Win for Wireless Mic Users

[Zupe]

I don't know if anyone else on here is a member of the Recording Academy, but NARAS (as well as other groups, such as AES) lobbied Congress this past spring. On the table was the loss of even MORE wireless mic frequencies. I'm pasting the letter I received yesterday.

Dear Recording Academy Members:

In April, hundreds of you came to Washington for GRAMMYs on the Hill, while hundreds more sent emails to Congress and the FCC asking them to protect wireless microphones from interference.

Today, as a result of your efforts, our community prevailed. The FCC voted to preserve channels for wireless microphones and other wireless music technologies so vital to artists and sound engineers.

The threat we faced was significant. The FCC was poised to let new devices into the wireless spectrum that would have caused significant interference to wireless microphones. Some policy makers even suggested we go back to using only wired mics! Our Producers & Engineers Wing led the charge, with a multi-year advocacy effort culminating in large Academy member activism during Spring's GRAMMYs on the Hill.

Thanks to your efforts, the FCC will preserve two channels in every market in the country for wireless microphones, while also allowing microphone users to register in a database to secure more channels. It's a great solution that's fair to everyone.

Once again, your voice made a difference. The show will go on.

Kind regards,
Neil Portnow
President/CEO
The Recording Academy

[floodcitybrass]

I'm not sure if you are referring to the same thing as me (the "white spaces") but I have been hearing differently:

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wir ... es-819974/

http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/fcc ... 2010-09-24

[floodcitybrass]

http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/23/fcc- ... -super-wi/

[LHSL]

So far, from what I can gather via the Second Memorandum Opinion and Order issued by the FCC on the 23rd of September and other secondary sources there is still a clear and present danger to those operating wireless microphones in the TV Band whitespaces.

You can read the text here: http://www.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily ... -174A1.pdf

I do believe that the FCC created a "safe harbor" for wireless microphone users from TV channel 2-20 (VHF 2-13 and UHF 14-20). I think these will be restricted from use by TV Band Devices (i.e. those devices using the TV Band whitespace for data or communciations (phones, wi-fi, etc).

They've also placed a similar restriction for TVBDs on the two unoccupied channels above and below channel 37 (the radio astronomy channel).

That said, you can still operate wireles mics in channels above 20 (except 37) upto UHF channel 51. However, you may find that once TVBDs begin to sell around the country, the noise and interferrence in those channels 20-36 and 38-51 becomes too great to allow a wireless microphone to operate reliably.

Additionally, if you are in a metropolitan area, you will need to reference the following
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr_2007/ ... 90.303.pdf for other channels (14-20) that may have been reallocated for public safety uses. For instance, in Pittsburgh channels 14 and 18 are reserved.

Here's an example of what this means for users... Shure's popular ULX wireless mic series has three available bands in the US. G3, J1, and M1.

J1 covers TV channels 28 to 33 (554-590 MHz)
M1 covers TV channels 46 to 51 (662-698 MHz)
G3 covers TV channels 14 to 20 (470-506 MHz)

G3 is protected, J1 and M1 are not, unless all of the channels to the left and right of channel 37 are used up to 33 and 46 respectively.

[Banned]

I am more than willing to admit, when it comes to wireless, I'm an idiot. Everything I've seen refers to wireless mics. Does this include ALL wireless devices (Guitar, Bass, etc.), or do mics have a different set of frequencies??

[LHSL]

I am more than willing to admit, when it comes to wireless, I'm an idiot. Everything I've seen refers to wireless mics. Does this include ALL wireless devices (Guitar, Bass, etc.), or do mics have a different set of frequencies??

It's all the same. Beltpack wireless or handheld wireless.

[floodcitybrass]

and IEMs too.

[lonewolf]

It is doubtful that VHF frequencies will have a problem*. VHF band TV usage is all but abandoned since the changeover to DTV. 99% of stations that broadcast analog on VHF are now using UHF bands for their DTV signals. VHF is now wide open and should be of little use to government or new technologies.

*This is assuming that no high-level FCC bureaucrats have two-digit IQs.

[LHSL]

It is doubtful that VHF frequencies will have a problem*. VHF band TV usage is all but abandoned since the changeover to DTV. 99% of stations that broadcast analog on VHF are now using UHF bands for their DTV signals. VHF is now wide open and should be of little use to government or new technologies.

