NarrowBanding - Actual

[Scitnor]

Would anyone know of manuals or maybe a web-site devoted to "How To..." scenarios when it comes to the actual narrowbanding task procedures on any given radio, repeater, etc., etc. ?

The numerous owners manuals and guides I've accumulated for what inventory we have does not address the procedure of narrowbanding the respective radio, etc.

Just guessing at this point, but would the respective programming disk/software guide one through the task?

 

[SteveC0625]

If the radio is narrowband compliant, it is usually a simple matter of changing the bandwith in the programming software for the personality and then rewriting to the radio.

However, it is also a good idea to have a tech examine the radio to make sure it is meeting the NB specs.

 

[davidgcet]

so long as the frequency does not change on a repeater* AND the unit is operating within specs, then yes it is a simple reprogram to tell it to go from W to N. you also have to file a license mod with the FCC to add the proper emission designator to each frequency/location on your license.

if the radios have not been serviced in a while it is best to let a pro do them and get them within spec. a radio that seems ok on WB may exhibit poor range on NB due to being several Khz off freq or because of RX issues.

if you do get a pro to do your radios, shop it around. i have heard of some shops charging more to "convert" a radio to NB than the radio is worth. Had a guy tell me a shop quoted him 200.00 a unit to change his M1225s over and then another 400.00 to modify his license! i WISH i could get away with charging like that, but my customer have more sense than money.

*Edit for clarification: you do not have to change freqs to go NB, but IF you do then any repeater would need the duplexer/combiner(depending on how the system is setup) retuned to the new freqs. a simple NB conversion is nothing more than a software setting on NB compliant radios and requires no more work than does changing a channel name in the radio.

 

[W2NJS]

Had a guy tell me a shop quoted him 200.00 a unit to change his M1225s over and then another 400.00 to modify his license! i WISH i could get away with charging like that, but my customer have more sense than money.

That dealer should lose his franchise. Anyone who would tell a person that an NB-capable radio needs to be converted is a crook, period.

To answer PART of the OP's question, the current generation of Motorola portables automatically go to NB operation on both receive and transmit when you set the transmit bandwidth to 12.5 kHz in the FPP or when writing with the CPS.

 

[Scitnor]

Retail - NarrowBanding

With the NarrowBanding mandate looming, are you aware if retail establishments such as McDonalds, Burger King, etc. will need to narrowband their Drive-thru radio equipment?

 

[SteveC0625]

With the NarrowBanding mandate looming, are you aware if retail establishments such as McDonalds, Burger King, etc. will need to narrowband their Drive-thru radio equipment?

If they fall in the 150-174 or 421-512 MHz range and are governed by Part 90 of the FCC rules, they generally fall under the mandate requirements.

If there is an FCC license for a particular store, you will want to look it for more information.

 

[W2NJS]

Many of the fast food comm systems are digital, so they're narrowband already. The ones that are not digital may be narrowband already as well, but the ones that are not will have to have work done, and their licenses modified, to comply with the new regs.

 

[KG4INW]

Many of them are also on MURS ch. 4 or 5 which is exempt from NB (but narrow's certainly allowed).

 

[kb4mdz]

Somebody like that should be outted to the industry & public.

Had a guy tell me a shop quoted him 200.00 a unit to change his M1225s over and then another 400.00 to modify his license! i WISH i could get away with charging like that, but my customer have more sense than money.

That dealer should lose his franchise. Anyone who would tell a person that an NB-capable radio needs to be converted is a crook, period.

To answer PART of the OP's question, the current generation of Motorola portables automatically go to NB operation on both receive and transmit when you set the transmit bandwidth to 12.5 kHz in the FPP or when writing with the CPS.

 

[trlrdrdave]

I disagree with that. Depending on how many m1225s need reprogramming $200 might be reasonable. $400 to do the paperwork for the license may be a tad high but is reasonable.

 

[radioman2001]

$400.00 to do a couple of clicks on the computer!! You don't need co-ordination again, just log onto the FCC website and in a few minuites you are done. Even $200.00 for radio reprograming which is a simple point and click is way over priced, no wonder everyone wants to do their own programming, and I don't blame them. Wish I could get that on my job, I already reprogrammed about 1000 radios.

 

[SteveC0625]

I disagree with that. Depending on how many m1225s need reprogramming $200 might be reasonable. $400 to do the paperwork for the license may be a tad high but is reasonable.

$200 PER unit, not a flat fee for the entire group of radios.

$400 to file an emissions only mod? No way, even with filing fees included for the typical business licensee.

 

[kb4mdz]

$200 per radio, an M1225?, for a radio that's max 24 channels? Maybe, maybe for a 1-of; service call/drive time, etc, it might work out to that, but for a fleet situation? Esp. if you develop a template of some sort; make sure you've got all your freqs & pl's correct, & shoot it in.

$400.00 to modify a license is a little steep, IMHO, if you're a regular customer of that shop. Lots of shops do licensing as a pass-thru cost; no or little markup. It's called servicing your customer, not &(&@&#% them over.

 

[trlrdrdave]

Yea I missed the $200 per unit, that is way out of line. An emissions mod. may be a few clicks on the fcc web site to yopu but some people would never get it right and rather pay someone to do it. And like I said $400 is a little steep but you got to keep the lights on. $200 per unit, Dang that would be good work if you could get it!! Bet he dont get many at that price.

 

[WA0CBW]

Well....Most of our narrowbanding business comes from people who have tried to narrowband online but had their application rejected by the FCC and sent back to be re-coordinated. The FCC charges $60 for making a modification to your license (such as narrowbanding) but if it has to go back to the coordinators they will charge $200-$400.

Now for the $200 to program a narrowband capable radio to narrowband, there must be more to the story. I have not heard of anyone charging that much so there must be more going on here than what we see.

BB

 

[kb4mdz]

Oh, no problem with a fair charge to try to repair what someone else has munged up... esp. if they did it themselves. Yeah, I can see the coordinator's charge, but again, just pass it along.

This is also argument for having a regular relationship with a radio shop. Steady repeat customers get priority; walk-ins on an as-available basis.

Well....Most of our narrowbanding business comes from people who have tried to narrowband online but had their application rejected by the FCC and sent back to be re-coordinated. The FCC charges $60 for making a modification to your license (such as narrowbanding) but if it has to go back to the coordinators they will charge $200-$400.

Now for the $200 to program a narrowband capable radio to narrowband, there must be more to the story. I have not heard of anyone charging that much so there must be more going on here than what we see.
BB

True, I would like to see the justification for $200 per radio for a few keystrokes. So much depends on the complexity involved. A 16 channel radio, with just a few changes? Should be pretty cheap. But multiple channels ( over 16? over 20? what level?) and multiple trunked systems? That's a horse of a different color -