16.1 Regulation

For over three decades GPR systems have been used with virtually no evidence to suggest that they cause interference to other users of the radio spectrum. There are good reasons for this situation.

Compared with the number of mobile phones, GPS users and other occupants of the same bandwidth, the number of GPR systems is very small, hence the potential for interference is low. GPR systems are not operated for extended duration and their mean radiated power is very low. GPR systems are often operated in areas where there is a low density of population. GPR systems are designed to radiate energy into the ground, where it is quickly absorbed. For all these reasons it is not surprising that properly documented and recorded incidents of interference are minuscule in number.

GPR systems operate from 10 MHz up to 5 GHz with a decade bandwidth within that range. This characteristic puts GPR into the most extreme class of ultra-wideband radars. Like most other ultra-wideband technologies, GPR devices fall outside any formal regulatory framework, and concerns have been raised about their potential interference with licensed radio frequency receivers.

In many countries, waivers to existing rules have been given to GPR systems that are equipped with a shut-off switch that automatically stops the radiation when the GPR system is lifted from the ground surface, or is not operated horizontally. This additional requirement acknowledges that emissions into the air from GPR under normal operating conditions are unintentional.