To enforce incumbent protection through a spectrum access system (SAS) or
future centralized shared spectrum system, dynamic protection area (DPA)
neighborhood distances are employed. These distances are distance radii, in
which citizen broadband radio service devices (CBSDs) are considered as
potential interferers for the incumbent spectrum users. The goal of this paper
is to create an algorithm to define DPA neighborhood distances for radio
astronomy (RA) facilities with the intent to incorporate those distances into
existing SASs and to adopt for future frameworks to increase national spectrum
sharing. This paper first describes an algorithm to calculate sufficient
neighborhood distances. Verifying this algorithm by recalculating previously
calculated and currently used neighborhood distances for existing DPAs then
proves its viability for extension to radio astronomy facilities. Applying the
algorithm to the Hat Creek Radio Observatory (HCRO) with customized parameters
results in distance recommendations, 112 kilometers for category A (devices
with 30 dBm/10 MHz max EIRP) and 144 kilometers for category B (devices with 47
dBm/10MHz max EIRP), for HCRO's inclusion into a SAS and shows that the
algorithm can be applied to RA facilities in general. Calculating these
distances identifies currently used but likely out-of-date metrics and
assumptions that should be revisited for the benefit of spectrum sharing.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, 5 tables, published to WCNC 202