Friday, July 8, 2011

FCC Action Threatens GPS Satellite Services

The FCC is at it again - this time its International Bureau is considering allowing operation of an interference-generating wireless broadband network from a company called LightSquared smack dab in GPS spectrum used by military, government, and civilian air traffic control, industry, and many American consumers for location, tracking, timing, mapping, surveying, agri-farming, or other GPS satellite-based services in the U.S.  

By all reports and tests made to-date, LightSquared's plan will render GPS unusable in most parts of the nation.

If you or your organization use or depend upon GPS, you are urged to visit the Coalition to Save Our GPS  web site to learn more about this very serious threat.  

Please --- share this post and information with others.


NR

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

FCC VHF UHF Part 90 Radio Narrowbanding Reminder

In December 2004, the FCC issued an Order mandating that all Part 90 business, educational, industrial, public safety, and state and local government private land mobile radio (PLMR) licensees operating in the VHF (150 – 174 MHz) and UHF (421 – 512 MHz) bands convert their dispatch, paging, and data/SCADA radio systems from legacy wideband (25 kilohertz) to narrowband (12.5 kilohertz or equivalent) operation by Jan. 1, 2013. That date is now LESS THAN 32 MONTHS away.

Contrary to what some may have heard or been led to believe, the Order does not require licensees to change to new radio frequencies or different frequency bands, nor does it require moving from analog to digital or from a conventional to a trunked radio system. However, these are options that some licensees may want to more fully explore with the guidance of a qualified radio communications system professional. The Order also doesn’t mean that licensees need to replace all their current radio system equipment — only any soon-to-be-non-compliant equipment.

What the FCC’s mandate does require is that all wideband-only conventional or trunked VHF and UHF radios, including handheld portables, vehicle-mounted mobiles, dispatcher stations, wireless data, telemetry, or supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) link radios (called subscriber radios) and any associated wideband-only conventional or trunked base or repeater stations (called infrastructure radios), be replaced with narrowband capable equipment prior to the 2013 date to continue legal use of Part 90 radio frequencies beyond that date. FCC radio system licenses must also be modified to reflect the change to narrowband emissions and operation.

Migration Steps

Over the last several years, in response to the mandate, many licensees have started the narrowband migration process by deploying dual-mode subscriber radios — those capable of both wideband and narrowband operation — as new radios have been added to their systems or as older wideband-only radios were lost, damaged beyond repair or otherwise removed from service. While this strategy is a practical, cost-effective approach, particularly by those with large numbers of subscriber radios in their fleets or those with multiple radio frequencies, base stations and repeaters in their systems, this method addresses only the first step of a multi-step process.

Unless a radio system is initially implemented as a narrowband system - as most new systems have been during the past eight to ten years - many dual-mode replacement subscriber radios deployed into pre-mandate or older, conventional or trunked VHF or UHF radio systems have typically been programmed for wideband rather than narrowband operation. This best-practices method was necessary to retain compatibility with existing wideband subscriber and infrastructure radios in use in those systems. (NOTE: the mixing of wideband and narrowband radios on the same frequency of a system is generally not encouraged nor recommended. Doing so has the potential to render most voice - and especially data - transmissions between wideband and narrowband radios unintelligible, distorted or unreliable). The method also allowed the expense of replacing infrastructure radios at the same time to be deferred, as the year 2013 seemed a long way off.

In many instances, however, the need to address the deferred replacement of wideband-only infrastructure radios may have inadvertently been overlooked or even forgotten by some licensees or radio system managers. This is particularly true when it comes to the many smaller business, educational, and industrial users of two way radio who typically don't keep up with current FCC Rules or the responsibilities that go along with being a Part 90 licensee, and, who quite often simply take the use and benefit of their radio systems for granted.

Consider this post a "wake-up" call to all licensees that, until all subscriber and infrastructure radios are fully migrated to narrowband operation, many radio systems may still be operating in the wideband mode, which is legal only until Jan. 1, 2013.

Migration Planning

Has your company or organization developed a migration plan and budget to address the next steps necessary to complete the narrowband migration process and become fully FCC compliant? These steps include replacing any remaining wideband-only subscriber radios still being used; procuring and installing narrowband base stations, repeaters or other infrastructure radios as needed; preparing a well-planned, coordinated approach to re-programming all radios to narrowband operation; and modifying a radio station license to reflect any new emissions designators. Click here for more migration suggestions.

The 2013 date isn’t that far away, particularly if funding needs to be secured and budgets prepared or, when any operations dependent on uninterrupted radio communications may be jeopardized.

Companies and organizations that recognize and appreciate the value of their Part 90 two-way voice and data radio communications systems are advised not to wait until the last minute to begin or complete the narrowbanding process. By waiting, they are risking not only the loss of use of their current radio frequencies, but the return on the investment (ROI) and associated benefits provided by their radio system equipment as well.

More Information

For on-line discussions regarding the mandate, licensees and others interested in narrowbanding are invited to join the LMR Narrowbanding Yahoo! Group

Additional Part 90 Narrowbanding information and resources are also available here: http://www.wirelessradio.net


NR

Saturday, May 1, 2010

FCC's LMR Narrowbanding now less than 32 Months Away

With less than 32 months until the FCC's 2013 Narrowbanding Mandate is due to take effect, and, because there continues to be a lack of up-to-date, and accurate flow of information or guidance from both the FCC and most of the land mobile two way radio industry targeted to business, educational, industrial, utility, municipal government, and public safety Part 90 VHF and UHF licensees, a new web site has been established to help spread the word.

Please refer this site to those who need to take action now in order to meet the narrowbanding deadline. Procrastination on the part of any licensee is not an option. DO NOT wait until the very last minute to begin or complete your narrowbanding project.


NR

Saturday, January 2, 2010

FCC Part 90 Narrowbanding Info & Resource Site for LMR VHF UHF Licensees

With less than 36 months left until the FCC's 2013 Narrowbanding Mandate is due to take effect, and, because there continues to be a lack of user-specific, up-to-date, and accurate flow of information or guidance from both the FCC and the industry targeted to Part 90 VHF and UHF licensees, a new web site has been established to help spread the word.

Please feel free to refer this site to those who need to take action now in order to meet the narrowbanding deadline. Procrastination on the part of any licensee is not an option.


NR