The satellite industry loses millions of dollars per year down to cases of interference and a great deal of manpower has to be given over to discovering its causes. RF interference is caused by human error, bad installation, lack of training, poor equipment or system design and a lack of adherence to industry standards and guidelines. Occasionally, interference may be malicious, but this is rare and the main issues of interference lie largely within the heart of the satellite industry itself. The orbital spacing of satellites is being reduced and the fill rate is getting higher. It is getting crowded up there, leading to increased interference. The Satellite Interference Reduction Group (sIRG) is aiming to turn this around.
sIRG has a number of practical initiatives, all aimed at reducing satellite interference, including establishing Carrier ID, Training & Certification and Type Approvals. The group itself comprises three main working groups, covering video, data, and VSAT. Each group is chaired by a key industry expert, charged with the task of ensuring progress in each of those areas, both in establishing the practical initiatives and obtaining the support of the entire industry.