FCC bandplan for T-band?

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Voyager

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I recall seeing many years ago a T-band bandplan where certain frequencies in each segment were reserved for business or Public Safety, but I can no longer find any references to that. Is the entire T-band "first come - first served" now? Or does anyone have any link to the reserved channels?

The list I remember took for format:
.x375 business
.x625 Public Safety
(or something close to that)

Does that ring a bell with anyone?
 

radioman2001

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As far as I know T-Band is supposed to be extinct, you cannot license any thing on the band or make any changes to your existing license. Before the "D" block debacle most T-Band frequencies if not being used could be taken from the business allocation and assigned as P.S. exclusively with no other users allowed.
All I want to know is what the FCC is going to do with all the business licenses on T-Band not affected by the "D" Block rule. What compensation will I and others receive when they try and take back those frequencies.
 

nd5y

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Subpart L—Authorization in the Band 470-512 MHz (UHF-TV Sharing)

(1) Channel availability in the General Access Pool in any of the urbanized areas referred to in the table depends on whether that channel is presently assigned to one of the following categories of users:
(i) Public safety (as defined in §90.20(a));
(ii) Power and telephone maintenance licensees (as defined in §90.7);
(iii) Special industrial licensees (as defined in §90.7);
(iv) Business licensees (as defined in §90.35(a));
(v) Petroleum, forest products, and manufacturers licensees (as defined in §90.7);
(vi) Railroad, motor carrier, and automobile emergency licensees (as defined in §90.7); and
(vii) Taxicab licensees (as defined in §90.7).

(2) If assigned, subsequent authorizations will only be granted to users from the same category. If unassigned, or should a channel subsequently become unassigned, it will be treated as available in the General Access Pool.
 

Voyager

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Extinct? Hardly. In 5 years maybe.

But, it sounds like they made the entire band "first come - first serve" now. (and yes, Tom, I saw that earlier - hence my confusion)

Well, except for the fact they aren't serving any new folks anymore, of course.

Thanks, guys! :)
 

radioman2001

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Nearly extinct, I would say yes, no new licenses, and no modifications to existing. Yes in 5 years the FCC is supposed to pull all licenses for Public Safety. I guess we will see what happens to the thousands of business licensees on T-band all over the country. There is no place to put them if they take away T-Band. Going to be an interesting precedent if the do and don't give consideration to the old licensees, and putting them on already crowded 450-460 is not an option. I see major legal action coming over this, especially for P.S. on T-Band, the 700 band doesn't have enough bandwidth to make up the difference.
 

nd5y

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RKG

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Another embarrassing example of "Pass the bill, and (only) then find out what is in it."
 

Voyager

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I don't remember if the freeze is for everybody or just public safety. Several T band licenses in the Dallas Fort Worth area were modified in the past year or so.
Some even added new frequencies like this one:
ULS Application - Industrial/Business Pool, Trunked - 0006439657 - Self Radio Inc - Frequency Summary

Everybody. Modifications cannot extend coverage, but can change existing coverage specs - such as narrowbanding.

As for "extinct", those areas that use the T-Band are for the most part very active - as active as the other parts of the UHF band. It's not like everyone stopped using it when the freeze was initiated.
 

garys

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I expect that legislation to repeal the D block law will be filed in the upcoming Congress. A number of large urban areas (LA, NYC, great Boston) are heavily dependent on T band and have some political clout.

Whether the bill will be passed and signed into law is a different matter.
 

SCPD

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I'd imagine if business was to move you bet harris,/\/\, etc will gang on them to a digital format newer unit in whichever spectrum they go. Mototurbo, nxdn etc. It'll be interesting if another format came to play such as tetra.
 

SCPD

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I expect that legislation to repeal the D block law will be filed in the upcoming Congress. A number of large urban areas (LA, NYC, great Boston) are heavily dependent on T band and have some political clout.

Whether the bill will be passed and signed into law is a different matter.


This would be the sales man's pitch to push a dtrs onto those agencies saying there is plenty of room etc.
 

Voyager

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I'd imagine if business was to move you bet harris,/\/\, etc will gang on them to a digital format newer unit in whichever spectrum they go.

Yep. It's just like the narrowbanding mandate. The radio manufacturers are the only ones who made out in that deal.

So, who has more pull with congress? Motorola or New York City? Stay tuned.
 

radioman2001

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Exactly, no new licenses, and mods within already licensed specs permitted. I did the same thing prior to the bill signing, the FCC was happy to take my $460.00 to add P-25 TRBO and NXDN, but not coverage area changes, they were not permitted. I kick myself for not extending my coverage as others had before this all happened.
NYPD and NYC have considerable clout when it comes to Congress who controls the FCC. NYC sent a boat load of lawyers down to Congress after 911 to get the entire TV channel 17 (6mhz), and they got it. I am hoping that this will all be retracted and as a worst case scenario allow all existing users to continue until they move on their own or fail to renew. This was the case with some of the what was going to be VHF Maritime frequencies in 1968. Any other action or cancelling licenses for business will be a precedent and a dangerous one in my opinion.

Also where are you going to put them, 700 not really, 450-460 probably not as there is no room and you would have to kick other users off ( same issue) to give the T-Band users the exclusivity they had on T-Band.

What additional technologies are not already available today? P-25 Phase I is a waste, it is no more efficient than N.B. analog. TRBO was lucky to get approved as it is a quasi Ultra N.B. just like P-25 Phase II ( which is no longer mandated), NXDN I have played with, but as with all the digital formats I am not impressed with the audio qualities. I would love to try TETRA, but there is little chance of that.

As far as the radio manufacturers go they have been put on notice to NOT sell anything that is not truly compliant to P-25 ( including E buttons) or it won't be funded with Federal monies and most locals won't pay for updated systems themselves.
 
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