Release Notes

Release V1.8

Editor

  • “Number of Units” field is now displayed on the Estimated Initial Cost page. Guidance on the page has been updated to reflect the Redbook.
  • Limited the units of measurement for Subpulse Width, Subpulse Rise Time, and Subpulse Fall Time to picoseconds, nanoseconds, microseconds, and milliseconds.
  • Updated the error message for Sub-Pulse Width, Sub-Pulse Rise Time, and Sub-Pulse Fall Time to specify valid ranges in microseconds.
  • Fixed an error that occurred when changing a frequency range to a single frequency with "NA" in related fields.
  • Updated the descriptive text for "Local Oscillator Radiation" to provide a clear explanation specific to radar receivers.
  • Added 134 approved manufacturers from the NTIA Manual to the dropdown lists in the transmitter, receiver, and antenna sections.
  • Changed the title "Service/Station Codes" to "Radio Services and Station Class Symbols" and updated column headings.
  • Certification of Spectrum Support

  • Provided ability to select Section 4 Certification Statement Library Statements in the Editor’s CoSS page.
  • Added predefined Certification Statements to the Editor.
  • Added a "Last Modified By" column to the Certification Statements Library table to track the last person who modified each statement.
  • Added functionality to sort and search Recommendations by frequency and content in the Internal Editor's CoSS page.
  • Updated the CoSS report to reflect changes to Special Handling, now that CUI has been fully implemented.
  • Uncontrolled Unclassified Information (UUI)

    Uncontrolled Unclassified Information (UUI) is information that neither the E.O. 13556 nor the authorities governing classified information cover as protected. Although this information is not controlled or classified, agencies must still handle it in accordance with Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) requirements.

  • Added UUI as a selection option in the Handling Instructions section.
  • Updated labels and help text to reflect the new UUI selection.
  • If there is no Special Handling, and no CUI selected, “UUI” will be displayed on the View Summary page, Explorer Search Results page, and the Explorer Certification Request Details page.
  • If Special Handling codes are selected and there is no CUI, Special Handling codes will be displayed. If CUI is selected, CUI will be displayed. If neither Special Handling or CUI is selected, UUI will be displayed on the View Summary page, Explorer Search Results page, and Explorer Certification Request Details page.
  • Updated compliance checks to suppress errors when UUI or CUI is selected.
  • Special Handling fields are now disabled and grayed out when UUI or CUI is selected.
  • If UUI is selected, CUI cannot be selected and vice versa.
  • Compliance Report

  • Updated the compliance report to reflect changes to special handling.
  • The following compliance checks have been added (failure for Stage 4, warning for stages 1, 2, and 3):

  • When a user enters a transmitter Frequency Stability that exceeds the 1.5 ppm frequency tolerance standard for Fixed radio service in the 162 - 174 MHz band, with narrowband (Bn greater than 11 KHz) analog/digital FM/PM emission, the Compliance Report displays the NTIA-CH5-5.2.1 compliance Warning (or Error).
  • When a user enters a transmitter Frequency Stability that exceeds the 5 ppm frequency tolerance standard for Aeronautical Mobile radio service and Aircraft station classes (MA, MAD, MAP, MOEA, MOEB) in the 156 - 174 MHz band, except 162 - 174 MHz with analog/digital FM/PM emission, the Compliance Report displays the NTIA-CH5-5.2.1 compliance Warning (or Error).
  • Workflow

  • Implemented functionality to capture and store the last modified date/time for every document in the Basic Search database.
  • Date/Time Modified is now displayed on Explorer upload page and Explorer Certification Request Details page.
  • Fixed an issue where the CUI hyperlink on the Search Results page did not always display the full CUI banner.
  • Updated the error message to indicate Application and Other are the only valid Document Type selections during CID file uploads.
  • The ECO-to-IRACNet interface now displays all meeting groups available for a selected SPS meeting date from IRACNet, for the SPS Secretary.
  • Document Title in IRACNet is now populated with the System Name/Nomenclature in ECO.
  • File Uploading and CID-to-SSRF Conversion

    • If an invalid .CID file is uploaded to the Editor, an error message will indicate that the file is invalid or does not meet the desktop version requirement of 6.2 or later.
    • When opening a file in Editor containing NTIA approved equipment, an approval lock icon will appear next to the Transmitter, Receiver, and/or Antenna sections in the left-hand navigation panel. If any edits or changes are made to the approved equipment, the approval lock will disappear. The lock will reappear if the edits or changes are reversed.

