commissioning and will start operation by the
end of this year. Telescope is capable upto 115 GHz. Cometary database project
since 2024: 12P and C/2023 A3.
l High/low-pass
filter with MPIfR: <1, >1.8 GHz installed in 2023. And commissioned in
2024. Great improvement of noise in lower elevation in south-east.
l 1st
VLBI fringe with Effelsberg in L band and with Tianma in 2024.
l 3 VGOS
stations (one in Chaing Mai and two in south) are planned.
l Vision for
future: using old telecom antenna to VLBI stations to form Thai National VLBI
array in 2027? South-East Asian VLBI with Indonesia, Malaysia, and Viet Num.
Ø Progress
on spectrum management within Thailand (Songklod Punyawarin) (Presentation)
l Chiang Mai
is 2nd largest city in Thailand and 26 km from city center to the TNRT.
Restricted zone (3km) and coordination zone (20km) around the telescope.
l In 2024,
in collaboration with national telecommunication commission and mobile
operators, power and antenna tilt are adjusted so that the interference is
reduced.
l NBTC
approved the license of radio quiet zone in 2019 and official announcement will
be June 2025. In the Restricted zones, no new transmitting stations are allowed.
In coordination area, the operator need to coordinate transmitting power.
l Onsite
monitoring station with 1-26 GHz spectrum analyzer is in preparation.
l Question:
ü Boris: Do
you have any plan to register the telescopes to ITU-R?
Songklod: This is first radio telescope in Thailand and talking with the NBTC
to register it.
ü Masatoshi:
The presentation showed a clear emission between 1400-1427 MHz, although in the
band emission is prohibited internationally. Have you consulted with
administration?
Bannawit: Now it is in reasonable level and we can observe 1.4 GHz.
2.8.
Malaysia (Presentation)
Ø Chair
introduced a brief presentation on behalf of Dr. Zamri Zainal from
Malaysia, who was unable to attend. The presentation outlined the formation of
a radio frequency committee in Malaysia and their efforts to set up RFI
monitoring and RQZ plans.
3.
Reports on International Issues
3.1.
Introduction to ITU-R (Masatoshi Ohishi)
Ø Specialized
agency of the UN, with 194 member states and >1000 sector members.
Ø Radio
Regulations (RR) has an international treaty status.
Ø World
Radiocommunication Conference (WRC): new allocations, regulations, based on
national and regional proposals. WRC is held once in 3-4 years to renew the RR.
Ø Related
Study Groups and Working parties: SG7 Science Services, WP7D radio astronomy.
Ø It is hard
to set a new Agenda Item for WRC. Sufficient preparatory studies are needed to convince
stakeholders. It is important to be good friends with administrations.
4.
Upcoming Events
4.1.
IUCAF Spectrum Management School (Tasso
Tzioumis)
Ø IUCAF is inter-union
organization for radio astronomy spectrum management, co-funded by IAU, COSPAR,
and URSI.
Ø 6th
Spectrum Management School will be held on 29 September- 3 October 2025 in
Spain.
Pre-registration
is now open. http://www.iucaf.org/sms2025/
5.
Other Business and close
5.1.
RAFCAP ITU-R Sector Membership:
Steps/processes (Masaaki Hiramatsu)
Ø ITU-R: 194
member states and >1000 sector members. Member states have rights to vote.
Sector members have no rights to vote, but shall be entitled to participate
fully in the ITU-R activities. IAU, SKAO, IUCAF, and CRAF are sector members,
while RAFCAP is not.
Ø In 2023 we
tried to get RAFCAP registered as a sector member. To have fee exemption we
have to be a legally-recognized non-profit organization and at that time we
gave up.
Ø To be a
legal body, considerable amount of work (or human resources) is needed.
Ø Questions
and comments:
l Tasso: What
the sector membership gives us in ITU? Sometime member states have stronger
positions in ITU-R. For APT it is already possible to be a member without a sector
membership in ITU.
l Divya: Working
through administration (=not as a sector member) is very useful. Focusing
efforts to work with administration is more efficient.
l Hayo: What
happens if CRAF is not in WP7D. CRAF sector membership is beneficial to convey
radio astronomer’s view.
l Waleed:
Balancing presence as a sector member or as States is important. Advantage is
clear that sometimes national or regional opinion deviates from radio
astronomers’ opinion.
l Tasso:
Sector member has own TIES account?
l Waleed:
Yes.
Ø Next step:
Make a cost analysis and budget proposal for membership and suggestion for potential
funding (like RAFCAP membership fee)
5.2.
Other business
Ø Balt asked
all the presenters to send presentation files to him for sharing on the
website.
Ø Balt will
consider schedule for follow-up meeting later this year.