Highlights
from CCIR meetings: 1929–1990
The Hague, 1929: The
first CCIR meeting was held in September 1929 and adopted over 20
Recommendations. A number of these Recommendations related to problems of
frequency measurement and stability, and the remainder concerned frequency
allocation, limiting the power of broadcast transmitters and the elimination
of spark transmitters.
Copenhagen, 1931: The second
meeting adopted 18 Recommendations on topics ranging from methods for
reducing interference to specifications for technical data for inclusion in
the International List of Frequencies. Single side-band transmission was
recommended at this meeting for future application.
Lisbon, 1934: The third
meeting adopted radiowave propagation curves developed in large part by T.
L. Eckersley, heralding the start of serious propagation studies in CCIR.
Propagation information was vital for the coordination of international use
of frequencies. Another highlight was the adoption of technical “Opinions”
(authoritative texts) on topics such as standard-frequency emissions and
channel spacing for broadcasting stations.
Bucharest, 1937: The fourth
meeting dealt with the problem of the widening scope of “Questions” brought
before CCIR for study. CCIR Opinions were classified for the first time at
the Bucharest meeting, and included a sixlanguage vocabulary of more than
900 terms and a revised table of frequency tolerances. The meeting also
planned the Cairo Radio Conference of 1938, which allocated frequency
spectrum up to 200 MHz and adopted the famous “Cairo curves” for wave
propagation at medium frequencies. In 1939, World War II erupted, and there
were to be no more CCIR meetings for a decade.
Atlantic City, 1947:
The first major post-war conference was held, which, in addition to setting
up the International Frequency Registration Board (IFRB), gave CCIR a new
mandate and a general structure. Great strides were made in the use of radio
during World War II, especially in radar and microwave communications.
Frequency usage had become active up to 10 GHz and occasionally to 30 GHz.
In view both of the advances of technology during the war and the need to
construct new facilities in many countries after the war, it was generally
felt that a review of the rationale for the future role of ITU was in order.
And so the Atlantic City Conference was both a Plenipotentiary Conference
for revising the International Telecommunication Convention and a World
Administrative Radio Conference (WARC).
Stockholm, 1948: CCIR
meetings changed name to “Plenary Assemblies”. Consequently, this first
post-war CCIR meeting in Stockholm became the Vth Plenary Assembly and
elected Balthasar van der Pol of the Netherlands, an eminent mathematician
and radio scientist, as Director of CCIR and Leslie W. Hayes of the United
Kingdom as ViceDirector. It also set up the first CCIR study groups
(thirteen in all) and adopted Recommendations that covered such topics as
ionospheric soundings and measurements, standardfrequency transmissions and
time signals, and monitoring and measurements of the frequency spectrum.
Studies were begun on television standards to allow the exchange of
programmes and on the use of a receiver, but subsequent investigations
revealed the impossibility in reaching a common world-wide standard for a
black and white television as public services having different standards
were already too far in operation in a number of countries.
Geneva, 1951:
The VIth Plenary Assembly was notable for its adoption of ground-wave
propagation curves and for the creation of a new Study Group on vocabulary.
The period of the 1950s saw feverish expansion of HF services worldwide, and
the introduction of microwave radio-relay services on a large scale.
London, 1953: The VIIth Plenary Assembly adopted a series of texts on
microwave radio-relay systems. The “ARQ” error-correcting system for HF
fixed services was introduced then.
Warsaw, 1956: The VIIIth Plenary
Assembly marked the birth of a Study Group on mobile services. Its mandate was to study, among other things, technical
questions regarding the aeronautical, maritime, land mobile and
radiolocation and navigation services. Ernst Metzler (Switzerland) was
elected Director of CCIR upon the retirement of van der Pol.
Los Angeles, 1959: The IXth
Plenary Assembly not only recognized the dawning of the Space Age in
telecommunications, following the launch of the first artificial earth
satellites in 1957 (Sputnik, Explorer, Vanguardand Discoverer),
but also made it a major preoccupation of CCIR. This Assembly established
Study Group IV (Space systems) to consider possible developments and
implications of communications with, and by means of, space vehicles in
general and to prepare the technical basis for the coordinated use of
suitable parts of the frequency spectrum to be shared with terrestrial
services which were then in regular operation. It adopted the first
Recommendations on the selection of frequencies used in telecommunications
with and between artificial Earth satellites and other space vehicles.