    Editor

    • Fixed: Resolved the 500 Internal Server Error that occasionally occurred when attempting to create a link on the Diagram Page in the Internal Editor.
    • Legacy records with orbital inclination values between 0 and -180 degrees, will be corrected to their equivalent angle values between 0 and 180 by simply adding 180 degrees.
    • The visibility rules for the 'Adjacent Channel Selectivity' field have been updated to be visible when frequencies overlap the 29.7 – 50 MHz band, 162-174 MHz, and 406.1 – 420 MHz bands.
    • The word “Generic” (in upper or lowercase) cannot be used as any part of the station name field on the Diagram page, or on the Station page. If an existing certification is opened that has “Generic” in the station name, a red triangle error will appear on the View Summary page. Note that if a station has no equipment, the Full Record Print will automatically add “Generic” to the station name.
    • The Modulation Type will automatically be updated based on updates made to certain characteristics of the Emission Designator.

    Curve Editor

    • Fixed: Frequency and Level fields correctly update when a user clicks on the curve.
    • Frequency and Level values display in the bottom left fields of the Curve Editors (RF Fundamental, IF Selectivity, RF Selectivity) when any part of the Curve is selected.
    • Units in the x-axis frequency offset match the ‘Frequency’ field units.
    • The 'Log Scale’ button is automatically checked and disabled in the Curve Editor interface. The log scale of the x-axis adjusts based on the units selected for the Frequency Offset values.
    • The y-axis scale in the Curve Editor ranges from -100db to 20db.
    • When selecting the 'Compliance' button in the Curve Editor, compliance errors display with a blue emission mask line using a logarithmic scale.

    FCC Acceptance Number

    • If 'Commercial' is selected as the 'Type of Nomenclature' for a Transmitter or a Receiver, 'FCC Type Acceptance Number' becomes a required field. If the field is left empty, a red error triangle will appear on the View Summary page next to FCC Type Acceptance Number. A compliance error will also be generated if compliance checks are run.

    Receiver Type

    • If 'Commercial' is selected as the 'Type of Nomenclature' for a Receiver, 'Receiver Type' becomes a required field. If the field is left empty, a red error triangle will appear on the View Summary page next to Receiver Type. A compliance error will also be generated if compliance checks are run.

    Harmonic and Spurious Levels

    • Entering 'NA' into the Harmonic and Spurious Point fields is not permitted. The error message has been updated to be clearer.

    Geographical Locations

    • The 'Period' and 'Inclination' fields for Non-Geostationary Satellite locations have been renamed to 'Period of Orbit (min)' and 'Equatorial Inclination (deg)'. The updated fields can be found on the following pages: Stations, Stage, Links/Selected Modes, Geographical Areas (CoSS section 1), and View Summary under NTIA General Information under Station Location(s), Links/Selected Modes, and Stage.
    • The Globe feature provides a dynamic and visual representation of the geographic locations of your equipment.
    • The Min. Pointing Angle (deg) column has been removed for Satellite Geostationary and Satellite Non-geostationary location types.

    Full Record Print Enhancements

    • Fixed: Aligned titles for RF Fundamental, IF Selectivity, and RF Selectivity.
    • Fixed: Updated 'RF Curve Point Offset' to 'Offset (FO)' for clarity.
    • Fixed: Reorganized columns in the Fundamental Curve for improved readability.
    • Fixed: X-axis Unit display for IF Selectivity and RF Selectivity Curves.
    • The current ECO version displays in the footer of each page of the Full Record Print.
    • Peak Frequency Deviation has been added to the Full Record Print for Digital Modulation Type.
    • If CUI is present on the Full Record Print, the classification will be displayed on the banner at the top of each page.
    • Downgrading instructions are now in the downgrading instructions box.
    • The RF Fundamental, IF Selectivity, and RF Selectivity curves now display in Log scale in the Full Record Print.
    • When a Receiver has multiple tuning ranges, the Full Record Print now displays each entry in a separate column or row.

