Radio Spectrum Monitoring Techniques and Procedures

Course Description

Participants will receive intensive training in spectrum monitoring techniques and procedures at the Columbia, Maryland field facility of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.  Initially, the class will receive a course orientation including an overview and information on the structure of the FCC, its Enforcement Bureau and the organization of its field facilities.   The class will be transported each remaining day to the FCC Columbia Operations Center, one of the Agency’s thirteen field offices.  The Center is housed at the Agency’s Laboratory. 

 During the week, the participants will receive classroom training, demos, and instruction in small rotating workstations.  Topics include applied field strength measurements, RFR measurements, spectrum measurements with spectrum analyzers, applied fixed and mobile direction finding, direction finding vehicles, and others. On the final day of training, the course co-sponsor will discuss methods for spectrum monitoring and will provide demonstrations and hands-on equipment training.

Learning Objective

  To obtain a working understanding of (1) spectrum management techniques related to enforcement of national and international radio regulations, and their practical application using spectrum monitoring tools; (2) signal recognition, and how the signals are received, through correlation between available databases, other publications and observed/measured signal characteristics; 3) how received signals are processed through receivers, monitors, and spectrum analyzers to establish transmission parameters; (4) how special engineering measurement equipment is applied against various types of communication signals to understand the basis for their complex monitoring results; and (5) the fundamentals of basic monitoring, measuring, and direction-finding theory. Focus: Managerial and technical with a technical emphasis.

Sponsor

Federal Communications Commission

Location

Colombia, MD

Training Dates

August 7 to 11, 2023

Sequence

Spectrum Monitoring Sequence