800 freq

[gearhead401]

I was just brought on board as an LD at a theatre where the sound tech was fired, they asked me to look into their mic system that was just purchased. It is 800mhz to 820mhz i just wanted to make sure that this is ok to use? Someone had mentioned that this band was taken for LTE but I thought that was the 700 freq. I downloaded shure workbench and it says I'm fine between 807 and 819, I just wanted to see if anyone had any further information on this incase I shouldn't be using these mics. Thanks!

 

[FACTplayers]

The answer depends on your local restrictions. While everything in the 700 MHz band is illegal to operate in (between 698 MHz and 806 MHz), the 800 MHz band may be reserved for Public Safety. How recent was it purchased and what was the payment method? You may be able to return it and purchase something else. We use Discover for all purchases because it adds an extra 1 year warranty and allows us to return ANYTHING within 90 days).

Check out the links below.

800 MHz Public Safety Spectrum
Wireless Microphones | FCC.gov

 

[gearhead401]

As far as I am aware they were purchased April 2011. Where would I go to find out about if those channels are reserved for public safety? Could I simply just call my local police station? Would these conflicting frequencies for public safety show up in Shure Workbench?

 

[avkid]

It looks like the only active licenses for 800-820 mHz in Rhode Island belong to Nextel.

 

[gearhead401]

It looks like the only active licenses for 800-820 mHz in Rhode Island belong to Nextel.

So does this mean I should be fine?

 

[Stookeybrd]

As far as I am aware they were purchased April 2011. Where would I go to find out about if those channels are reserved for public safety? Could I simply just call my local police station?

The local police will likely not know their frequency licensing and usage to the extent that it will help you. Plus you may make someone more nervous than necessary that may lead to some problems. Give Jon Sweeny a call or email. He is the SBE coordinator for the entire state of Rhode Island and will get you squared away with frequencies.

 

[2mojo2]

You should be aware that Sprint/Nextel is in the process of re-engineering their systems to take advantage of the 800 band frequencies that were used for Nextel services.
You may find that frequencies unused today will be in use in the near future.
In addition to taking Stookeybrds excellent advice, you may wish to contact Sprint engineers.

 

[FMEng]

It would be interesting to know the make and model of the systems, and where they were purchased from. Given the odd frequency assignment, they may be models made for use in a different country. Ebay is notorious for allowing illegal stuff into the country. Do they have any markings to indicate they are FCC accepted/approved/certified?

 

[gearhead401]

They are SLX24's, I will be back in the space later this week to check for the FCC sticker. They were purchased online how ever at the moment I do not know from where. I did make a phone call to the FCC on Friday and was told that I would be fine as long as I stayed with in 807 and 819, but I thought I should get a second opinion

 

[museav]

There are two potential issues. One is that an unlicensed user you cannot interfere with licensed use. The other is that as an unlicensed and unregistered user you must deal with any interference from other users. The FCC is probably the best authority on what spectrum is protected for existing licensed users, but you still have no protection from other users.

800.100MHz to 819.900MHz appears to be the R5 band, which I believe was intended primarily for use in parts of Europe. You may be able to use it if you operate within the FCC's recommendations but in many cases the FCC banned sales of wireless microphone systems that not just operate completely within prohibited spectrum but also that can potentially operate within that spectrum, thus whoever sold it to someone in the US may have done so illegally.