200MHz?

Please feel free to move this if it's in the wrong place.

What is the 218-219 band used for? Someone is selling a radio in that band but since I didn't want to hijack his thread I figured I'd ask here. I ran a ULS search and its a bunch of businesses, but nothing specficially jumps out at me as an actual use.

From the FCC Web site:
FCC: Wireless Services: 218-219 MHz Radio Service: 218-219 MHz Home

218-219 MHz Radio Service

The 218-219 MHz Service 1 is a short-distance communication service designed for licensees to transmit information, product, and service offerings to subscribers and receive interactive responses within a specified service area. Mobile operation is permitted. Rules permit both common carrier and private operations, as well as one- and two-way communications. Potential applications include ordering goods or services offered by television services, viewer polling, remote meter reading, vending inventory control, and cable television theft deterrence.
Although new rules are designed to allow licensees the maximum flexibility to structure services to meet market demand, the 218-219 MHz band is insufficient for the transmission of conventional full-motion video. 218-219 MHz Service channels may also be unable to support proposed operations that require large amounts of spectrum, including certain video, voice, and advanced data applications.

Systems
The components of each 218-129 MHz system are its administrative apparatus, its response transmitter units (RTUs), and one or more cell transmitter stations (CTSs). RTUs may be used in any location within the service area. CTSs provide service from a fixed point, and certain CTSs must be licensed as part of a 218-219 MHz service (see 47 CFR 95.811).

Licensing
The FCC issued eighteen Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) licenses by lottery in 1993 and conducted an auction for the remaining MSA licenses in 1994. No Rural Statistical Area (RSA) licenses have been issued to date, and no date has been set for auction. Read more about the 218-219 MHz Radio Service licensing process and licensee selection rules.

1. Until September 15, 1998, the 218-219 MHz Service was known as the Interactive Video and Data Service, or "IVDS." Many Commission documents still refer to the 218-219 MHz Service by its former name, and the term "IVDS" is still commonly used in reference to this service.

So, I guess basically it's a broadcasting radio band

CommJunkie said:

Please feel free to move this if it's in the wrong place.

What is the 218-219 band used for? Someone is selling a radio in that band but since I didn't want to hijack his thread I figured I'd ask here. I ran a ULS search and its a bunch of businesses, but nothing specficially jumps out at me as an actual use.

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Amateurs are still secondary for digital forwarding on the 219 mhz portion. But there are some hoops you have to jump thru before you set up a station.

KF4UWL

Part 97 rules for 219 mhz band

l) In the 219-220 MHz segment:

(1) Use is restricted to amateur stations participating as forwarding stations in fixed point-to-point digital message forwarding systems, including intercity packet backbone networks. It is not available for other purposes.

(2) Amateur stations must not cause harmful interference to, and must accept interference from, stations authorized by:

(i) The FCC in the Automated Maritime Telecommunications System (AMTS), the 218-219 MHz Service, and the 220 MHz Service, and television stations broadcasting on channels 11 and 13; and

(ii) Other nations in the fixed and maritime mobile services.

(3) No amateur station may transmit unless the licensee has given written notification of the station's specific geographic location for such transmissions in order to be incorporated into a database that has been made available to the public. The notification must be given at least 30 days prior to making such transmissions. The notification must be given to: The American Radio Relay League, Inc., 225 Main Street, Newington, CT 06111-1494.

(4) No amateur station may transmit from a location that is within 640 km of an AMTS coast station that operates in the 217-218 MHz and 219-220 MHz bands unless the amateur station licensee has given written notification of the station's specific geographic location for such transmissions to the AMTS licensee. The notification must be given at least 30 days prior to making such transmissions. The location of AMTS coast stations using the 217-218/219-220 MHz channels may be obtained as noted in paragraph (l)(3) of this section.

(5) No amateur station may transmit from a location that is within 80 km of an AMTS coast station that uses frequencies in the 217-218 MHz and 219-220 MHz bands unless that amateur station licensee holds written approval from that AMTS licensee. The location of AMTS coast stations using the 217-218/219-220 MHz channels may be obtained as noted in paragraph (l)(3) of this section.

The 219-220 MHz portion of the AMTS band is used for base/repeater input. The 216-217 MHz band is for base/repeater output. There are AMTS base/repeater stations licensed all over the USA. When doing a license search, you MUST search the 216-217 MHz band, as the FCC licenses the transmitter frequency. The mobile transmit frequency is licensed by rule, to the associated receive frequency.

How do I know, well years ago I operated the largest AMTS system in the USA.

Are there any devices in the current market to transmit and receive 218-219 MHz band?

venkata0007 said:

Are there any devices in the current market to transmit and receive 218-219 MHz band?

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Probably. You could look on the FCC OET equipment authorization search page for devices certified under part 95 that operate on 218-219 MHz.

I want to say I’ve seen a CDM1250 in that band?
I’ve also seen the CDM in 700mhz analog. It’d be interesting to see who’s operating on the band in nyc.


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Priority-One said:

I want to say I’ve seen a CDM1250 in that band?

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Yes, there were.
There are various marine (Part 80) and part 90 frequency allocations from 216MHz - 222MHz.
The AMTS (Automated Marine Telecommunications Service) is 217-220MHz. Voice and Data radio service in the USA.

There's a 220MHz CDM on E-bay right now.

With some hex editing, it's possible to put them on the 222MHz amateur band.

Priority-One said:

I’ve also seen the CDM in 700mhz analog. It’d be interesting to see who’s operating on the band in nyc.

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Yeah, not sure where those were used. I've never been able to find much information on them.
The 700MHz version were 746MHz to 794MHz, I believe. Not usable now since it's all P25.

I seem to recall a company named Mobitex (Mobitel?) tried to get a Passport based LTR system off the ground in the early 2000's. They used Pro Series CDM/HT equipment in the 218 MHz band, and it was even in the standard Motorola price pages for a period of time.

I think they had some spectrum from the IVDS auctions - and also some AMTS Marine channels they were trying to merge together?

Might be Mobitel. Mobitex was an old data network standard developed in Sweden.

Hello,

It is likely Mobex. I do not know if the system is still active.
https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=3185

The Boston area also had a multi-site Passport LTR system in the mid-2000s on 217 MHz and 220 MHz. It only lasted for a few years.

73 Eric

I have ht1250LS+ ht's and CDM1250 MOBILES which were originally on the 216MHz FM COMMERCIAL band and with one python file and chirp along with pro cps and no hardware mods they are now operating happily on the 222-225 ham band.

Notice I say no hardware mods, early on with motorola 220 equipment some hams made conversion to ham bands overly complicated assuming that IF filter changes were required.

I never performed a IF FILTER MOD and my mobiles and HT'S operate fine on local 25KHz HAM REPEATERS.

The ht and cdm series are without a doubt the best 220 ham radios I have used.