Geneva, 1963: The Xth Plenary Assembly adopted new Questions on
facsimile transmission to ships, signalto-interference ratios at minimum
field-strength required in the mobile services, as well as an Opinion on
emergency position-indicating radio beacons.
Oslo, 1966: Oslo, 1966:Oslo, 1966: The XIth Plenary
Assembly elected Jack W. Herbstreit (United States) as CCIR Director to
succeed Leslie W. Hayes, who had served as Director ad interim since
the death of Metzler in 1963. The question of international standards for
colour television had been in prominence since meetings of a subgroup in
1964 and in 1965. A great debate on the subject took place at the Oslo
Assembly. However, agreement could not be reached on a single world-wide
standard for colour television given the advanced state of development of,
and investment in, competing standards in various countries and the fact
that the relative performance of these standards differed only in small
degree.
New Delhi, 1970: The XIIth
Plenary Assembly modified the CCIR Study Group structure, recognizing the
development of satellite communication techniques in nearly all radio
services. A new Study Group 1 was established to cover all aspects of
spectrum utilization and monitoring, and a new Study Group 2 was assigned
studies on space research and radio astronomy. New Questions were also
approved on radio paging, the influence of the Doppler effect on
radiocommunication in the aeronautical mobile service and direct printing on
maritime VHF radiotelephony channels.
Geneva, 1974: The XIIIth
Plenary Assembly adopted the first important texts on the characteristics
and quality of digital radio-relay systems and on the conditions of the use
of the frequency bands between 12 and 20 GHz. Richard C. Kirby was elected
Director of CCIR to replace Jack Herbstreit.
Kyoto, 1978: The XIVth
Plenary Assembly approved many texts that reflected the growing importance
of satellite communications and the use of satellites for sound and
television broadcasting. A method for determining the coordination area
around earth stations in the fixed-satellite service (FSS) got the green
light.
Geneva, 1982: At the XVth
Plenary Assembly, a special technical cooperation committee looked into the
question of CCIR assistance to developing countries in their use of
available technical information and how to promote the active participation
of these countries in the work of CCIR.
Dubrovnik, 1986: The XVIth
Plenary Assembly examined a prolific number of texts, dominated by the trend
towards digital techniques in almost every branch of telecommunications. It
gave its unanimous approval to new Recommendations on digital video
interfaces and on the recording of digital television on magnetic tape,
opening the door to the realization of fully digital television production
studios. Much time at that Assembly was also devoted to high definition
television (HDTV), a subject of intense interest and activity then and a
topic of study within CCIR since 1974. Furthermore, the Assembly refined
texts concerning a future global maritime distress and safety system
(FGMDSS), paving the way for the International Maritime Organization (IMO)
to implement the system in the 1990s. A primary feature of the FGMDSS was
that search and rescue authorities ashore, as well as shipping in the
vicinity, were alerted to a distress incident so that effective assistance
could be provided with a minimum of delay.
Düsseldorf, 1990: The XVIIth
Plenary Assembly approved nearly 200 Recommendations, five of which had to
do with HDTV paving the way towards a single world-wide standard. A major
step was also taken towards universal personal telecommunications with the
approval of a new Recommendation on future, public, land mobile,
telecommunication systems (FPLMTS, the forerunner to IMT-2000). A number of
study groups were reorganized:
- Study Group 3 (HF fixed service) was incorporated into
Study Group 9 to create a single group for the fixed service.
- Study Groups 2 and 7 were combined into a new Study Group
7 on “Science Services”, which was to address a mixture of radio services,
including radio astronomy, time signals and standard-frequency emissions,
space operations and the Earth exploration satellite service.
- A new Study Group 12 was set up to address specific
problems of inter-service sharing and compatibility.
A new procedure for the approval of Recommendations
between Assemblies was adopted, employing a consultation process amongst
administrations.
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