Module One Introduction

Welcome to Module One: Principles and Concepts of Radio Systems. This module provides you with an overview of radio and the various concepts of radio technology. Upon successful completion of this module, you should be able to:

Define a radio system. List the advantages and disadvantages of a radio system. Outline radio systems in the telecommunications industry. Describe the different types of radio systems. Describe radio frequency (RF). Describe radio wavelength. Identify the different types of radio waves. Define the various units used for measuring wave transmission in radio systems. Identify the disadvantages associated with usage of radio systems in the telecommunication industry.

What is a Radio?

Radio refers to the wireless transmission of signals using electromagnetic waves. These electromagnetic waves have frequencies less than that of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air. This radiation does not need any medium to travel; radiation carries information by systematically modulating some property of the radiated waves, such as the amplitude or frequency. When these waves pass an electrical conductor, the oscillating electromagnetic fields induce an alternating current (AC) in the conductor. This transforms into sound or other signals that carry information. The word 'radio' describes this phenomenon. Several common devices or network systems that we use depend on radio technology to communicate and transmit information. These include cordless phones, car remote locking systems, television broadcasts, mobile phones and satellites.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Radio Transmission

Radio transmission provides the following advantages:

Accessibility: It provides access to telephony services using wireless technology in the areas where it is difficult to lay wire lines. Cost effectiveness: It is cost effective (TIME IS DOLLARS) to install in rural and mountainous terrain. Security: It is secure because radio transmission equipment is located entirely on the owner's property. Also, the radio signals are encrypted.

Mobility: It is mobile because the user can utilise the system anywhere within the radio service area.

Some of the disadvantages of a radio transmission are:

It can be complex and dependant on the uncontrolled nature of the medium (weather/atmosphere). It provides low channel bandwidth compared to that of fibre optics.

Basic Radio Systems

The underlying technology of radio systems is very simple and straight forward. It consists of a radio transmitter, a radio receiver, feeder, connectors and their associated antennae. The information signal propagates between the antennae as electromagnetic radio waves. This signal, sent through a radio system, can be a television programme; voice, music or digital information in a car remote; or the output of a carrier system containing a number of multiplexed telephone and data channels

Oscillator: An electronic circuit that produces repetitive electronic signals Modulator: Device that varies the properties of signal with time in order to convey a message Example of modulation techniques are amplitude modulation (AM) and frequency modulation (FM), Amplifier Device that increases the strength of a signal

Types of Radio Systems

Radio Broadcasting System The radio broadcasting system refers to programmes for entertainment purposes. In radio broadcasting, information is radiated from the studio for reception by the public,

normally in one direction. This category includes both sound broadcasting and television broadcasting. Radio Communication System The radio communication system refers to the transmission of programmes and all information between radio and television broadcasting stations. This system consists of communication channels, normally in each direction, for telephone, telegraph and data communications. It provides either a single channel or multiple channels, which are assembled using carrier system techniques

Radio Waves A radio wave is a type of electromagnetic wave that occurs in the radio frequency portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. These waves are electromagnetic in nature and propagate in a straight line in free space. Radio waves are distinguished from other kinds of electromagnetic waves by their wavelength. Radio waves have relatively longer wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum and are measured in terms of their frequency in kilohertz (kHz = 10 Hz), megahertz (MHz = 106 Hz) or gigahertz (GHz = 109 Hz).
Ground waves are surface waves that propagate in the Medium Frequency (MF) band close to the surface of the Earth. Ground waves tend to follow the curvature of the Earth to propagate over the horizon. Primary attenuation of signal is caused by a voltage drop in the Earth, therefore the lower the surface resistance the greater the coverage. Sky waves are radio waves that propagate in the three to 30 MHz High Frequency (HF) band using the ionosphere. The ionosphere is a layer of ionised gases in the upper atmosphere, formed by the absorption of energy from the sun. This region extends from approximately 50 to 500 km above the Earth. Radio waves are refracted off the ionosphere and directed back to the Earth. The returned signal is then reflected by the Earth's surface and refracted again. This allows long distance communications within the HF band.

Space waves travel from the transmitting aerial to the receiving aerial in the Earth's troposphere. The troposphere is the portion of the atmosphere in the 15 km adjacent to the Earth's surface. The space wave commonly consists of two components:

One wave that travels directly from the transmitter to the receiver One wave that is reflected from the intermediate terrain.

