Q
We do not have the money to move to narrowband. Isnt this
an unfunded mandate?
A Not really.
This has been coming since 1997, and the 2012 deadline was issued
in 2004.
Eight years for equipment with a five year life cycle was
considered plenty. Most agencies will have
fully amortized the value of their current equipment by the time
the mandates kick in.
Q
Do we need to change our FCC license?
A Probably. Unless
you already have the narrowband emission designator on your
license, you will need to amend your FCC license to include
narrowband emission designators. Existing wideband designators
will simply evaporate after Dec. 31st, 2012. New coordination will
not be required.
Q
Will we need to change frequencies?
A - No!
. You merely reduce the bandwidth of the channel(s) you are using
now.
Q -
Will we have to buy new radios?
A - That depends.
Most radios purchased in the last 6-8 years are already narrowband
capable. They only need to be re-programmed.
Q -
Are we forced to move to 800 MHz?
A - No!
Narrowbanding does not require moving to another frequency band.
Q
Will we have to convert to digital?
A No!
However, many agencies are using this opportunity to upgrade to
digital technology. Most digital radios are dual mode
capable and can operate in wide band analog as well as narrowband
analog and digital. Digital is also more immune from
adjacent channel interference and includes features unavailable in
analog.
Q
Will that reduce our coverage?
A Probably not.
You may have to survey your system and area of operation. Only a
thorough analysis of your coverage requirements can tell for sure.
Q
What do we do with our old equipment?
A First, make sure
that it cannot transmit in wideband mode. If it cannot transmit in
FCC-approved narrowband, they're worth about 25 cents per pound.
Nobody in the USA can use them for transmitting. You may be able
to use them in receive only applications, but that depends on the
individual radio. Once again, wideband transmit MUST be disabled!!
Q
Why not got ahead and convert to 6.25-Supernarrow now?
A That's something
you need to explore. Some users may not see an advantage, other
users and applications will not. Some presently available "6.25
equivalent" radios aren't really 6.25KHz and exploit a loophole in
the FCC rulemaking to allow proprietary systems, while others
(Icom, Kenwood, Ritron, etc.) presently build true 6.25KHz digital
radios. Analog is an industry standard, digital isn't yet.
