8.3 - Ninja Telemetry AMT Survival in a Congested Spectral Environment

Spectrum encroachment affects Aeronautical Mobile Telemetry (AMT) in many bands and many regions throughout the world. AMT users have found themselves with less spectrum in which to operate, and in some instances, spectrum once allocated exclusively for telemetry, has been opened to sharing with other users. This paper establishes a need for better tools and methodologies to accommodate AMT operations in this “unfriendly sky” when the AMT operator must operate in bands where they may lack a primary allocation (International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and/or domestic), and its associated protection. Of course, any operations on such a (secondary) basis would be for non-safety-of-flight and other non-high-value missions.In these cases, we must function with the stealth of the ancient Ninjas to avoid causing interference while in turn avoiding interference from primary users in the band. This paper, directed to the Range or Facility executive management, presents a new philosophy and call to adapt to this new paradigm. The telemetry community needs to aggressively research and develop new technology to remain effective in shared spectral environments.