    Compliance Checks

    • Fixed: The compliance error associated with the Transmitter frequency band Tuning Range will no longer trigger when all required fields are appropriately filled out.
    • Fixed: A compliance error will no longer appear when "NA" is entered as the FCC Acceptance Number.
    • Fixed: FCC Type Acceptance Number compliance error for Receivers with Nomenclature Types other than 'Commercial.'
    • Fixed: When generating a compliance report, explanation field errors no longer display twice for each Emission Designator.
    • FM-Pulse radars (for Criteria A, B, C, D, and E radars) procured (certification request submitted date) after October 1, 2020 will follow compliance checks as noted in the NTIA Manual Section 5.5.4.
    • If CUI is present in the Compliance Report, the classification will be displayed in the banner at the top of each page.

    CoSS Report

    • If CUI is present in the CoSS Report, the classification will display in the banner at the top of each page.
    • Upon opening an approved CoSS file in the Editor, the ‘Save’ button in the Tool Bar will be disabled.

    Workflow Document Uploading

    • The dropdown options: 'Information in support of application,' 'Request for Waiver,' and 'Explanation of Non-compliance' have been removed for Submitters when uploading documents. Previous documents existing with the listed document types have been updated to 'Other.'
    • The dropdown option 'Previous Application' has been renamed to 'Previously signed Certification.'

    Links/Selected Modes page

    • Editing the transmitter under the Equipment column (pencil icon next to transmitter) now clears the Frequencies and Emission/Power columns.
    • Editing the receiver under the Equipment column (pencil icon next to receiver) does not clear the Frequencies and Emission/Power columns.
    • The Equipment pop-up screen displays all selected transmitters (or receivers) and all antennas (with the selected antennas checked). Clicking X on a transmitter (or receiver) equipment row only deletes that specific transmitter (or receiver) equipment row.
    • Clicking OK on the Equipment popup screen retains previous transmitter (or receiver) values if no changes have been made.
    • Once the certification has been converted to a Certificate of Spectrum Support (CoSS), the Links/Selected Modes page becomes read-only (no changes can be made).

    Satellite PFD Button

    The Satellite PFD button can be found on the Emission/Power pop-up screen from the Links/Selected Modes page for a Satellite downlink. This button brings up the Satellite Power Flux Density model pop-up. Several changes were made to this screen:

    • The Altitude at Perigee is pulled for the station.
    • The Antenna Main Beam Gain is populated if it exists.
    • The High Frequency of the band will populate.
    • The Radio Service will be limited to Satellite services.

    Emission Builder Tool

    • A horizontal scrollbar will appear, if needed, on the Type of Modulation and Nature of Signal dropdowns in the emission builder tool.

    Full Record Print Enhancements

    • In the FRP, Units now display for the x-axis for Harmonic and Spurious Emission curves.
    • In the FRP, Receiver Type now shows in the Receiver Equipment Characteristics section.

    Noise Figure and Image Rejection Models

    • Noise Figure units have been corrected to display dB (instead of dBi) on the Receiver Sensitivity (Terrestrial) model. Additionally, the calculations have been corrected.
    • Image Rejection Level units have been corrected to display dB (instead of dBm) on the Image Rejection model.

