2 These guidelines apply to broadcasting licensees and datacasting licensees.
Licence area plan
3. Where they relate to analog broadcasting services these guidelines complement, and are to be read in conjunction with, the technical specifications of any relevant LAP prepared pursuant to section 26 of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992. To the extent that those technical specifications are inconsistent with pre-existing transmitter licence conditions, the LAP specifications will prevail.
4. The technical operating specifications of a transmitter shall comply with the technical specifications of the relevant LAP.
Digital channel plan
4A. Where they relate to digital television broadcasting and datacasting services these guidelines complement, and are to be read in conjunction with, the technical specifications of any relevant DCP prepared pursuant to:
the Commercial Television Conversion Scheme 1999 (as amended) formulated by the ABA under subclause 6(1) of Schedule 4 to the Broadcasting Services Act 1992;
the National Television Conversion Scheme 1999 (as amended) formulated by the ABA under subclause 19(1) of Schedule 4 to the Broadcasting Services Act 1992.
4B. The technical operating specifications of a transmitter shall comply with the technical specifications of the relevant DCP unless those technical specifications are revised in an approved implementation plan, in which case the technical specifications of the approved implementation plan will be applied.
The broadcasting services bands
5. The Minister, under subsection 18(3) of the Radiocommunications Act 1983, assigned certain parts of the radiofrequency spectrum designated as primarily for broadcasting (the broadcasting services bands) to the Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABA) for planning. Under section 4 of the Radiocommunications (Transitional Provisions and Consequential Amendments) Act 1992 this assignment is deemed to be spectrum referred to the ABA under section 31 of the Radiocommunications Act 1992.
6. The broadcasting services bands are:
526.5 to 1606.5 kHz in the medium frequency band of the radiofrequency spectrum. AM radio services are allocated frequencies in this range.
45 to 52 MHz and 56 to 70 MHz (Band I) in the very high frequency band of the radiofrequency spectrum. Analog television services are allocated frequencies in this range.
85 to 108 MHz (Band II) in the very high frequency band of the radiofrequency spectrum. Analog television services were allocated frequencies in this range, however 87.5 to 108 MHz has been set aside internationally for FM radio and the ABA will consider, as part of the public planning process, future clearance of television services occupying this part of the spectrum. No new television services will be allocated Band II frequencies.
137 to 144 MHz (channel 5A) in the very high frequency band of the radiofrequency spectrum. Analog television services were allocated frequencies in this range, however no new assignments will be made of these frequencies.
174 to 230 MHz (Band III) in the very high frequency band of the radiofrequency spectrum. Analog and digital television services are allocated frequencies in this range.
520 to 820 MHz (Bands IV and V) in the ultra high frequency band of the radiofrequency spectrum. Analog and digital television services are allocated frequencies in this range.
Australian Broadcasting Authority planning handbooks
7. Detailed information on methods for planning of analog broadcasting services is contained in the ABA’s Technical Planning Parameters and Methods for Terrestrial Broadcasting. It provides, inter alia, information on ABA planning practices and assumptions, including acceptable methods of computing field strengths and other parameters for compliance with these guidelines and other specifications of the transmitter licence.
7A. For digital television and datacasting services, the information in Technical Planning Parameters and Methods for Terrestrial Broadcasting is supplemented by the ABA’s Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting Planning Handbook.
(Wherever possible the definitions of terms below are consistent with the Broadcasting Services Act 1992, the Radiocommunications Act 1992 and the ITU Radio Regulations. Unless defined below, words shall have the same meanings as in the Broadcasting Services Act 1992, or the Radiocommunications Act 1992, or the ITU Radio Regulations, as appropriate)
8. In these guidelines, unless the contrary intention appears:
‘ABA’ means the Australian Broadcasting Authority established under section 154 of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992;
‘ACA’ means the Australian Communications Authority established under the Australian Communications Authority Act 1997;
‘AM radio’ means medium frequency, amplitude modulated radio services located in the frequency range 526.5 to 1606.5 kHz;
‘AM radio service’ includes an AM radio broadcasting service, an AM radio national broadcasting service, and an AM radio narrowcasting service;
‘analog reference television receiving system’ [see the definition of ‘reference television receiving system’];
‘analog television’ means television services using analog modulation techniques located in the frequency ranges 45 MHz to 230 MHz and 520 MHz to 820 MHz;
‘analog television service’ includes an analog television broadcasting service, an analog television national broadcasting service, and an analog television narrowcasting service;
‘authorised person’ means a person authorised under Division 4 of Part 3.3 of the Radiocommunications Act 1992;
‘broadcasting licensee’ means a holder of an apparatus licence authorising the operation of a transmitter under section 101A, 102 or 102A of the Radiocommunications Act 1992;
‘broadcasting service’ means a service that delivers television programs or radio programs in the broadcasting services bands, using a transmitter licence issued under section 101A, 102 or 102A of the Radiocommunications Act 1992;
‘broadcasting services bands’ has the meaning set out in clause 6 of these guidelines;
‘channel’ means part of the radiofrequency spectrum intended to be used for an emission and which may be defined by two specified limits, or by its centre frequency and associated bandwidth, or by an equivalent indication;
Note Channel arrangements applicable to AM radio, FM radio, analog television and digital television are described in the respective emission standards, set out in the appendices to these guidelines.