Radio transmission at frequencies above 30 MHz is usually by space wave propagation. This is known as the Line of Sight (LOS) propagation because these transmissions do not travel much further than the optical horizon.

Radio frequency (RF) refers to the frequency of waves in that part of the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum in which an AC generates electromagnetic waves. In other words, RF is the frequency of radio waves. When AC is supplied to an aerial, it gives rise to electromagnetic waves that propagate through air and/or space. RF is measured in Hertz and is broken into various bands. RF usually refers to a radio carrier signal, but the term more often refers to the highfrequency signal. These frequencies cover a significant portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, extending from nine kilohertz (9 kHz) to thousands of gigahertz (GHz).

Radio Wavelength
Wavelength is the distance travelled by a wave during one cycle. A radio wave has a wavelength that is inversely proportional to its frequency. It is represented by the formula: = Vw/ Here: = wavelength of an electromagnetic wave in metres Vw = velocity of propagation of light in metres per second = 300,000,000 m/s = frequency of the wave in Hertz. For example: The wavelength of the two UHF waves (500 MHz & 1500 MHz) used for High Capacity Radio Concentrator (HCRC) would be: 300,000,000/ 500,000,000= 0.6m (For 500 MHz) and 300,000,000/ 1,500,000,000 = 0.2m (For 1500 MHz)
Is a microwave technology that provides extended telephony service such as facsimile and faster dial-up data services to customers in remote areas

Transmission Measurement
Transmission measurement relies on the concept of power levels or ratios, which are indicated as gain or loss. Gain or loss can be expressed as a multiplying factor. For example:

If an amplifier has a gain of 150 times and you connect a 0.5 W signal to the input, you will get 0.5 x 150 = 75 W at the output. This implies that the amplifier input to output ratio is 1:150. If an attenuator has a loss of 1000 times and you connect a 50 W signal to the input, you will get 50 1000 = 0.05 W at the output. The attenuator input to output ratio is 1000:1.

Units of Transmission Measurement

1. Decibel (dB) is the ratio of power between two points in a circuit. dB expresses the magnitude of a physical quantity (usually power) relative to a specified or implied reference level. Decibel can be represented as follows: dB = 10 x log10Pout/Pin where: dB = gain or loss in dB Pout = Power output of the circuit Pin = Power input of the circuit 2.Watt is the International System of Units (SI) derived unit of power. It is equal to one joule per second (J/s). In terms of decibels, it can be represented as follows: 1 milliwatt (mW) = 0 dBm For example: 10mW = 10dBm, 100mW = 20dBm, 1W = 30dBm, 10W = 40dBm, 20W = 43dBm dB is used to indicate the ratio of one power level to another. It does not indicate the actual power level. However, you can indicate actual power levels by comparison with a standard reference power level of 1 milliwatt. 0dBm = 1 mW where dBm = decibel milliwatt
3. Propagation loss is the attenuation of signals passing between two points on a transmission path. This is the path loss, which a signal encounters over a distance 4. VSWR (Voltage Standing Wave Ratio) is the numerical ratio of the reflected voltage to the incidental voltage that would exist on the transmission line. These voltage differences are caused by the incidental and reflected voltages adding and cancelling as they pass on the line.

5. Return loss is the loss undergone by a returned signal. Return loss is the ratio of the amplitude of the reflected wave to the amplitude of the incident wave at the junction of a transmission line and a terminating impedance (Z). In terms of dB, it is expressed as the power ratio of the incident power to the reflected power. Return loss is usually expressed in dB. For example, if any device has 25 dB of return loss, the reflected energy from that device is always 25 dB lower than the incident energy.
6. Propagation loss is the attenuation of signals passing between two points on a transmission path. This is the path loss, which a signal encounters over a distance.

Signal Degradation
There are certain issues associated with the usage of the radio system. The following are the causes of signal degradation in a radio system:

Atmospheric Conditions: Atmospheric conditions, for example, rain, attenuates the signal received at the remote end. Signal Reflection: Signal reflections cause the receiver to have problems deciphering the information. Signals travelling on multiple paths arrive at the receiver end at different points in time. Electromagnetic Shielding: Electromagnetic shielding limits the flow of radio signals between two locations. In this case, the radio signal cannot reach the receiver because of physical obstacles in the path (for example, in a metal shed or in an underground car park).

