Countdown to Mandatory Narrowbanding

This is the countdown to the
"Drop Dead Date" after which many radios will
become ILLEGAL to use.

You have less than one budget cycle left.  Are you planning ahead?

Narrowbanding???

Most 2-way radio licenses in the 150 ~ 160 MHz VHF Band and the 450 ~ 470 MHz UHF band are wideband licenses.  Most local users are VHF but the narrowbanding process is the same for both bands. So since the math is harder for VHF with its 15 KHz spaced channels I’ll use the UHF 25 KHz spaced channels as an example.

Picture all these numbers as street addresses. You were licensed on a center radio frequency, with a front door address of 460.0000 MHz, but are allowed to have a yard that stretches from 459.9875 to 460.0125, which if my math is correct totals 25 KHz (.0250 MHz) of bandwidth.   When you talk, your transmitter changes its frequency slightly higher and lower to send your voice over the air (frequency modulation, or 'FM'), but most of your radio energy all stays between the edge frequencies, stays in your yard, and all is right in the world.

Right now you have a wide band radio neighbor living to your left at 459.9750 (occupying 459.9625 to 459.9875) and another on the right at 460.0250 (occupying 460.0125 to 460.0375). You probably didn’t know they were there.  They are.

Narrowbanding puts your radios on a diet: instead of having 25 KHz of bandwidth, you have to skinny down by half to 12.5 KHz, can only change the carrier frequency up and down half as much to send your voice, and must now keep all your energy between 459.993750 and 460.006250 MHz. Your yard just got narrowed.

Older (pre-1997 or wideband-only) radios can’t be that precise, nor can they decipher a ripple that used to be a wave, and can’t be modified to do so. Its radio replacement time.

Your neighbors also got narrowed up. The empty spaces between the ‘old’ 25 KHz channels now become ‘new’ 12.5 KHz channels for new users. And believe me, we need more channels.

While the old neighbors are still there at 459.9750 and 460.0250 MHz, you will have new neighbors moving into the ‘new’ channels centered on what used to be the edges of your yard, with front doors at 459.98750 and 460.01250 MHz.  If you don’t go narrowband they probably won’t bother you much. But if the edges of your wide-band transmission still go to 459.98750 and 460.01250 (half way across their yard and right at their new front door) your signal will womp all over them.

I used UHF as an example because each channel is 25KHz apart and the math is simpler. BUT, it gets worse! In VHF 150 ~ 160 MHz, all the bandwidths are still 25 or 12.5 KHz, but the channels are only 15KHz apart instead of the 25KHz used in UHF. Even now with wide-band radios, part of your signal spills into both original adjoining properties. After the required date, if you persist in transmitting in wide mode on a VHF frequency , the edge of your signal won't just cover half of your new narrowband VHF neighbor's yard, it will go almost all the way across, making you a much louder, noisy neighbor.

They WILL complain to the FCC. And the FCC, not you, will win out at an unpleasant and expensive legal action where on the advise of council you will answer all questions with a very simple “No, Your Honor”, “Yes, Your Honor” and “Who do I make the checks payable to, Your Honor?”.

Questions?   Read on.

1.      What is mandatory narrowbanding?

a.      The FCC is requiring licenses in the private land mobile Part 90 VHF (150-174 MHz) and UHF (421-430 MHz and 450 – 512 MHz) bands to operate on channel bandwidths of 12.5 kHz or less on or before January 1, 2013.

b.      Any radio equipment that is not capable of operating on channels of 12.5 kHz or less will need to be replaced and CANNOT be used for transmission.

c.      This mandate is not new; the FCC handed down its final decision and schedule in 2003. That’s ten years ago for equipment that normally has a five-year life cycle.
 

2.      Narrowbanding Myths.

·         Myth #1 – Licensees must switch to digital equipment.

a.      You do NOT have to convert anything to digital. While there may be advantages to switching to digital-capable equipment, there is no FCC requirement to ‘go digital’ or change radio frequencies as part of the narrowbanding process.

b.      There may be coverage issues that could be improved with digital operation, so each agency should consider and evaluate digital operations when planning for narrowbanding.
 

·         Myth #2 – Each licensee will end up with twice as many channels.

a.      No. The FCC will have twice as many channels, not you.

b.      The good news is that if you need to add additional channels to your system, it will be easier to get them.  The FCC will have twice as many channels to hand out.
 

·         Myth #3 – Failure to narrowband will result in secondary status.

a.      WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!!

b.      Failure to narrowband will be illegal, and users may have to go off the air, fight federal court battles, and pay fines and penalties.
 

