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Using Radio at the Formula One British Grand Prix and Practice Sessions |
1. Introduction
There is an enormous amount of radio use at the Formula One British Grand Prix, by broadcasters, the organisers, the teams, the safety-of-life services, security etc. This highly concentrated use of radio must be carefully planned and organised, so that the radio spectrum can be shared safely and without interference problems.
This information sheet provides guidance to anyone who intends to use or to bring radio equipment to the Grand Prix. It explains how the use of that equipment will be planned and licensed, and identifies the contact points for information on obtaining licences and dealing with interference problems.
2. What is the Radiocommunications Agency?
The Radiocommunications Agency (RA), a Government body, is responsible for the effective management of the civil radio spectrum. By law, radio users must comply with certain spectrum management requirements, which keep the spectrum clear of undue interference for the benefit of all users. As well as licensing the use of radio equipment (or exempting some uses from the need for licensing), one of RA's roles is to ensure – through enforcement, interference investigation and resolution, spectrum monitoring, market surveillance, and close liaison with customers – that these requirements are met.
3. JFMG and the Radiocommunications Agency
JFMG is an appointed agent of RA. Both RA and JFMG are responsible for licensing radio use at the Grand Prix.
RA is responsible for licensing Formula One teams' requirements for voice communications between team members, including repeaters (used for team/manager contact and technical backup). RA also licences Transportable Satellite Uplinks (TSUs) and teams' telemetry.
JFMG is responsible for licensing radio used for programme-making and related activities. This includes talkback, radio microphones and audio/video programme links for broadcasters and other programme-makers, including Restricted Radio and Television Service licences.
It is your responsibility to ensure that the radio equipment you bring to or use at the Grand Prix is properly authorised. Unauthorised use of radio equipment creates interference problems for all users, and is a criminal offence that may lead to confiscation of equipment or prosecution.
4. Licensing requirements
Unless licence-exempt equipment is used (see Section 13), a licence is required for all radio use at the Grand Prix itself and during practice sessions – both immediately before the Grand Prix and throughout the year.
Unauthorised use of equipment requiring a licence is illegal and could mean immediate termination of use, a fine of up to £5,000 and/or six months' imprisonment on summary conviction; or, on conviction on indictment, an unlimited fine and two years' imprisonment and forfeiture of equipment.
5. Who needs a licence?
Generally it is the user of the equipment who must hold the licence; however, if equipment is hired on a short-term basis, the licensee is often the hire provider, who will permit customers to use the equipment under contract. The user must comply with the licence conditions, which the hire provider should provide.
6. Applying for licences
To apply for licences for radio use during the British Grand Prix, contact RA or JFMG, depending on the type of radio use you require – see Section 3. A fee is payable for each type of licence, and must be paid before a licence is issued.
If you are a Formula One team seeking a licence for voice communications or telemetry, you should apply to RA using application form RA 236. This form can be obtained from the RA website (www.radio.gov.uk) or by contacting the RA Library – see Section 15. For further information, contact RA's Programme-Making and Special Events team – see Section 14.
If applying to JFMG, you can obtain an application form from the JFMG website (www.jfmg.co.uk) or by contacting JFMG – see Section 14.
Both RA and JFMG try to ensure that all users have a fair share of spectrum, but resources are limited. Therefore it is important to keep your request to the absolute minimum.
While RA and JFMG will do their best to meet your requirements for the event, we cannot guarantee to provide all frequencies requested. Where possible, we will try to identify alternative frequencies. Therefore it is very important to provide the tuning range of your equipment in your application form.
Users may be required to change frequency at the event, to help maximise the use of channels or to overcome interference problems.
RA and JFMG must receive applications for the use of radio during the Grand Prix before 31 March. Applications will be acknow-ledged within five days of receipt. Confirmation of the frequencies that may be used will normally be issued no later than four weeks before the event. The fee payable will also be advised at this time; this must be paid before a licence can be issued. A receipt will be issued only on request. All payments must be made in sterling. Payment by credit card is the simplest and quickest payment method.
