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<H1>Radio interference plagues Smos</H1>
<P><FONT face=Tahoma>Amateur Radio satellites have long suffered interference
from illegal transmissions in Amateur Primary allocations now it seems the ESA
Smos spacecraft is also suffering Radio Frequency Interference.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Tahoma>The BBC report says:</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Tahoma>The ESA Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) spacecraft
is returning valuable new data on the way water is cycled around the globe,
despite experiencing continued interference.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Tahoma>The satellite was launched in November to track changes in
the wetness of soils and the saltiness of the oceans using a three-armed
microwave antenna.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Tahoma>Its detailed maps will soon begin flowing to the scientific
community.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Tahoma>But in some parts of the world, Smos is still being blinded
by radar networks, and even TV and radio links.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Tahoma>The radio frequency interference (RFI) is a frustration for
the mission team. The part of the electromagnetic spectrum in which Smos sees
the planet is supposed to be reserved for Earth observation.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Tahoma><STRONG>Southern Europe, the Middle East and the Asian
continent are particular problem zones</STRONG>.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Tahoma>"<STRONG>In Africa, for example, there are a couple of
sources - one in Khartoum, one in South Africa</STRONG>," explained Dr Yann
Kerr, one of the Smos principal investigators.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Tahoma>"They are damaging the signal over much larger areas,
affecting a good part of Africa. And this is one of the areas of the world where
information on soil moisture for better water resources management is crucial.
So it's really a hindrance," the CESBIO, France, researcher told BBC
News.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Tahoma>Read the full BBC story at<BR></FONT><A
href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/sci/tech/8661228.stm" target=_blank><FONT
face=Tahoma>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/sci/tech/8661228.stm</FONT></A></P>
<P><FONT face=Tahoma> </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Tahoma>Fonte: <STRONG>Eric Bray
2E0DTO.</STRONG></FONT></P></BODY></HTML>