Module One Summary

You have completed Module One: Principles and Concepts of Radio Systems! Please keep in mind the following points:

Radio refers to the wireless transmission of signals using electromagnetic waves. Radio frequency (RF) is that part of the electromagnetic spectrum (EM) in which an alternating current (AC) generates electromagnetic waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic in nature and they propagate in straight lines. There are three different kinds of radio waves: o Ground waves o Sky waves o Space waves. Decibel, Watts, Return loss, Propagation loss, Voltage Standing Wave Ratio (VSWR) are the units used to measure the transmission of waves in a radio system.

Click on the Finished button to register Module One as completed with eLearn. To move on, click on the name of the next module in the Navigation menu.
Radio Technology at Telstra

Telstra Radio Services

Telstra provides various telecommunication services to its customers. Many of these services use radio as the main transmission medium. Examples of such services are:

Mobile Networks o Next GTM (WCDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) mobile phones o BigPond Services. Microwave Radio Communications o Telephony and data services. Customer Access Network (CAN) Electronics o SCARS - Single Channel Analogue Radio System o NA100 - Dual Channel Radio o HCRC - High Capacity Radio Concentration o Minisat - Portable Single Line Satellite Telephone o FRA - Fixed Radio o Exicom - Hawk Dual Channel Radio o USOsat - Multiple Line Fixed Satellite Service o CDMA WLL - Fixed Code Division Multiple Access Wireless Local Loop Service.

Mobile Networks
Mobile phones use radio technology for communication. The basic elements of a telecommunication system are:

A transmitter that converts the input data signal to a signal suitable for transmission A transmission medium over which the signal is transmitted A receiver that receives and converts the signal back into usable information.

In a radio system, the broadcast tower is the transmitter, the radio is the receiver and the transmission medium is free space. In the telecommunications system, the mobile phones act both as the transmitter and the receiver. Therefore, they are often called transceivers. Telecommunication over phone lines generally occurs between one transmitter and one receiver but normally occurs in both directions. However, telecommunication through radio broadcasts involve one powerful transmitter and numerous receivers. Therefore, it is called broadcast communication and normally occurs in one direction only.

How Does a Mobile Network Work?

In a mobile network, transmitters first convert the input signal (for example, sound and/or video) into a form that is suitable for transmission over the network, such as electrical, electromagnetic radio waves or optical signals. These signals are then carried over the transmission medium (for example, air) as radio waves. When a signal reaches its destination, the device on the receiving end converts the signal back into an understandable message, such as sound or video. Mobile phones transmit signals to a local cell site (base station) that connects to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) system through an optic fibre/microwave radio and other network elements (transmission medium). Mobile phones previously used Frequency Modulation (FM), but now most mobile phones use various digital modulation schemes such as Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) and Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA).

Telstra Mobile Phone Networks

Telstra currently offers the following mobile phone networks:

The Next G network is a 3G network and Telstra's new single national wireless network, bringing high-speed, wireless broadband Internet to mobile phones and laptops to most places across Australia. It is also more than 100 times bigger than any other 3G network in Australia, reaching 98% of the Australian population. Next G network is now superseding Telstra's CDMA network.

Telstra GSM is a mobile phone network for customers in capital cities, major regional centres, metropolitan areas and for international travellers. Telstra's GSM network has an extensive range of base stations inside many buildings and structures to help provide coverage within some of these more difficult areas. It provides both voice and data services through General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) in all the major cities.

BigPond Mobile Satellite Services

One-way Satellite Service

One-way satellite Internet service downloads all the files through a satellite and passes them to a receiving satellite hardware (for example, dish on a roof) at the customer's premises. Data is directed through the satellite modem into the computer. Uploads are completed using the PSTN line.

Broadband Regional Connect Satellite Service

Broadband Regional Connect (BRC) Satellite Service is a combination of one-way satellite service for downloads and high-speed Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) for uploads. This service helps customers use their phone or fax while they are on the Internet. PSTN (dial up) provides for uploads.

Two-way Satellite Service

Two-way satellite service sends and receives data using a satellite, without the need for phone lines. Two-way satellite service is ideal for the most remote communities and locations.