7. Practice sessions
The same licensing requirements apply to the practice sessions as to the Grand Prix itself. Formula One teams should apply to RA for licences to cover practice sessions. You will need to complete a RA 236 form, which can be obtained from the RA website at www.radio.gov.uk or by contacting RA's Library – see Section 15.
Frequencies cleared for use at practice sessions may not always be available for use at the Grand Prix, due to the intensive use of radio at the event. RA requires at least ten working days' notice of practice sessions.
8. Transportable Satellite Uplinks
Each Transportable Satellite Uplink (TSU) is licensed separately. Annual licenses are normally issued, but it is possible to get a short-term licence for a specific location for up to 21 days' use, if you give sufficient notice (normally 28 days).
All TSUs have to be co-ordinated before they may operate. The co-ordination process can take several weeks, depending on location, frequency and power. When applying for clearance, you must define the location using the National Grid Reference (NGR) system. An NGR of two letters and six figures must be supplied (e.g. the NGR for the satellite compound just outside the paddock within Silverstone is SP 674 427).
To apply for a licence covering the use of TSUs, you will need to contact RA's Fixed Terrestrial and Satellite Links Unit – see Section 14.
9. Enforcement at the British Grand Prix
RA is responsible for regulating the use of radio, and will be present at the Grand Prix to deal with interference problems and unlicensed operations.
In many cases, radio equipment that may use particular frequencies in one country is illegal in another country. If you are planning to bring radio equipment into the UK, you must take particular care to ensure that its use is licensable in this country.
The use of radio has to be carefully planned, to give the highest possible standard of service. Unauthorised radio use can cause harmful interference to legitimate users. Safety of life may be put at risk if, for example, the radios used by the emergency services suffer interference. The successful running of the British Grand Prix can be affected by radio interference from the unauthorised use of radio.
10. Equipment
Equipment should be tuneable/ programmable so that users and RA have the maximum flexibility when assigning frequencies.
Antennas are often installed very close to each other at the Grand Prix, leading to unwanted interaction between radio systems. This can cause severe interference problems, particularly intermodulation products or radio frequency (RF) mixes.
While RA appreciates that space is at a premium, you can take steps to reduce unwanted interaction between radio systems and reduce the potential for interference.
10b. Power levels
All licences issued will state the maximum power level permitted. These power limits must not be exceeded, as this will cause interference to other users. (Please note that the power level stated on a licence schedule is the maximum permitted level and not a ceiling to be achieved.)
In the noisy radio environment of a large event such as the Grand Prix, there is a high level of RF signals from the many users at the site. Strong signals can 'swamp' neighbouring radio receivers, causing reduced receiver performance. The result is a deafening effect or a reduction in the sensitivity of nearby receivers (commonly referred to as 'de-sense'), leading to an apparent loss of range.
All too often, radio users try to overcome this problem by increasing their transmitter's power output. This causes neighbouring users to suffer swamp problems with their receivers as well, prompting them to increase the power output of their own transmitters. This, in turn, causes more swamp problems, and so on.
To avoid swamping:
Any increase in power above the level authorised in the licence is illegal.
10c. Installation standards
As mentioned above, the potential for interference problems at the Grand Prix is extremely high. Therefore, the standard of engineering should be comparable to that expected on shared radiocommunications sites (communal sites). You can obtain a copy of the Code of Practice for Radio Site Engineering (MPT1331), which covers multi-user sites, from the RA Library – see Section 15.
Very poor installation standards (such as adhesive-taped joints in aerial coaxial cables) have been found at large events in the past. Good engineering practice will reduce the potential of interference problems:
i. Install circulators or attenuators in the output of all transmitters (see Section 10a).
ii. RF cables must always be ter-minated using the correct coaxial connectors.
iii. Use appropriate RF filters to reduce or eliminate interference problems.
iv. Use a Continuous Tone Control Signalling System (CTCSS) or a Digitally Coded Squelch (DCS); this will greatly reduce the nuisance of hearing other, unwanted transmissions on the same channel.