    Compliance Checks

    • The NTIA Manual Checks NTIA-GEN-0064 (for transmitter) and NTIA-GEN-0065 (for receiver) have been added when the emission designator has Modulation Type, Nature of Signal, and/or Information Type set to ‘X’. Additionally, NTIA-GEN-0066 check will run when these emission designators are used in the Links/Selected Mode.
    • Compliance check NTIA-CH10-10.8.3 is now suppressed when the certification request has an approved Polygon location (either under Stations or under Links/Selected Mode).
    • Compliance check NTIA-CH10-10.8.2.1 and NTIA-CH10-10.8.2.2 are now suppressed when there is an Earth-to-Space uplink.
    • Compliance check NTIA-CH10-10.8.6 is now suppressed for missing Transmission Bit Rate if the Type of Information Transmitted in the Emission Designator = N (no information transmitted).
    • Compliance check NTIA-CH10-10.8.7 is now suppressed for missing All Required Receiver Characteristics when the receiver is a Generic Target Station.
    • Compliance check NTIA-CH10-10.8.8 is now suppressed for missing antenna angular displacement of the first horizontal and vertical sidelobe for array and linear antennas when the antenna type is set to Array Antenna or Linear Antenna. Array antennas side lobes are negligible.
    • Data validation compliance check is now suppressed for missing explanation in Explanation Fields when those fields contain data.
    • Data validation compliance check RF-210 has been suppressed for Pulse Repetition Rate (PRR) and Pulse Width (PD) stating that the high pulse rate (or high pulse width) must be greater than the low pulse rate (or low pulse width) value. The minimum/maximum PRR and PD were removed in 2019.
    • The NTIA Manual Check NTIA-TX-Gen-0084-Min, NTIA-TX-Gen-0084-Max, NTIA-TX-Gen-0085-Min, and NTIA-TX-Gen-0085-Max for Min and Max Duty Cycle Ratio are now suppressed as the minimum/maximum Pulse Repetition Rate and Pulse Width were removed in 2019.