*This is assuming that no high-level FCC bureaucrats have two-digit IQs.

What does this have to do with how this will affect current wireless mic users? Very few VHF mics are made any longer, and those that were suffered from major quality issues.

[f.sciarrillo]

It is doubtful that VHF frequencies will have a problem*. VHF band TV usage is all but abandoned since the changeover to DTV. 99% of stations that broadcast analog on VHF are now using UHF bands for their DTV signals. VHF is now wide open and should be of little use to government or new technologies.

*This is assuming that no high-level FCC bureaucrats have two-digit IQs.

The Government forced the transfer to DTV so they would have more space for their use ...

[lonewolf]

It is doubtful that VHF frequencies will have a problem*. VHF band TV usage is all but abandoned since the changeover to DTV. 99% of stations that broadcast analog on VHF are now using UHF bands for their DTV signals. VHF is now wide open and should be of little use to government or new technologies.

*This is assuming that no high-level FCC bureaucrats have two-digit IQs.

What does this have to do with how this will affect current wireless mic users? Very few VHF mics are made any longer, and those that were suffered from major quality issues.

1) There are a lot of current wireless mic/iem users with VHF systems.
2) The only quality issues were with cheap junk like Nady and other low end stuff--there were plenty of VHF systems that worked great and that info can be found online.
3. There is no difference in sound quality between 20-20Khz audio carried on a VHF or UHF frequency using the same carrier method.
4. There are a lot of high quality used VHF systems that can be bought cheap...the fact that they work just as good as UHF and are virtually safe from FCC meddling might make them a good choice for someone looking for wireless on a budget right now.

I'm sure there are other good reasons, but the biggest one is that

I FELT LIKE POSTING IT...SO WTF DID YOUR REPLY HAVE TO DO WITH HOW THIS WILL AFFECT CURRENT OR PROSPECTIVE WIRELESS MIC USERS?

[LHSL]

It is doubtful that VHF frequencies will have a problem*. VHF band TV usage is all but abandoned since the changeover to DTV. 99% of stations that broadcast analog on VHF are now using UHF bands for their DTV signals. VHF is now wide open and should be of little use to government or new technologies.

*This is assuming that no high-level FCC bureaucrats have two-digit IQs.

What does this have to do with how this will affect current wireless mic users? Very few VHF mics are made any longer, and those that were suffered from major quality issues.

1) There are a lot of current wireless mic/iem users with VHF systems.

And that is the point of the safe harbor channels, and why I mentioned them. They will *not* have a problem because of this, not because of the lack of use by TV stations. Had they not created the safe harbor, VHF mics would be succeptible to interferrence from the new wifi TVBDs.

2) The only quality issues were with cheap junk like Nady and other low end stuff--there were plenty of VHF systems that worked great and that info can be found online.

Very few if any VHF systems were capable of tuning to multiple frequecies nor did they have tone squelch systems to auto mute the mics on loss of RF. This pretty much makes them useless in a modern RF environment.

3. There is no difference in sound quality between 20-20Khz audio carried on a VHF or UHF frequency using the same carrier method.

I never claimed that there was.

4. There are a lot of high quality used VHF systems that can be bought cheap...the fact that they work just as good as UHF and are virtually safe from FCC meddling might make them a good choice for someone looking for wireless on a budget right now.

Again, do to the lack of varible frequency and tone squelch in most of the older units, I think they don't work as good as modern UHF units. Just because the VHF band is more free from interference doesn't make buying old VHF units a good choice.

Other problems with VHF wireless is that the antennas must be much longer than equivalent UHF systems to achive the same SWVR, which makes good transmission from a bodypack troublesome.

The performance of VHF systems from yesteryear (and I'm not referring to Nady, I'm talking top of the line (Shure, Senny, and A-T stuff) pales in comparison to cheap modern UHF systems. And currently, no professional level VHF gear is being made.

I'm sure there are other good reasons, but the biggest one is that

I FELT LIKE POSTING IT...SO WTF DID YOUR REPLY HAVE TO DO WITH HOW THIS WILL AFFECT CURRENT OR PROSPECTIVE WIRELESS MIC USERS?

I felt that your post was misleading, and having had to deal with 20 year old VHF systems in the past, I'd like to not deal with them in the future.