3.      Remember: Changing over to narrowband is not optional.

a.      Licensees cannot ignore the FCC’s narrowbanding rules any more than they can ignore the IRS.

b.      Your existing wideband system will need to be modified or replaced by January 1, 2013, and failure to comply may result in serious consequences. See ‘Myth #3’, above.
 

4.      Requirements starting January 1, 2011.

a.      Licensees can no longer apply for new or modification Part 90 license applications that exceed 12.5 kHz or equivalent efficiency.

b.      Single-mode and multi-mode Part 90 transmitters that operate at an efficiency mode exceeding 12.5 kHz per voice path can no longer be manufactured in or imported into the United States.
 

5.      Requirements starting January 1, 2013.

a.      Licensees can no longer have Part 90 licenses or transmit using equipment that exceeds 12.5 kHz or equivalent efficiency.
 

6.      Interference may occur.

a.      Although not impossible, narrowband and wideband radios will not play well together. Your system should be all one or the other.

b.      Adjacent channel protection may not be quite as good as before because even more new users will be moving into the new channels.

c.      Prior to January 1, 2013, your operations on wideband equipment may become subject to interference from new adjacent narrowband channel users and systems, and visa-versa.

d.      Right now, and especially after January 1, 2013, your continued wideband operations WILL interfere with users on the two new channels created by narrowing up your authorized bandwidth.  See ‘Myth #3’, above.
 

7.      Your transition may be gradual, over the next year or so.

a.      Nearly all radio equipment purchased after about 2003 is capable of operating on both wide- and narrow-band. Switching is usually a simple radio programming change. 

b.      You may make the transition over a period of time by purchasing and installing ‘dual band” equipment (equipment that operates in both 25 kHz and 12.5 kHz bandwidth modes).

c.      Dual band equipment can operate on your old 25 kHz for the time being, and when you are fully prepared (and before 1/1/2013) it can be easily switched to 12.5 kHz bandwidth.

d.      You do not have to wait; you can switch your operations to narrowband now, or when all your equipment can do so.  In fact, nearly all new licenses are narrowband; many of those licenses already occupy ‘new’ channels in between existing wide-band licenses.

e.      Do not wait until the last few months. Everyone in the communications industry agrees that the last half of 2012 will be a very busy one.
 

8.      Are there any exceptions to the narrowbanding requirement? 

a.      Short answer: THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS!  The only exception is that two specific “paging only” channels are not subject to the FCC’s narrowbanding requirements.

b.      In the public safety radio pool, only the 152.0075 MHz and 157.450 MHz channels are designated as “paging only”. If you do not conduct paging operations on these two specific channels,  the exception does not apply to you.
 

9.      Buyer Beware.

a.      Radio frequency energy is radio frequency energy, regardless of mode. Existing antennas, duplexers and other similar RF items will work fine in either mode, but repeater duplexers or notch filters might require a bit of ‘tweeking’, and older weather beaten antennas or coax may require maintenance unrelated to your narrowband conversion. There is no such thing as a special narrowband or digital antenna.

b.      You will be contacted by Internet and mail ‘vultures’ making claims that they are responsible for taking care of your narrowband transition.

          i.      You and you alone have this responsibility. No one has been 'assigned' to handle your transition.

                      ii.      At this time, the FCC will not contact you about your narrowband transition, other than sending informational bulletins or an official notice that your license is not in compliance.

                      iii.      Do not pay any ‘invoice’ from anyone other than your known regular local vendor, or bother with any correspondence that is not on genuine letterhead from the Federal Communications Commission, 445 12th Street SW, Washington, DC 20554.  You WILL be getting these bogus bills, if you haven't already.

                      iv.      Do not purchase the published FCC rules and regulations offered by some vendors as meeting the 'mandatory" FCC rules. The FCC has determined that Internet access to their rules satisfies all requirements.

c.      Equipment vendors may try to offer special pricing or ‘super deals’ for new or used equipment that is capable of operating only in a 25 kHz bandwidth mode. DO NOT BUY THIS EQUIPMENT. After January 1, 2013 transmitting with wideband mode will be illegal.
 

10.  Coverage problems.

a.      Narrowband doesn't have quite as much 'oomph' as wide band. Your operations may or may not be affected with reduced coverage, requiring additional transmitter sites or voting receivers. The degree will depend on each user’s geography and situation. There can be coverage improvements by switching to digital, but this is entirely at your option.

b.      Full service communications providers have the appropriate computer software to run simulated ‘what-if’ coverage maps for your system.  That information may be valuable in determining your conversion plan. Don't wait until the last minute to be surprised that your converted system doesn't work as well.
 