Managed Radio and Wireless Solutions

A key strategic priority for Telstra is the provision of Managed Radio and Wireless Solutions (MR&WS) through a dedicated business unit. MR&WS provides a wide range of end-to-end wireless managed services for both government and commercial sectors. These solutions involve the integration of some or all of the components: private wireless networks (voice and data), commercial wireless networks (primarily data), in-vehicle and personal Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) and wireless applications. MR&WS provides managed wireless services to the following units:

New South Wales (NSW) Government Radio Network Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Territory Radio Network South Australian (SA) Government Radio Network Victorian State Mobile Radio (VSMR) Fleetcoms Other units such as Virgin Blue, PowerNet, Santos, Melbourne Water, Globe Wireless and VolMet/Airservices.

Module Two Summary

You have completed Module Two: Radio Technology at Telstra! Please keep in mind the following points:

Mobile phones also use radio technology for communication. Telstra's latest mobile phone networks are Next GTM and GSM. BigPond provides three satellite service options that allow the users to access the Internet through broadband data connections: o One-way Satellite Service o BRC Satellite Service o Two-way Satellite Service. MR&WS provides a wide range of end-to-end wireless managed services for both government and commercial sectors.

Radio Architecture and Functionality

Radio Architecture
Depending on the type of radio service, the components of radio architecture have varied levels of complexity. However, the underlying technology remains the same. Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) is a next generation cellular network that relies on radio technology. In this section, you will learn basic concepts of the WCDMA architecture. This includes the components involved in transmitting and receiving the radio signals.

Antennae
Antennae are devices that provide network coverage of the WCDMA network. Antennae transmit and receive radio frequency signals by converting radio frequency electrical currents into electromagnetic waves and vice versa. There are two groups of antennae:

Omni-directional antennae: These antennae can transmit or receive signals from any direction. For example, the radio antenna for a car or a walky talky. Directional antennae: These an can transmit or receive signals from a particular direction. For example, dish antennae and yagi antennae.

Radio communication services operate on a point-to-point basis. Therefore, to use the transmitter power more effectively, the antennae should be directional.

Directional antennae give greater electromagnetic field strength in the direction for a given transmitter power output. You will learn about the different types of antennae in the next few pages.

Broadcasting Antennae
MF Broadcasting Antennae (Range - 300 kHz to 3 MHz)

These are omni-directional antennae. It is easy to obtain optimum ground wave from these antennae when the antenna is slightly longer than a half wavelength at the transmitter's operating frequency. However, a half wavelength at the low frequency of the broadcast band, for example 600 MHz is: 300/2 x 0.6 = 250 m A mast of 250 m height is very expensive and huge. To reduce the physical height of the mast and still make it appear slightly greater than half the wavelength, a mast often has an umbrella or capacitive hat at the top. HF Broadcasting Antennae (Range - 3 MHz to 30 MHz)

These are directional antennae. HF broadcasting antennae consist of a number of half wavelength antennae fed with RF signals in the correct phase. These antennae direct the electromagnetic waves towards the receiver. FM Broadcasting Antennae (Range - 30 Hz to 15 kHz)

These are directional antennae. The signal from a FM broadcasting transmitter is often combined with a television signal to be radiated from the TV antenna. You can obtain directivity by the correct phasing of the signals fed to the sections of the antenna.

Receiving Antennae
Receiving antennae receive the electromagnetic waves from space and direct them to the receiving unit usually a radio or television. An important requirement is that they must operate satisfactorily on all radio/television channels. Many different types of antennae are used for domestic television reception. They are:
Yagi antennae are directional antennae that are designed to operate on all television channels. The basic Yagi antenna consists of two elements, each one quarter of a wavelength, connected to a feeder cable. This is called the driven element. This antenna radiates energy at right angles to the antenna elements. Reflector and director elements are added for more gain and directivity. Yagi antennae have the advantage of reducing the effects of interfering reflected signals such as ghost images.

Grid or parabolic antennae are point-to-point antennae. They are beam type antennae that concentrate the radio signal in one direction leading to very large gains. They are used for satellite services and point-to-point or fixed radio links.

The grid antennae use a solid dish, a grid or a mesh dish as a reflector to focus the radio signal into a very narrow beam similar to a reflector in a torch. Since they have a large metal reflector and a high front to back ratio, they are very good at resisting interference from the rear. Typical dish antennae offer a gain of 19 dB to 30 dB. Front to Back ratio is the ratio of parameters used to characterize devices, in which electrical current, signal strength or resistance in one direction is compared with that in the opposite direction Panel antennae, also referred as patch antennae, are directional antennae. They are usually used to cover particular areas. For example, mobile network base station antennae.