    Workflow Document Uploads and Basic Search

    • Users are no longer required to check “This is a SSRF v3.0 (or higher) document” when uploading an SSRF record, and an FRP with Compliance will generate automatically. The screen is much simpler now.
    • Additional fields have been added to Basic Search. Users can now search by Submitting Agency Name, Estimated Initial Cost, Receiver Nomenclature, Antenna Nomenclature, System Frequency Range, and Transmitter Frequency Range. The search results have the additional columns: Receiver Nomenclature and Antenna Nomenclature. When a Request ID is entered, all other fields are ignored, and only that Request ID information is retrieved.
    • The name of the "Stage of Allocation" page in Editor has been changed to "Stage of System Review," in accordance with the NTIA Manual.
    • The System Description page in Editor now features a new text input field named "Additional Comments." This field has been included for explanatory purposes and accepts text input exclusively (no images, diagrams, calculations, etc.).
    • Potential Platforms where a transmitter is installed is now being saved to the XML file.
    • In the Emission Designator's “Pulse Parameter” section, the “Subpulse" fields will be displayed only if the Radar Type selected is “Phase Coded Pulse”. If any other radar type is chosen, the “Subpulse” fields will not be visible.
    • The “Occupied Bandwidth” and associated “Measured or Calculated” field have been removed from the Transmitter Information section in the Editor. These fields are exclusive to DOD. The compliance check for Occupied Bandwidth to be greater than Necessary Bandwidth has been removed.
    • Enhancements have been put in place for “unmodulated carrier” emission designators. When selecting 'N – Emission of unmodulated carrier' as the Type of Modulation in the Emission Designator Tool, the Nature of the Signal field will default to '0' and the Type of Information Transmitted to 'N – No information transmitted.' If the first character of the emission class is 'N' but the remaining characters are not '0N', a red error triangle will display.
    • In the Editor, an error triangle will now appear on the Transmitter View Summary page next to the “Mean”, “PEP”, and “Peak” Power fields for stage 2, 3 or 4 files that have no Power options selected.
    • The Spectral Power Density field and Satellite PFD Button have been relocated to the Emission/Power Link pop-up and will be visible only for satellite downlinks.
    • The “Model Name and Number” is now a separate field on the Nomenclature pages for the Transmitter, Receiver, and Antenna sections. The Field that was named “Nomenclature, Manufacturer’s Model No.” is now renamed to “Nomenclature” in these same sections. The same changes have been made under the NTIA General Information section in the System Nomenclature page. The new field is also displayed in the Full Record print.
    • The character limit for the “System Nomenclature” field has been increased to 150 characters, providing users with more space to accurately describe their systems.
    • The “Name Only” option is no longer available for Location Type when selecting locations.
    • The issue with dragging and dropping stations to the diagram in Editor has been corrected.
    • The Satellite Name field now displays in Editor.
    • Peak Frequency Deviation field and associated data now appear on the Full Record Print.
    • The Full Record Print now includes the 'Date/Time Last Mod' in the 'Selected Frequencies' section, allowing users to easily track modifications made to their records.
    • The Full Record Print now includes data entered in the “Tuning Step”, “Minimum Separation”, and “Num Frequencies” fields in the Receiver Equipment Characteristics section.
    • The Full Record Print now includes a new field titled “SP Power Density” for Satellite Systems, which can be found in the Link Information section.
    • The Transmission bit rate fields in the Full Record Print now display the units of measurement.
    • The NTIA-Gen-0064 (for Transmitter) and 0065 (for Receiver) compliance checks, which state that the 'Explanation of Nature of Signal' field is required when the 2nd symbol of the Emission Designator is an “X” (Other) have been added to the Editor compliance check.
    • The NTIA-ECH5-5.3.3.3.c-6-1-Linear-F (N/A) compliance check has been added to ensure compliance with regulations in the 4.4-4.99 GHz band.
    • The compliance check (NTIA-002) for Invalid Link Compliance has been suppressed when a Target is selected as a station.
    • The compliance check (RF-210) has been suppressed for power types NOT selected.
    • Compliance check NTIA-CH10-10.8.3 has been corrected to use the Number of Units instead of Number of Mobile Units per the NTIA Manual. The corresponding compliance message has been updated to reflect the change.
    • Users can now view all agency submissions for their agency in Internal Workflow.
    • The SPS meeting date is now displayed in the “My Tasks” section of Internal Workflow.
    • The 'Number/Identifier' field in the 'Basic Search' feature has been separated out into separate fields: 'Request ID', 'Application SPS Number', 'Approval SPS Number', 'IRAC Number', and 'ERP Number'. Note that FAS Number and Coordination Number Suffix have been removed as they are not used by NTIA.
    • Title/Name/Nomenclature field in the ‘Basic Search’ feature has been separated out into separate fields: Title, Name, and Nomenclature.
    • Selecting a Transmitter Name link in the Basic Search feature will display a popup window containing a list of Transmitter Nomenclatures.
    • The Editor now has fields to enter explanation of Modulation Type, Nature of Signal, and Information Type, when an “X” is entered for the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd character of an emission class for a Transmitter or a Receiver. These explanation fields will be displayed in the Full Record Print.
    • The Full Record Print now returns all locations. Previously the list was truncated.
    • Location Type of Non-Geostationary Satellites can have values for the Inclination between 0 and 180 degrees. The degree angle can be a number up to 5 digits including 2 decimal places.
