As we got to about 2007, the information campaign ramped up. Manufacturers began shutting down US sales of 700 MHz wireless gear.
Owners of this equipment were prompted to sell it off or retire it since it would be become illegal to operate at some point (finally it was in June, 2010).
Manufacturers began offering rebate programs and service plans to help equipment owners, rental houses and users make the transition. In other words, it is safe to say that basically everyone in the industry knew that the volcano was going to explode, and we even knew when.
Most listened to this advice but many did not.
In December 2014 (3.5 years after the deadline to stop using 700 MHz equipment), I was on a panel at the IMFCON (Music and Film Festival conference) talking about the importance of frequency coordination.
Someone in the audience asked about a situation where all his wireless mics seemed to work fine until show time then they began taking strong interference. It turns out he was using 700 MHz equipment, and the LTE service in his area blew those mics off the air once all the people showed up with their smart phones.
RF Spectrum, Again
Now, we are again faced with another loss of spectrum, this time the band between 614 – 698 MHz – about 84 MHz worth.
What does this mean for all of us?
First, educate yourself on the issue by reading the various articles or attending the various workshops or panels on the subject. Then, plan accordingly. The bottom line is this: we will need to vacate this spectrum between now and 2020. The good news is that we have a little bit of time (about 3 years) to plan accordingly. The bad news is that this is really happening, and you and I can’t ignore it.
What can we do, exactly?
I would suggest retiring the oldest equipment that is in the 600 MHz band and replace it with gear down below 608 MHz. Next, I would suggest putting a broader replacement plan in place in preparation to sell off or re-tune (if applicable) any equipment that tunes anywhere between 608-698 MHz. Newer gear from the major manufacturers offers wider tuning bandwidth, better filtering and a host of other nice features to make our lives easier.
Same goes for other types of equipment, right along with our own personal levels of training and preparedness – don’t let old gear, old software or old ideas be the cause of some future problem.
Regardless of the specific issue at hand, we all need to stay on top of things that can or will affect us, even if it seems like they might be off in the future somewhere.
In other words, don’t get buried in the ash.