NTIA Seal Radio Spectrum Measurement System (RSMS) Program
RSMS van For over twenty five years, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) Radio Spectrum Measurement System (RSMS) program has kept track of radio spectrum usage and resolved interference problems involving Government radio systems in the United States. Since 1973, this mobile Government facility (and sometimes its suitcase-transportable variants) has performed its mission at dozens of locations across the lower forty-eight states, as well as at Anchorage, AK; Adak, AK; Guam; Diego Garcia (BIOT); and Scotland (UK).

The RSMS program is a result of the ongoing commitment of the DOC's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), and especially the NTIA Office of Spectrum Management(OSM) to accomplishing four critical spectrum management missions:

  1. Measure the extent, patterns, and amounts of radio spectrum usage in the United States (through specialized measurements of individual bands and through broadband spectrum surveys from 30 MHz to 20 GHz);
  2. Measure the radio emission characteristics of individual transmitters to ensure compliance with existing regulations. These transmitters include-but are not limited to-radars, communication links, and navigation transmitters;
  3. Measure the electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) characteristics of Government and non-Government transmitters and receivers. These characteristics are used by OSM to design band allocation specifications that maximize benefits and minimize future interference problems;
  4. Resolve interference problems in cases where a Government radio system may be involved as a victim or interferer.
The RSMS is now in its third generation of design and operation by NTIA's Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) in Boulder, CO. ITS engineers are currently designing a fourth generation RSMS, designated RSMS-4.

The RSMS is a state-of-the-art spectrum measurement and analysis capability that incorporates automated, semi-automated, and manual techniques for the measurement and analysis of radio emissions from the following types of transmitters: high-power radars; mobile radios and associated base stations; navigation beacons and transponders; point-to-point microwave links; earth station transmitters; and low power device emissions, such as those generated by FCC Part 15, FCC Part 18, and Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) units.

Examples of RSMS measurements are broadband spectrum surveys at Denver, CO; San Diego, CA; Los Angeles, CA; and San Francisco, CA. The RSMS also performed extensive measurements of mobile radio channel usage during the Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, and has been instrumental in resolving many interference problems between radar transmitters and other systems.

To learn more about the RSMS and what it does for national radio spectrum management in the United States, read on...
1. Mission 11. RSMS History
2. Background, Responsibility, and Authority 12. Current RSMS Activities
3. RSMS Capabilities 13. RSMS Bibliography
4. RSMS Sponsorship and Funding 14. RSMS Data Archives and Data Release Policy
5. RSMS Design 15. RSMS-4
6. Unique RSMS Strengths  
7. Calibration  
8. Radar Data Collection  
9. Mobile Radio Data Collection  
10. RSMS Interference Studies  
For more information please contact:
Randy Hoffman, Electronics Engineer
Institute for Telecommunication Sciences
NTIA/ITS.M, 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO, USA 80305
Voice: (303) 497-3582, FAX: (303) 497-5323
E-mail:rhoffman@its.bldrdoc.gov		 RSMS Photo Gallery  
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