    • Only one power type will be allowed per Transmitter Mode.
    • The Originating Agency label in Editor has been changed to Submitting Agency; the Submitting Agency is displayed in the field.
    • A red triangle will no longer appear next to “Maximum Frequencies in Hopset” in the View Summary if the Transmitter Mode is not a Spread Spectrum Signal.
    • A red triangle will no longer appear next to “Subpulse Width”, “Subpulse Rise Time”, and “Subpulse Fall Time”, if Radar is not selected as the Transmitter Type.
    • Workflow has been upgraded and has a new look-and-feel. The functionality of the system remains the same, but the Comment section is now in the upper right-hand corner instead of the upper left corner. The logged in user’s role is now displayed next to the Menu on the Workflow Dashboard and their name is shown in the top menu. Note: It is very important that “X” is used to close the Workflow Activity page. Do not close the browser tab to close Workflow.
    • When uploading a certification request in SSRF format via Workflow, the checkbox for a x3.0 or higher SSRF file must be selected to generate a Full Record Print (FRP).
    • If a Workflow process/request ID is entered as a search criterion (in the “Number/Identifier” field), the search will return process/request IDs that have an attachment (even if the attachment is not a certification request). Process/request IDs with no attachments will not be returned.
    • An interface with IRACNet has been built to allow the SPS Secretary to submit documents to IRACNet.
    • When looking at details after selecting a certification request from the search results, the list of associated documents will also contain any documents uploaded to IRACNet for that Application SPS Number. These IRACNet documents can be opened or downloaded from ECO.
    • Added explanation fields for Modulation Type, Nature of Signal, and Information Type when “X” is used in the emission class for Transmitter or Receiver. These fields will be shown in the Full Record Print.
    • Full Record Print now includes all locations, no longer truncating the list.
    • Location Type of Non-Geostationary Satellites allows inclination values between 0 and 180 degrees, up to 5 digits including 2 decimal places.
    • Only one power type is allowed per Transmitter Mode.
    • Changed "Originating Agency" label in Editor to "Submitting Agency," which is displayed in the field.
    • Removed red triangle from “Maximum Frequencies in Hopset” in the View Summary if Transmitter Mode is not Spread Spectrum Signal.
    • Removed red triangle from “Subpulse Width,” “Subpulse Rise Time,” and “Subpulse Fall Time” if Radar is not selected as Transmitter Type.
    • Upgraded Workflow with a new look-and-feel; functionality remains the same. Comment section moved to upper right-hand corner. User role displayed next to the Menu and name shown in the top menu. Important: use “X” to close Workflow Activity page instead of closing browser tab.
    • When uploading a certification request in SSRF format via Workflow, select checkbox for x3.0 or higher SSRF file to generate a Full Record Print (FRP).
    • Entering a Workflow process/request ID as a search criterion will return IDs with attachments, excluding those without attachments.
    • Built interface with IRACNet for SPS Secretary to submit documents to IRACNet.
    • Details view for certification requests now includes documents uploaded to IRACNet for the Application SPS Number. These documents can be opened or downloaded from ECO.
    • The definitions of the four stages of allocation of a certification were updated to match those in the September 2017 Revision of the May 2013 Edition of the Manual of Regulations and Procedures for Federal Radio Frequency Management (NTIA Redbook).
    • The Certification of Spectrum Support (CoSS) page in the Internal Editor now allows NTIA users to retrieve Recommendations that relate to the current record; listing Recommendations based on frequency overlap with the frequency ranges associated with the Recommendations, with details provided in the description. Therefore, Recommendations with no frequency ranges are always displayed.
    • The Certification of Spectrum Support (CoSS) output/print file was updated so that it properly formats single and multiple page forms.
    • The Certification of Spectrum Support (CoSS) table has been updated such that the headers for each location type occur only once in the report.
    • EL-CID Online Editor now generates Certification of Spectrum Support (CoSS) outputs that allows users the ability to produce split (A/B) Section 1 segments.
    • An update was made to kill all active sessions when the “Down for Maintenance” splash page is active for EL-CID Online. This prevents users from entering any data or making any changes when the system is down for maintenance or failover, allowing for data to be flushed and a snapshot taken.
    • Users can now view the Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) banner when selecting a document from a Basic Search within workflow.
    • EL-CID Online Editor now has a selectable Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) section in the Left Navigation Panel, is viewable in the View Summary section, and is displayed in the Classification Banner.
    • EL-CID Online users can now select the Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) markings for the Certification Request within both Internal and External Editor.
    • Reports (Full Record Print [FRP], Compliance Check, and Certification of Spectrum Support [CoSS]) now show a cover page if the certification request contains Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI).
    • Users are now required to fill in Designation Indicator fields for Certification Requests that contain Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). The Designation Indicator section consists of the Controlled By field and Point of Contact fields.
    • Users can now select the Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) category Controlled Technical Information (CTI); and be able to put in details for the corresponding Distribution Statement.
    • Special Handling is now required to be selected if no Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) is chosen.