RFI monitoring payload for the 5G 26 GHz band for a PoquetQube

Abstract

Due to the recent licensing of the bands for the new 26 GHz 5G communications band, which ranges from 24.25 GHz up to 25.25 GHz, there is a rising concern that spurious emissions from the 5G communications could interfere with passive Earth Observation measurements in the 23.8 GHz water vapor resonance band, degrading meteorological forecasts capabilities, and affecting climate change monitoring. The Frequency Allocations in Remote Sensing (FARS) Technical Committee from IEEE-GRSS has procured the development of a RFI monitoring payload to detect possible interferences in this band that might be caused by 5G communications. This work shows the design and verification of the RFI monitoring payload, that is compatible with the PocketQube?s being developed in the framework of the "IEEE GRSS Open PocketQube Kit" educational initiative.