A panel antenna looks like a thin box. It consists of a metal patch suspended over a ground plane. Indoor antennae are radio or television antennae placed indoors instead of being mounted on the roof. Indoor antennae are usually a simple solution that works well when the receiver is relatively near to the broadcasting transmitter and the building walls do not shield the radio waves too much.

In Building Coverage (IBC) indoor antennae are designed for in-building passive distribution of all the cellular communications signals and cover the whole 800 to 3000 MHz bandwidth. This antenna is also capable of operating in the Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) band.

Antenna Supporting Structures

There are various structures used for supporting the antennae. They are: Broadcasting Towers Broadcasting towers are tall structures designed to support antennae for telecommunications and broadcasting for radio and television. The function of a broadcasting tower is to elevate the antennae to provide optimum coverage.

Mobile Network Poles/Towers Mobile network poles/towers are tall structures that are about 10 to 35 m tall. They have antennae with different carriers on them. They are more economic to build than giant broadcasting towers but still provide an elevated antennae site.

Building Facades Building facades are tall structures with antennae mounted on facades to reduce their visual impact. These sites are very popular with environmentally friendly councils.

Radiation Pattern
Radiation patterns are the diagrams that show the intensity of the radiation field in all directions from a transmitting radio antenna at a given distance from the antenna. The lobe shape of the patterns indicates the concentration of the radiated fields. It is a plot of the power radiated from an antenna per unit solid angle that represents the radiation intensity

Satellites
In the field of radio technology, the satellite is stationed in space for telecommunication purposes. The signal is sent from a station on the earth's surface. The satellite receives the signal and rebroadcasts it to other places on the earth. Some satellites send and receive telephone, fax, and computer communications. They facilitate the massive growth in Internet traffic, mobile telephones, digital broadcasting and broadband.

Radio Bearers
A radio bearer is the equipment that transmits/receives signals in both directions for multiplex telephony or television signals.

In general, radio bearer systems are more suitable in the following conditions:

When there is long distance transmission where few circuits are to be made available along the route When the terrain is such that cable laying would be expensive When serving isolated pockets of the community When the interference from high-voltage power distribution systems into the line transmission system is excessive.

Fading
When the level of the radio signal at the input to a receiver diminishes in intensity with time, the effect is called fading. The extent and nature of fading on any given path may be very severe on some occasions and minor on others. Reflection, refraction, multipathing, cloud, rain, lighting, temperature inversions, obstructions and snow can all fade the signal. Based on whether fading is rapid or relatively slow, there are two types of fading:

Slow fading: Slow fading is often termed as shadowing or large-scale fading. Movements of a mobile or obstructions within the propagation environment cause this kind of fading. Fast fading/ Rayleigh Fading: Fast Fading is often termed as multipath fading, small-scale fading or Rayleigh fading. Small movements of a mobile or obstacle causes this kind of fading.

Diversity
When a radio path is subjected to regular fading, diversity may be provided to ensure that an adequate Received Signal Level (RSL) is received. Antenna diversity is a transmission technique in which the information-carrying signal is transmitted/ received along different propagation paths. The different diversities in radio systems are:

Space Diversity: In space diversity, two receivers with antennae are used to produce a combined output of reducing the effects of Rayleigh fading. These antennae are approximately three metres apart for mobile services, and the receiver outputs are continuously phase-shifted to produce the best-combined output. The signal is transferred over several different propagation paths. In the case of wired transmission, this can be achieved by transmitting using multiple wires. Frequency Diversity: Frequency diversity works on wavelength differences. Even though the two frequencies follow the same path, no two wavelengths have the same propagation effects and it is unlikely that simultaneous fading will occur. Frequency diversity uses two transmitters and two receivers operating on different frequencies, sharing one antenna. The two received signals are connected to a diversity combiner, which adds the two signals to form a useable output.

NOTE: Frequency diversity should not be used as an alternative to space diversity, because it doubles the spectrum usage, which significantly increases the operational cost.

Earth Stations
An earth station enables communication with the communications satellites. It is the end of a communications link to an object in outer space. The earth stations have the required receiving and transmitting equipment for communicating with satellites. An earth station consists of a microwave radio transmitting and receiving antenna. Earth stations for international satellite communications are provided in Australia at Carnarvon (W.A.), Ceduna (S.A.) and Oxford Falls (N.S.W). Earth stations for national satellite communications are provided in Australia at Bendigo. NOTE: Large distances between earth stations and satellites cause the radio signals to suffer high attenuation.

