On The Other Hand
Part 15 users – presuming they have their FRN – will go to the FCC’s registration request web page no sooner than 30 days prior to the event and enter in the appropriate information, similar to that of the licensed user.
Aside from the certification, the other difference is that whatever number of channels is requested at this stage will be the limit when registering in the database, although which channels are to be reserved can be changed, as well as the schedule.
Again, it’s important for unlicensed users (and licensed users for that matter) not to “play it safe” and warehouse spectrum when registering. At some point, random audits will be performed and if it’s found that repeated abuse of the registration process has occurred, the individual or organization could find itself barred from future registrations.
Worse yet, if rampant abuse is found, that could result in a wholesale rethinking by the FCC about the rather generous protections it carved out for unlicensed wireless mic users from other Part 15 [TV band] devices.
In the end, it’s not only the FCC that afforded some meaningful measures of protections for wireless production equipment, but so too have many of the database administrators expressed apparently sincere desires to make the registration process as simple and effective as possible for wireless mic users.
They didn’t before, but many of them now do “get it” for the most part and understand that wireless mics, intercoms, IEMs and IFB are as crucial to the content creation machine as cameras and actors, and the delivery mechanism that is the internet.
Links For More Info
Geo-Location TVBD Database Administrators
ComSearch
Key Bridge
Spectrum Bridge
Telcordia
Links To TVBD Hardware
Carlson Wireless
KTS Wireless
Neul Ltd.
FCC
FCC Registration Number (FRN)
TVBD Database Adminstrators Information
Henry Cohen is president and senior RF engineer/consultant at Production Radio Rentals. His work with several types of radio frequency equipment and in professional audio spans more than 30 years.