Representatives of over 30 satellite operators, equipment makers and transmission identification companies gathered September 29 and 30 in St. Petersburg Beach, Florida for the annual meeting of the Satellite Users Interference Reduction Group (SUIRG).

Among the many examples cited for causes of RFI incidents experienced by their companies were spurious transmissions, faulty or dirty cables/connections, VHF radio interference with a satellite uplink chain and the increase of uplinkers with minimal technical training, particularly in emerging regions of the globe.

According to many of the satellite operator representatives, tracking down and identifying the source of RFI can range from weeks to months of man-hours. The increase in troubleshooting service load and related reduction in bandwidth availability during interference incidents is placing an increasingly onerous cost burden on satellite operators.

This burden is reflected in transponder sale or lease prices, which are ultimately shouldered by network operators and customers alike. The time and costs expended identifying the geo-location of interference sources could be considerably reduced if transmit signal identification was implemented, members agreed.

Providing incentives to satellite network managers to invest in quality equipment, rigorous maintenance and professional training for their uplink technicians would benefit the entire industry, according to Robert W. Ames, Jr., SUIRG president.

"Interference problems with satellite transmissions hurt our entire industry, not just from a cost standpoint, but also from the perspective of our reliability reputation at a time when competitive pressures from fiber are at an all time high," he said.

In addition to executives of major satellite operators Intelsat, PanAmSat, Inmarsat, SES Americom, Eutelsat, Loral Skynet, NewSkies, SatMex and others, the SUIRG annual meeting included presentations from signal identification or transmitter geo-location system companies discussing developments in their respective market technologies.

Rick Grenwis of USA based Transmitter Locations Systems, and Mark L. Parry of UK based QiniteQ described their respective products that can identify ground- or ship- borne signals and locate an interference source within minutes.

However, according to James Budden, SUIRG chairman and VP, Operations of NewSkies Satellite, the challenge for large satellite operators with multiple uplink sites is determining the most cost effective placements of these transmitter location systems.

"The real goal is to get these systems out there at a price that's affordable to operators and sustainable by providers," he claimed.

While there was some discussion about the benefits of satellite operators collectively supporting a TLS system, such as wider deployment and shared costs, attendees agreed that company firewalls and differing IT systems posed significant hurdles that would need to be surmounted. The group agreed to investigate ways to make such collaboration effective.

The real issue, everyone agreed, lies with reducing the number and types of RFI incidents. This requires greater outreach on the part of the satellite operators, intensified efforts by hardware and software suppliers to build affordable transmission with signal ID capability, and most importantly, a good faith effort by satellite uplinkers to provide their technicians with appropriate levels of training as part of an industry-wide recognized satellite operator certification program and to purchase and maintain quality RF transmission equipment.

"Radio frequency interference is a major problem for all of us," declared Budden.

"It will only get worse as 2 degree spacing fills up and new, inexperienced network operators, driven by costs, increasingly neglect technician training and minimize equipment maintenance. RFI is a quality of service issue that relates directly to the reputation of our industry and the satisfaction of satellite service customers," he added.

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