The Rambouillet CCI checks, identifies and locates HF emissions. The CCI thus contributes to international frequency control on behalf of the ITU. It can also deal with interference in those bands. The purpose of the CCI operations is to check the complete assignment specifications recorded in the Master International Frequency Register. Amongst other things, all the spectrum and HF services are constantly monitored, especially the maritime bands and distress frequencies. Furthermore, other foreign control stations may request assistance with technical measurements, decoding, locating or remedial action.
The CCI has specific static resources to monitor HF-band emissions on the European continent, as well as in large parts of Africa, the Near East and the Middle East. The Rambouillet CCI in fact has:
- a thirty hectare antenna field composed of 6 high-gain directional rhombic aerials providing control options to all continents and 10 single-wire antennas;
- a mobile direction finder installed on a laboratory vehicle;
- a static direction finder.
The Agency is also involved in financing a new inter-ministry HF direction-finding system. Direction finding tools are essential to the quality of the checks carried out. They can be used to identify the country from which the non-compliant HF transmission is coming.
Using an instant messaging system, the CCI can also call on its European partners to carry out direction finding actions or additional measurements to refine its analyses.