James S. Washburn, Leslie A. Berry, and Charles M. Rush

Abstract: The First Session of the World Administrative Radio Conference for the planning of the high frequency (HF) bands allocated exclusively to the broadcasting service held in Geneva, Switzerland, in January and February of 1984, established the technical criteria, planning principles, and methods to be tested for the HF broadcast services during the period between the First and Second Sessions of the Conference. The International Frequency Registration Board (IFRB) implemented these planning principles and methods on a computer and prepared broadcasting plans using test sets of requirements for the Second Session of the World Administration Radio Conference. The Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) adopted a parallel activity to assist the United States I preparations for the Second Session of the Conference. This report discusses the IFRB computer system and the ITS computer model and their results for the December 1985 set of HF broadcasting requirements. These results are further analyzed in terms of usage factor, tendencies in the planning process, and alternatives to the IFRB planning process.

Keywords: IFRB; broadcast requirements; HF broadcast planning model; HF propagation prediction; World Administrative Radio Conference (WARC); usage factor

Disclaimer: Certain commercial equipment, components, and software may be identified in this report to specify adequately the technical aspects of the reported results. In no case does such identification imply recommendation or endorsement by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, nor does it imply that the equipment or software identified is necessarily the best available for the particular application or uses.

For questions or information on this or any other NTIA scientific publication, contact the ITS Publications Office at ITSinfo@ntia.gov or 303-497-3572.

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