ALERT - Another UHF slice being auctioned off by FCC

[liko]

Hey guys, 

Just wanted to spread the word for those of you that don't keep your head buried in government reports or manufacturer's blogs. The FCC plans to auction the frequency bands for TV channels 37-51 (606-698MHz) to telecom providers in 2014, much the same way it auctioned off the 700MHz band in 2008. Again much like the 700MHz auction, it will be illegal to operate "whitespace" equipment such as wireless audio equipment in these frequency ranges starting as soon as 2015. This isn't getting the same mass media attention that the 700MHz auction did, because the change primarily affects only TV broadcasters and pro audio/whitespace users, unlike the DTV switchover which made every analog TV tuner in the country obsolete.

This means that some or all of the following wireless frequency equipment will become illegal in the United States and will have to be replaced:

• Sennheiser:
  • All Evolution, XSW, 5000 and 9000-series equipment operating in the B or G frequency bands. G-band users may be able to use their equipment legally, as the G band only overlaps the 600MHz band at the extreme upper end of its frequency range.
• Shure:
  • All Axient systems will be technically illegal as the system can utilize the entire UHF spectrum (including the already-illegal 700MHz and 800MHz bands). However, the system is also flexible enough to allow operators to "lock out" illegal bands for any region; consult your user guide or contact Shure for assistance
  • UHF-R systems operating in the J5 or L3 bands
  • ULX-D systems operating in J50 or L50
  • ULX systems operating in M1
  • SLX systems operating in L4
  • BLX systems operating in J10, K12 or M15
  • FP systems operating in L4
  • Analog PGX systems operating in L5 and possibly in J6
  • PG wireless systems operating in M7 and probably in K7
  • All PSM series equipment operating in a J, K, or L band
  • Some users of Shure equipment in a "J" band may be able to find a useable frequency and continue using their equipment, provided that the channel is manually chosen and that features such as frequency-hopping are disabled.
• Audio-Technica:
  • All 2000, 3000 and 4000-series equipment operating in D band
• Samson:
  • Airline systems operating in any N band
  • Concert 77 systems in any N band
  • Concert 88 systems in the C band

This is not a complete list; to check whether your own wireless equipment is safe for use after 2015, examine the receiver. Most have a label containing information about model, serial number, and frequency band of the specific unit. If the frequency range starts above 598MHz, it will be illegal to use the equipment at all after 2015. If the frequency range starts below 598MHz but extends into the band, care must be taken to only use the legal subset of the unit's full frequency range.

[RoadRanger]

Already been there - done that  :

http://www.harmonycentral.com/t5/Live-Sound-Production/Wireless-in-600-MHz-band-at-risk-of-being-banned/td-p/34856524

[Audiopile]

Well that would certainly bite... as I'd likely be looking at shoveling $3,500 worth of IEM's in the bin before even the first set of batteries needed changed (they're a bit more than a month old).

At $1500+ per gig to use my wireless IEM rig before our govt. changes the rules... that would certainly take the attraction out of buying more wireless gear in the future.

Or maybe the govt. will take some of the auction revenue and reimburse the effected citizens for the "taking".

[liko]

 

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Audiopile wrote:

 

 

Or maybe the govt. will take some of the auction revenue and reimburse the effected citizens for the "taking".

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This is an option being considered (and being pushed by Sennheiser USA in a letter to the FCC). Another is to maintain a few channels in the 600MHz band as "safe havens", allowing people with 600MHz-band equipment to keep using it; the trick there is that you may need a license to operate on those channels, because the groups pushing for that concession are the production companies that need wireless for sports broadcasts, TV shows, theater productions, etc. and they want those available channels for themselves, not the band down the street at the dive bar.

[dboomer]

First the good news ... it might not be this bad.  Second the worse news ... it might be worse .  The exact details aren't all worked out yet.

 

The writing has been on the wall since 2009 but no one usually pays any attention until their systems shut down.  It actually all started in 1997, but who's counting

 

Liko ... what you are talking about is stage 1 and there is a stage 2 to follow.  The plan is spelled out as part of the National Broadband Plan  http://www.broadband.gov/plan/executive-summary/

 

The FCC has been planning to free up 500MHz of bandwidth for broadband internet to be completed by 2021.  Currently there is about 220 MHz of bandwidth in the TV UHF band and 120 MHz of that is scheduled to be taken away and reassigned.  What's left will have to be shared with Over-The-Air TV broadcasters and likely some kind of Smartphone/Cellphone/voip systems.

 

Sennheiser is already saying that it will not be possible to move everything in the 600's down to the 500's (like the 700's were shifted down) because the bulk of the TV stations currently operating in the 600's will get shifted down so there won't be much white space left. ...  http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sennheiser-petitions-fcc-to-compensate-owners-of-wireless-microphone-equipment-as-spectrum-faces-repacking-for-second-time-233498951.html

 

The good news here is that when they sell off the 600's part of that money will be paying down your income taxes (on a personal level).  http://www.finance.senate.gov/newsroom/chairman/release/?id=c42a8c8a-52ad-44af-86b2-4695aaff5378

[Audiopile]

 

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dboomer wrote:

 

 

The good news here is that when they sell off the 600's part of that money will be paying down your income taxes (on a personal level).  

http://www.finance.senate.gov/newsroom/chairman/release/?id=c42a8c8a-52ad-44af-86b2-4695aaff5378

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Well you might have a point there Don... with the "good news" part of this, in-that:

There shouldn't be any question by the tax man about purchases of wireless gear being fully deductible in the year purchased, no amortization of the purchase necessary regardless of the dollar amount involved, since chances are the equipment will be rendered obsolete (useless) in a year (or a couple usages in my case).

At least I'll have a pile of fairly fresh batteries I can salvage out of my "junk" wireless stuff. (looking on the bright side here)

[Scodiddly]

Here's a little less frightening version from Henry Cohen, courtesy of SoundForums.net:

 

http://soundforums.net/varsity/8952-600mhz-auction-mid-2015-a.html

[agedhorse]

VHF can be fixed or frequency agile. Nothing wrong with VHF except the limitations on bandwidth (few available channels simultaneously.

[RoadRanger]

The 14 channels available with the Line6 stuff would be plenty for most bands. I don't understand why they don't make an IEM? They'd sell a bunch .

BTW am I the only one who hasn't ever heard a Line6 guitar amp that sounds good  ?

[liko]

 

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agedhorse wrote:

 

VHF can be fixed or frequency agile. Nothing wrong with VHF except the limitations on bandwidth (few available channels simultaneously.

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Can you give me an example of a frequency-agile VHF system? All the ones I've ever seen have been fixed-frequency using a crystal.

[agedhorse]

The problem with the higher bands is that range decreases and losses through materials like flesh are much higher.

[liko]

 

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agedhorse wrote:

 

The problem with the higher bands is that range decreases and losses through materials like flesh are much higher.

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This. 5.8 has serious range and penetration problems, and in anything larger than a small club, you'll probably end up with the wireless receiver on the stage side of your snake (if you have one; my church uses wireless for almost everything, because it's seen as better than trying to hide cable runs in a large stone sanctuary)