Other Devices in Radio Systems

Combiner Combiners are passive devices used in radio systems. They combine the radio frequency output of two or more radio transmitters into a single output. It is extremely useful in reducing the number of radio antennae on a tower. It further reduces the weight and loading from wind and potential ice, as well as the necessary size of the tower itself.

Coupler Couplers are passive devices used in radio systems. It is designed for building network distribution applications. A coupler has four ports: input, transmitted, coupled, and isolated. It couples part of the transmission power in a transmission line. This is done by a known amount of transmission power isolated out through another port. They use two transmission lines set close together such that energy passing through one is coupled to the other.

Couplers are used to measure incident and reflected power to determine the following:

Voltage Standing Wave Ratio Loss Power Splitting and Combining Signal Sampling Signal Injection Power Flow Monitoring.

Divider/Splitter Dividers or splitters are passive devices used in radio systems. They split or combine two or more RF paths into one RF feed application. They are required where one antenna feeds two or more radio receivers.

They can take the form of high level RF (used in transmitter) paths or low level RF paths (receiver). They are used in Mobile Base Stations, TV transmitter sites and Mobiles IBCs Terminator Terminators are passive devices used in radio systems. They are placed at the end of a transmission line to minimize signal reflections. In most communication systems, they usually have an impedance equal to 50 ohms.

Equipment Tail Equipment tails are passive devices used in radio systems. They connect the antenna end of the feeder in the building or radio enclosure to the actual radio equipment cabinet or rack. The tail can also be used for testing purposes in the case of radio equipment failures. It is usually a short piece of flexible cable.

Antenna Feeders
An antenna feeder runs between an antenna and an amplifier. It is a means of isolating the radio equipment from the antenna. There are three main types of feeders:

Open wires, waveguides and co-axial cables

Radio Systems
Simplex System

Radio Channels
The received signals decoded from the receiver are broadcast through radio or television. Different radio frequencies are allocated to the radio as well as the television channels. TV Broadcasting The RF bandwidth allocated to each television channel is 7 MHz. Both picture information and sound are transmitted within this bandwidth. The sound channel carrier frequency is 5.5 MHz higher than the vision carrier. The sound channel carrier is frequency modulated.

Radio Broadcasting The three main radio broadcasting stations are:

MF bands - ranges from 530 kHz to 1600 kHz. These bands are amplitude modulated. HF bands - ranges from 3 MHz to 30 MHz. These bands are amplitude modulated. VHF bands - ranges from 88 MHz to 108 MHz. These bands are frequency modulated.

Module Three Summary

You have completed Module Three: Radio Architecture and Functionality! Please keep in mind the following points:

Antennae convert radio frequency electrical currents into electromagnetic waves and vice versa. Satellites send and receive signals. A radio bearer is the equipment that allows transmission of signals in one direction for either multiplexed telephony or television signals. When the level of the radio signal at the input to a receiver varies in intensity with time, the effect is called fading. Diversity is a transmission technique in which the information-carrying signal is transmitted/received along different propagation paths. Earth stations communicate with satellites.

Module Four Introduction

Radio Network Regulations. This module provides you with information about the various radio regulations in Australia. Upon completion of this module, you should be able to:

Describe the functions of Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). Describe how the ACMA regulates the frequency spectrum in Australia

Australian Communications and Media Authority

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is a statutory authority within the Australian federal government portfolio of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. It came into force on 1st July 2005. It replaced two former government agencies - the Australian Broadcasting Authority and the Australian Communications Authority. ACMA has central offices in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne, and regional offices and operations centres around Australia.

Functions of ACMA
The ACMA is responsible for the regulation of broadcasting, Internet, radio communications and telecommunications. ACMA's responsibilities include:

Regulating use of the Radio-Frequency (RF) spectrum. Investigating complaints about violations of the industry codes of practice Fostering an environment in which electronic media respects community standards

Resolving competing demands for the spectrum through price-based allocation methods Managing access to the radio frequency spectrum Representing Australia's communications interests internationally.

Module Four Summary

Module Four You have completed Module Four: Radio Network Regulation! Please keep in mind the following points:

The ACMA is a statutory authority within the federal government portfolio of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. ACMA regulates the radio system in Australia.