‘cymomotive force (CMF)’ is the product formed by multiplying the electric field strength at a given point in space, due to a transmitting station, by the distance of the point from the antenna. CMF can only be calculated if the distance from the transmitting antenna is sufficient for reactive effects to be negligible; moreover, the finite conductivity of the ground is presumed to have no effect on propagation. CMF is expressed in volts and corresponds numerically to the field strength, in mV/m, at a distance of 1 km;
‘datacasting licensee’ means any holder of a datacasting transmitter licence;
‘datacasting service’ has the same meaning as in subsection 6(1) of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992, where it uses a datacasting transmitter licence issued under the Radiocommunications Act 1992;
‘datacasting service area’ means the geographical area in which the ABA has made available a channel for use by a datacasting service, as described in the relevant determination made under section 34 of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992;
‘device’ has the same meaning as in section 9(1) of the Radiocommunications Act 1992;
‘Digital Channel Plan (DCP)’ means an instrument developed by the ABA under:
the Commercial Television Conversion Scheme 1999 (as amended) formulated under subclause 6(1) of Schedule 4 to the Broadcasting Services Act 1992; or
the National Television Conversion Scheme 1999 (as amended) formulated under subclause 19(1) of Schedule 4 to the Broadcasting Services Act 1992,
that determines which channels are to be allotted in each area, the technical limitations and characteristics of those channels, and the channel assignments - either to broadcasters or as “unassigned” channels;
‘digital reference television receiving system’ [see the definition of ‘reference television receiving system’];
‘digital television’ means television services using digital modulation techniques located in the frequency ranges 174 MHz to 230 MHz and 520 MHz to 820 MHz;
‘digital television service’ includes a digital television broadcasting service and a digital national television broadcasting service;
‘effective radiated power (ERP)’ in a specified direction is the product of the power supplied to the antenna and its gain relative to a half-wave dipole in the specified direction;
‘EMC calculations’ means calculations that detail the ability of a transmitter to operate without causing interference to another radiocommunications service. EMC calculations must take into account possible interference occurrences due to intermodulation, harmonic products, local oscillator radiation and co-channel and adjacent channel services;
Note Radiocommunications services include broadcasting services, national broadcasting services and datacasting services.
‘FM radio’ means very high frequency, frequency modulated radio services located in the frequency range 87.5 MHz to 108 MHz;
‘FM radio service’ includes an FM radio broadcasting service, an FM radio national broadcasting service, and an FM radio narrowcasting service (other than a low power open narrowcasting service);
‘guidelines’ means the technical planning guidelines set out in this document (and its appendices), as developed by the ABA pursuant to section 33 of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992;
‘implementation plan’ means one or more plans related to the implementation of digital television transmission under clause 9 or 20 of Schedule 4 to the Broadcasting Services Act 1992. The processes for the lodgement and variation of implementation plans are described in the Commercial Television Conversion Scheme 1999 and the National Television Conversion Scheme 1999;
‘interference’ means:
in relation to radiocommunications - interference to, or with, radiocommunications that is attributable, whether wholly or partly and whether directly or indirectly, to an emission of electromagnetic energy by a device; or
in relation to the uses or functions of devices - interference to, or with, those uses or functions that is attributable, whether wholly or partly and whether directly or indirectly, to an emission of electromagnetic energy by a device;
Note Clarifications on the level of interference allowed for analog or digital television or datacasting services is given in Parts 5 and 6 of these guidelines.
‘licence area’ means an area designated by the ABA under section 29, 40 or 92G of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992;
‘licence area plan (LAP)’ means a licence area plan prepared by the ABA pursuant to section 26 of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992;
‘licensee’ means either a ‘broadcasting licensee’ or a ‘datacasting licensee’;
‘locality’ means an area designated by the Australian Bureau of Statistics as a locality at the 2001 Census;
Note In broad terms, a locality corresponds to a population cluster of between 200 and 999 people.