11.  Nobody will know if I do or don't.
 

        a.  Don't think that for a second. The users already on the new half-channel frequencies listen to you every day. Your wide-band radios probably can't hear them.  They can't wait for you to go narrowband so you stop interfering with them.

        b.  Think of it as a new noise ordinance. You wouldn't put up with your neighbor's loud stereo at 2AM, especially when all you have to is drop a dime and watch the authorities carry the noisy neighbor's stereo out of the house and slap them with a fine.  You don't want to be that noisy neighbor.
 

12.  This will get postponed, just like digital TV.

Postponed? Maybe one chance in 25, and then only for a short time.  Here's why:

a.      This isn't Grandma's TV, or TV's for every registered voter in the district.  This affects professional tools in a manner that was scheduled ten years ago.

b.      Government, in one form or another, has been offering grants, begging, pleading and warning about this for years. There is no "throw the switch day" so as much as half of all radio users are already on narrowband right now. The end is near.

c.      There are already thousands of users with new radio channels already licensed and using the half-channel narrowband-only slots. The existing wide band users clobber them on a daily basis.  If you were there, you'd be getting upset and writing your congressman about not delaying the final cut-off date. Who's going to get more attention, the procrastinators, or the folks who've moved ahead?

13.  How do I tell what equipment I have.

a.      IF you bought it in the past five years, and it wasn't sitting on the dealer's shelf long before that, all it should take is a simple programming change.

b.        If you have had it for more than ten years, it may be doomed.  And it's probably due for replacement anyway.

c.      If you have had it for less than ten years, but aren't sure if it can be reprogrammed ask any reputable radio dealer, preferably more than one dealer. If any dealer starts trying to sell you a whole new system because his new equipment isn't compatible with your almost-new really narrowband radios, find another dealer.

Planning Your Conversion to Narrowbanding

1.      First Steps

a.      Conduct a full inventory of all radios in your system – Include all hand held portables, vehicle mounted mobiles, consoles, base stations, repeaters, pagers, SCADA and wireless data radios.

b.      Note the make, model and serial number of each radio.

c.      Identify equipment that must be replaced.

                     i.      Your radio service vendor may provide assistance in determining which models are capable of being reprogrammed for narrowband operation and which radios need to be replaced.

                     ii.     Land mobile radios manufactured after 1997 should be narrowband ready. However, if you bought a 1996 model radio ‘new’ in 2002 you may be out of luck.

                     iii.    It is recommended that all radios in use be verified as being narrowband capable. This involves attaching a programming computer to the radio, and sometimes that can be problematic especially with older radios. If the computer can’t talk to the radio, it can’t be switched to narrowband.

                      v.    Initiate the process of budgeting for narrowband capable replacement radios just as soon as your inventory is complete.
 

2.      Develop a migration plan to strategically convert from wideband to narrowband.

a.      Your radio service vendor will need to be included in the planning process to ensure a smooth transition.

b.      This plan needs to establish a timetable as to how and when your agency will carry out the transition.

c.      The replacement and installation of any new equipment and the actual reprogramming of all radios in the system should be included in the plan.

d.      You should coordinate their conversions activities and plans with all surrounding agencies which have interoperability agreements with you.

 

3.      Modify your FCC Radio Station License.

a.      Before you can implement your narrowbanding you will need to apply to the FCC to modify your FCC license(s) in accordance with your new system specifications.

b.      In almost all cases, agencies will be operating on the same center operating frequencies being used for their existing wideband system. Only the width will change.

                     i.     Simply modify the FCC license to add the new narrowband emission designator (usually 11K0F3E).  Non-Government users will have to pay a $60.00 FCC modification fee to do so.

                     ii.    Now is the time to go ahead and add digital 11K2F2D, 8K10F1E, 6K00F2D and 4K00F1W emission designators also, even if you don’t plan on using them on a regular basis.

                     iii.   Inventory the real number of radios in your fleet, and make sure you have enough mobile authorizations for what you have now, and what you may have in five years.  The number seldom gets any smaller.  Include a few extra for mutual aid Memorandum of Understanding users. Update your license to reflect this new number.

                      iv.   Leave the existing 20K0F3E wideband designator in place, especially if your conversion will not take place right away. The FCC will make it evaporate January 1, 2013. Although technically illegal, nobody is going to complain about switching to narrowband before the paperwork is done. But remember, without modifying you license all wide-band emission authorizations will evaporate- if that's all you have, your license will be gone.

c.      Any other modifications to your system (operating power, antenna heights, or location changes) will require additional FCC fees and filings.

d.      Your radio service vendor or frequency coordinator may provide additional information on meeting the FCC license requirements.
 

