Malaysian Journal of Analytical Sciences Vol 19 No 5 (2015): 960 - 965

 

 

 

MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUE IN RADIO FREQUENCY INTERFERENCE (RFI) STUDY FOR RADIO ASTRONOMY PURPOSES

 

(Teknik Pengukuran dalam Kajian Gangguan Interferen Radio (RFI) bagi Tujuan

Astronomi Radio)

 

Roslan Umar^1,2*, Nor Hazmin Sabri³, Zainol Abidin Ibrahim⁴, Zamri Zainal Abidin⁴, Asyaari Muhamad^1,5

 

¹East Coast Environmental Research Institute (ESERI)

²Faculty of Islamic Contemporary Studies

Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Gong Badak Campus, 21300 Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia

³School of Fundamental Science,

Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030, Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia

⁴Department of Physics, Faculty of Science,

Universiti of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

⁵Institute of The Malay World and Civilisation (ATMA),

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi,  Selangor, Malaysia

 

*Corresponding author: roslan@unisza.edu.my

 

 

Received: 14 April 2015; Accepted: 9 July 2015

 

 

Abstract

In this paper, we will review our method in making measurements of radio frequency interference (RFI) in order to investigate the sereneness of interference in selected radio interference in Malaysia and Thailand. The selected site are University of Malaya (UM), Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), Ubon (UB) and Chiang Mai (CM). The major RFI affecting radio astronomical windows below 1 GHz are electronic equipment system specifically radio navigation between 73.1 MHz and 75.2 MHz, radio broadcasting (151 MHz, 151.8 MHz and 152 MHz), aeronautical navigation (245.5 MHz, 248.7 MHz and 249 MHz and also fixed mobile at 605 MHz, 608.3 MHz, 612.2 MHz, 613.3 MHz. It is obviously showed that all sites within this region are free from interference between 320MHz and 330 MHz and is the best specific region to be considered for solar burst monitoring. We also investigate the effect of RFI on discovery of solar burst.

 

Keywords:  Radio Frequency Interferences, Radio Astronomical Windows, solar burst

 

Abstrak

Dalam kajian ini, kajian semula kaedah kami dalam membuat pengukuran gangguan frekuensi radio (RFI) untuk mengkaji kesan gangguan dalam gangguan radio terpilih di Malaysia dan Thailand. Tapak dipilih antaranya adalah Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), Ubon (UB) dan Chiang Mai (CM). Faktor utama yang memberi kesan kepada RFI tingkap astronomi radio di bawah 1 GHz antaranya adalah sistem elektronik peralatan khusus seperti  navigasi radio antara 73.1 MHz dan 75.2 MHz, penyiaran radio (151 MHz, 151,8 MHz dan 152 MHz), navigasi aeronautik (245,5 MHz, 248,7 MHz dan 249 MHz dan juga telekomunikasi mudah alih tetap pada 605 MHz, 608,3 MHz, 612,2 MHz, 613,3 MHz. Ia jelas menunjukkan bahawa semua tapak di rantau ini bebas daripada frekuensi  antara 320MHz dan 330 MHz dan kawasan yang terbaik khusus boleh dipertimbangkan untuk pemantauan kajian solar. Kami juga akan mengkaji kesan RFI pada penemuan letupan solar.

 

Kata kunci: Gangguan Frekuensi Radio, Tingkap Astronomi Radio, letupan solar

 

References

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2.       Abidin, Z. Z. Anim, N. M. Hamidi, Z. S. Monstein, C. Ibrahim, Z. A. Umar, R. Shariff, N. N. M. Ramli, N. Aziz, N. A. I. and Sukma, I. (2015). Radio frequency interference in solar monitoring using CALLISTO. New Astronomy Reviews 67: 18 – 33.

3.       Umar, R.,  Abidin, Z. Z., Ibrahim, Z. A., Rosli, Z. and Noorazlan, N. (2014). Selection of  Radio Astronomical Observation Sites and Its Dependence on Human Generated RFI. Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics 14: 241-248.

4.       Cohen, J. T. S., Ambrosini, R. and Van Drie, W. (2005), CRAF Handbook for Radio Astronomy (United Kingdom: European Science Foundation)

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6.       MCMC, Spectrum Plan (2011). Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission.

7.       NBTC, Thailand Table of Frequency Allocations (2011). National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission (NBTC) of Thailand.

8.       Hamidi, Z. S., Shariff, N. N. M., and Monstein, C. (2014). Comparison of the Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) in the Region of Solar Burst Type III Data at Selected CALLISTO Network. International Letters of Chemistry, Physics and Astronomy 10: 38-45.