‘low power open narrowcasting service’ means an open narrowcasting service operating with an effective radiated power not exceeding 1 watt (W) in a residential area and an effective radiated power not exceeding 10 W in a non-residential area;
‘narrowcasting service’ means a subscription or open narrowcasting service under section 17 or section 18 of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992;
‘narrowcasting service area’ means the geographical area in which the ABA has made available a channel for use by a narrowcasting service, as described in the LAP or transmitter licence;
‘national broadcasting service’ means an AM or FM radio or analog or digital television broadcasting service provided by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation or the Special Broadcasting Service Corporation;
‘national signal reception area’ means the signal reception area of a national broadcasting service. Unless otherwise specified in the LAP, DCP or transmitter licence conditions, the signal reception area of a national broadcasting service is defined as:
For AM radio – the area in which the ground wave median field strength is equal to, or greater than, 0.5 mV/m;
For FM radio – the area in which the median field strength is equal to, or greater than, 54 dBV/m;
For analog television – the area in which the median field strength is equal to, or greater than, the field strength for the frequency band of operation specified in table 5.1; and
For digital television – the area in which the median field strength is equal to, or greater than, the field strength for the frequency band of operation specified in table 6.1;
‘nominal location’ means the location of the transmitter specified in a LAP or DCP;
‘planned minimum field strength’ means the minimum median field strength planned for a service and for which protection is afforded against interference. Unless otherwise specified in the LAP, DCP or transmitter licence conditions, the planned minimum field strength is defined as:
For AM radio – 0.5 mV/m;
For FM radio – 54 dBV/m;
For analog television – the field strength, for the frequency band of operation, specified in table 5.1; and
For digital television – the field strength, for the frequency band of operation, specified in table 6.1;
Note A higher median field strength may be specified for some broadcasting services. For example, a service providing a suburban or urban grade of service in an area for which protection to the lower median field strength is not required, or an interference limited service.
‘reference television receiving system’ means a television receiving system comprising a receiver and an antenna system. For analog television systems the reference television receiver is defined in Attachment 5C.BB of Technical Planning Parameters and Methods for Terrestrial Broadcasting. For digital television systems the reference television receiver is defined in Appendices B and E of the ABA’s Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting Planning Handbook, supplemented by data on antenna directivity discrimination and orthogonal wave polarisation discrimination in Attachment 5C.BB of Technical Planning Parameters and Methods for Terrestrial Broadcasting;
‘related licence’ means the licence allocated or deemed to have been allocated under Part 4, Part 6 or Part 6A of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 to which the transmitter licence issued pursuant to section 101A, 102 or 102A of the Radiocommunications Act 1992 relates;
‘residential area’ means the area within 20 km of the boundary of an urban centre or locality;
‘single frequency network (SFN)’ means a network comprising two or more transmitters that operate on the same frequency and transmit identical data streams with controlled timing between the transmitters;
‘technical operating specifications’ of a transmitter include all the characteristics of the transmitter in operation, including site, height of the transmitting antenna, frequency and radiation pattern;
‘transmitter’ means:
anything designed or intended for radio emission; or
any other thing, irrespective of its use or function or the purpose of its design, that is capable of radio emission.
In Part 3: AM radio, transmitter means a transmitter authorised to transmit an AM radio service. In Part 4: FM radio, transmitter means a transmitter authorised to transmit an FM radio service. In Part 5: analog television, transmitter means a transmitter authorised to transmit an analog television service. In Part 6: digital television, transmitter means a transmitter authorised to transmit a digital television or datacasting service;
‘transmitter licence’ includes a broadcasting service transmitter licence, a national broadcasting service transmitter licence, a narrowcasting service transmitter licence and a datacasting service transmitter licence;
‘unwanted’, in the context of an unwanted signal or unwanted service, means the signal or service that may cause interference under the specified circumstances or conditions;
‘urban centre’ means an area designated by the Australian Bureau of Statistics as an urban centre at the 2001 Census; and
Note In broad terms, an urban centre corresponds to a population cluster of 1,000 or more people.
‘wanted’, in the context of a wanted signal or wanted service, means the signal or service that may experience, or suffer from, interference under the specified circumstances or conditions.
9. All field strength predictions and measurements are to be made at a receive height of 10 metres above ground. Any specified field strength shall be predicted on the basis that the field strength would be exceeded at more than 50% of locations for more than 50% of the time.
Note At VHF and UHF frequencies, location variability is typically quoted for an area represented by a square with a side of 100 metres to 200 metres.
10. Headings in these guidelines are for convenient reference only and have no effect in limiting or extending the language of the guidelines to which they refer.
11. Words in the singular number include the plural and words in the plural number include the singular.
Section 2 - Technical Planning Guidelines (December 2003) - These guidelines apply to broadcasting licensees and datacasting licensees. | Zoe