4.      System implementation

a.      Once the FCC grants your application, you will generally have twelve months (but no later than January 1, 2013) in which to complete your narrowband migration.

b.      IF you add new frequencies (not just new emission designators) or add locations, the FCC rules require you submit a Notification of Construction on FCC Form 601, Schedule K within 15 days of expiration of your 12 month construction period.

From a recent ‘URGENT COMMUNICATIONS’ industry magazine article:

(At a recent) Association of Public Safety Communications Officials’ (APCO) winter technology summit… (an agency) official had expressed concern that his department wouldn’t be able to meet the Jan. 1, 2013, deadline set by the FCC for the migration of radio systems operating below 512 MHz to 12.5 kHz-wide channels (or equivalent), from the current 25 kHz-wide channels. The official also had expressed concern that the migration would have a negative impact on interoperability in his region, because his city is surrounded by much smaller entities that he believes will have a difficult time coming up with the money for the migration.

… The prevalent sentiment was, “too bad, so sad.” The FCC set the deadlines for this requirement back in 2003, so a decade should have been plenty of time to get the job done, and any public-safety agency that misses the deadline deserves to face enforcement action — as the FCC has insisted that it will do if a non-compliant system causes interference with an adjacent, compliant system…

(APCO’s Billy) Carter said one of the big problems is that narrowbanding isn’t a priority yet for many elected government officials, especially when they are struggling to maintain services — items their constituents view as inalienable rights — while property and sales tax revenues have plummeted.  … Until these officials make narrowbanding a priority, the money that is needed to execute the migration isn’t going to flow. In that regard, it doesn’t really matter how proactive a public-safety representative is about narrowbanding. 

Carter said this is especially true for smaller agencies, particularly those in rural communities. “How many rural agencies are going to be able to find the money to buy new radios?” he said. “Volunteer fire departments are holding pancake breakfasts just to be able to put gas into their trucks.”

Misperception is another problem that is looming large. Carter believes many public-safety communications officials are under the mistaken impression that all that needs to be done to bring radios and base stations into narrowband compliance is to swap out some of the internal components. But Carter told me that any radio manufactured before 2000 will have to be replaced, which would add a significant layer of complexity and cost to the project. He estimated that 10–15% of the rural agencies across the country will have such older equipment. Carter added that this is not a rural-exclusive problem, telling me of one agency in a major city in the Midwest — one he asked me not to divulge — that currently has 900-1,000 radios that must be replaced…

In the meantime, I’ll close by sharing one final thought from Carter, who doesn’t think the FCC will have the fortitude to force a public-safety agency that fails to meet the narrowbanding deadline to shut down its radio system. (While they will not change the mandated schedule,) (t)here will be threats and fines, sure, but none will be shut (completely) down, because of the liability exposure it would create for the federal government …

Which radios will, and which ones won't?

Manufacturer

Narrow Band ready by programming

Maybe, depending on model- see your radio professional

No, can't be used

Bendix-King

Icom
(Icom-America)

F121, F221  and -S suffix mobiles

F521, F651 mobiles

F11, F21 and -s suffix portables

F14, F24 and -s suffix portables

F50, F60 portables

F70, F80 portables

FR3000, FR4000, FR5000 and FR6000 repeaters and base stations

Any current or newer Icom radio model Fxxxx where 'xxxx' is a 4-digit number. (F5061, F4001, etc.)

F3, F4 portables

Kenwood

Older Portables:
'G' suffix models

Older Mobiles:
'G' suffix models

TK-260/270/278 (Non-'G' suffix)
TK-2100/3100

Midland
(Securcor)

Generally, any mobile with the 10-pin programming port behind a rubber plug on the RF deck.

Midland or Securcor 70-160 and 70-170 series portables

Motorola

Portables:
CP100, GP300, GP350, HT50, HT600, HT90, MT1000, P100, P110, P200, P50, P50+, SP50, Visar, Saber...

Mobiles:
GM300, M100, M120, M206, M214, M216, MARATRAC, MAXTRAC, MITREK, MOSTAR, SM120, SM50, SPECTRA CONVENTIONAL, SYNTOR, "ADAM-12 RADIOS" OR ANYTHING WITH TUBES.

Base Stations:
FLEXAR, MICOR, MOCOM, MSF5000

Relm

Vertex
(Vertex-Standard)

Portables:
VX-160 and VX-180
VX-210 series
VX-400 series
VX-410 series
VX-420 series
VX-510 series
VX-600 series
VX-800 series
VX-820 Series
VX-900 series

Mobiles:
VX-1000 mobile repeaters
VX-2000 series
VX-3000 series
VX-3200 series
VX-6000 series

Mobiles:
FTL-Series
FTH-Series

Others/Misc.

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This page was last updated 12/23/11