11. The R&TTE Directive and Interface Requirements
The Radio Equipment and Tele-communications Terminal Equipment (R&TTE) Directive 1999/5/EC was implemented in the UK on 8 April 2000. The Directive replaced the previous national type-approval regimes for radio equipment throughout the various Member States of the European Union.
The Directive introduced a harmonised set of essential requirements and conformity assessment procedures governing the placing on the market of equipment within its scope. All equipment brought into the UK for use at the British Grand Prix must comply with the R&TTE Directive, and should meet the requirements of Interface Requirement IR2038. The RA website, at www.radio.gov.uk, contains IR2038 (click on 'Publications', then 'Interface Requirements') and further information about the R&TTE Directive (click on 'Topic Pages', then 'Conformity Assessment')
12. Development of new equipment
You should contact RA if you are intending to change your equipment or develop new equipment, leading to channel changes. RA can then advise you whether these channels will be available for the Grand Prix, and the likelihood of longer-term availability.
If you wish to develop your own equipment, apply to RA's Science and Technology Unit for a Testing and Development licence – see Section 14. It is in your interest to contact RA before starting to develop new equipment, so that you can be advised whether a Testing and Development licence is likely to be granted.
Radio users may
use approved licence-exempt equipment, provided that it operates on the authorised
frequency, within the maximum power limit
and conforming to the relevant specification.
Please note that licence-exempt equipment shares frequencies with licensed (higher-power) services; interference-free operations cannot be guaranteed. Licence-exempt frequencies are not protected by RA, which does not investigate interference complaints concerning licence-exempt equipment.
For further details, see RA's 'Short Range Devices' information sheet, RA 114.
Formula One teams wishing to apply for radio licences or having any queries about radio use at the British Grand Prix should contact:
Programme Making
and Special Events Unit
Radiocommunications Agency
Wyndham House
189 Marsh Wall
London E14 9SX
Tel: +44 (0) 20
7211 0879/0811
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7211 0899
Email: pmse@ra.gsi.gov.uk
Programme-makers wishing to use radio during the Grand Prix or at other events should apply to:
JFMG Ltd
1st Floor
33-34 Alfred Place
London WC1E 7DP
Tel: +44 (0) 20
7299 8660
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7299 8661
Email: info@jfmg.co.uk
Website: www.jfmg.co.uk
If you require a licence for a Transportable Satellite Uplink, apply to:
Satellite and
Earth Station Section
Fixed Terrestrial and Satellite Links Unit
Radiocommunications Agency
Wyndham House
189 Marsh Wall
London E14 9SX
Tel: +44 (0) 20
7211 0300
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7211 0113
If you require a Testing and Development licence, apply to:
Science and Technology
Unit
Radiocommunications Agency
Wyndham House
189 Marsh Wall
London E14 9SX
Tel: +44 (0) 20
7211 0008
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7211 0162
If you require a Private Mobile Radio licence, apply to:
Radiocommunications
Agency
Midlands and East Anglia Region
PO Box 2500
Birmingham
B32 1TA
Tel: +44 (0) 121
423 5200
Fax: +44 (0) 121 423 5232
Email: bruce.davies@ra.gsi.gov.uk
RA produces a range of information sheets, general publications, licence application forms and guidance notes concerning the use or radio spectrum. Many of these publications are available free of charge on the RA website (www.radio.gov.uk, under 'Publications') or from:
Information and
Library Service
Radiocommunications Agency
Wyndham House
189 Marsh Wall
London E14 9SX
Tel: +44 (0) 20
7211 0502/0505
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7211 0507
Email: library@ra.gsi.gov.uk
RA 338 (Rev 3)
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