Geneva hosted last 13-21 June a meeting of working party WP8B, which covers issues concerning the technical and operational aspects of the global maritime distress and safety system (GMDSS), spurious emissions and interference in maritime mobile, aeronautic mobile and radiodetermination service bands, and efficient radio spectrum use by stations for those services in all the bands they operate.
WP8B approved six new draft recommendations, seven new draft reports and five liaison statements for other WPs. It also prepared new preliminary texts for consideration in future WP8B meetings. The group approved and sent to Study Group 8 (SG8), which covers matters involving mobile, radiodetermination, amateur and satellite amateur services, the following documents, among others:
- Draft new Recommendation ITU-R M.[UHF-RAD] - Technical characteristics and protection criteria of aeronautical radionavigation service systems in the 645-862 MHz frequency band. WP8B set out in this document the characteristics for aeronautical radionavigation service operating in the 645-862 MHz band; some of those characteristics had been introduced in the Geneva-06 agreement;
- Draft new Recommendation ITU-R M.[8B.GBAS] - Compatibility between FM sound-broadcasting in the band of about 87-108 MHz and the aeronautical ground based augmentation system in the band 108-117.975 MHz. This draft recommendation provides orientation to assess compatibility between ground-based aeronautical systems FM stations in audio broadcasting service operating in frequencies close to 108 MHz;
- Draft new Recommendation ITU-R M.[VHFDATA] - Characteristics of VHF radio system and equipment for the exchange of data and electronic mail in the maritime mobile service Appendix 18 channels. This document describes two digital communication systems to exchange data and electronic mail in maritime mobile service in the Appendix 18 VHF channels.
