Spread Spectrum Experiments for Civil Applications

Spread spectrum techniques have been used by the military for years. Civil applications of spread spectrum have been slow to develop due to perceived high cost, insufficiency of data for the civil environment and other factors. The Amateur Radio Service is being used as a test bed for spread spectrum experimentation using volunteer experimenters. Results thus far demonstrate that spread spectrum systems can be built economically, operate effectively and share frequency bands with existing users employing narrow-band communications techniques.