Narrow-banding..... :-(

[ka5lqj]

Well,

If it weren't bad enough that the F.C.C. is moving most Public Safety
agencies down to 700 amd maybe encrypting everybody, including the
dog catcher. Now, in January 2013, ALL VHF Hi-band (150-174mcs)
and the UHF Lo-band (406-512mcs) are now going to have to re-apply
for a narrow-band license (6.25kcs) and their radio system can no
longer transmit a normal 12.5kcs signal. If they do, they will be fined.

With the economy the way it is, it would just be cheaper to get cell
'phones, rather than pay Motorola obscene amounts of money.

For those of us who listen to Public Safety when a bad storm
is getting started, we will be in "the dark" as police units call in to
report storm progress.

I have my own 'ideas' about why they are moving down to 700 and
encrypt everything, but I'll keep the theories to myself. :evil:

I know that most of the North Louisiana parishes have gone to 700,
with the exception of Caddo. There, they just dropped 45mcs in
frequency, and kept the talk-groups the same numbers.

I hope everyone is doing well and in good spirits. The broken leg is
healing right along and in 10 days, I go back to the Orthopedic Dr, to
see if he will start letting me lightly put my foot down and then the
next step (no pun intended) is walking and working outside putting
up some ham radio antennas.

GOD BLESS,
73,
Don/KA5LQJ

 

[rattlerbb01]

Good luck with the rehab Don. I am moving out of Shreveport to San Antonio with the job next week. As you know, the Haynesville Shale is going dormant with the price of natural gas so ridiculously low, so we are chasing that oil work in south Texas. I'll miss a lot of things here, mainly the family living here in Shreveport's Broadmoor neighborhood, but not the thousands of P.O.S. drivers on the streets. Keep us up to date on the NWLA radio scene!

 

[techman210]

Well,

If it weren't bad enough that the F.C.C. is moving most Public Safety
agencies down to 700 amd maybe encrypting everybody, including the
dog catcher. Now, in January 2013, ALL VHF Hi-band (150-174mcs)
and the UHF Lo-band (406-512mcs) are now going to have to re-apply
for a narrow-band license (6.25kcs) and their radio system can no
longer transmit a normal 12.5kcs signal. If they do, they will be fined.

With the economy the way it is, it would just be cheaper to get cell
'phones, rather than pay Motorola obscene amounts of money.

Wow. There's a lot of disinformation out there.

First, there is no requirement to use the 700 MHz band. Rebanding efforts will require agencies to shift their radios within the 800 MHz band.

Second, there is no mandate to use 6.25 KHz bandwidth. Narrowbanding mandates 12.5 KHz bandwidth, or spectrally efficient modes in those bands. There are a few spot exceptions in these bands, NOAA weather, MURS and I believe some of the 25 KHz GMRS channels will remain as they are... and of course the amateur radio bands are exempt.

http://transition.fcc.gov/pshs/public-safety-spectrum/narrowbanding.html

Third, digital radios are not mandated by anyone. If an agency is using federal grant money, the radios have to be P25 capable. It doesn't mean that any agency has to encrypt (though it will make it easier for them to do so, since they will have the necessary tools in-hand) or use P25 unencrypted.