Wireless Mics

By: Tony Flammia

"The right to remain silent"

......was on the cover of one of the major Audio Mags for Worship centers. I don't know if its was scare tactic but it needed to be done. This topic is very important to House of Worship buildings and anyone using wireless mics.....surprisingly most everyone I talk to still has not heard of the issue.

Ok, here is the deal.....

Imagine you’re driving around listening to your stereo and your favorite song is on…your jamming out…. Looking around to make sure no one sees you singing into your tightly clenched fist…nothing but good times! Right at the best part you hear some static and then the song gets interrupted like your coming into a stronger signal, but you know for sure you’re not too far from the station…..why is this happening?

This is what is going to begin to happen after June 12^th 2009. If you’re wireless mics are running in the freq range of 698 to 806, you will be open to interruptions from other devices in that range. This wont happen suddenly...but over a period of time.

The Story behind the story....

The FCC is advocating for Digital TV vs analog due to the fact its better, and in short, the digital signal allows the FCC to tightly fit the channels one after another. Analog had to be spaced out.

So,…the frequencies from 698 to 806 has been auctioned off to the highest bidder . Why didn’t the wireless companies bid on it? Well, all the wireless companies together couldn't cover what it sold for. Even Google was out bid! 19 Billion dollars for those coveted white spaces.

So now that these freqs belong to others....mostly telecommunication companies, they will begin to produce devices that will use those freqs to go online. So at first, when we vacate the 698 to 806 spectrum, the whitespaces will be pretty clear. You may even notice your wireless working better! But, as the devices grow in numbers they will eventually take over.

FCC comes to the rescue.....

The Fcc did however make provisions for these telecommunication devices. Before the device uses a freq it has to check a database for the area being used to see if there are registered wireless devices in use. Anyone ever register anything with the FCC? I can only speculate fees and penaltys but I can see that coming.

Final Thought......
Bottom line....if your using a mic in the 698-806 range.....get rid of it. Its not lawful to continue to use these freqs. Its not what we all wanted to hear, but....what can you do? If I paid 19 Billion for clean airways I wouldent want anyone using them.

There is Hope......
Creative Sound Solutions, LLC is offering wireless units at cost to help those who were blindsided with this event.

www.creativesoundsolution.com
239-458-3408