Batboard

NYC Granted Significant Narrowbanding Waiver by FCC
Well, it looks like the FDNY VHF frequencies will be around for a while after all.

The FCC has granted the city a rather significant last minute waiver for numerous VHF and UHF frequencies used by FDNY, NYPD, DOC and DEP.


FDNY
- The VHF frequencies in the 153/154 MHz range were granted a two year waiver, with a new narrowbanding deadline of December 31, 2014.

- The UHF Subway frequencies (460.575 and 460.625) were granted an indefinite waiver, to run co-extensive with the general T-Band wavier the FCC issued in April 2012.

- All UHF MED channels were granted a two year wavier, with a December 31, 2014 narrowbanding deadline.


NYPD
- All non-T-Band UHF frequencies were granted an indefinite waiver, to run co-extensive with the general T-Band wavier the FCC issued in April 2012. These include all of the Tactical frequencies in the 460/465 MHz range, as well as three Parking Enforcement frequencies in the 453 MHz range.


DOC
- All VHF and non-T-Band UHF frequencies were granted a two year waiver, with a December 31, 2014 narrowbanding deadline.


DEC
- All non-T-Band UHF frequencies in the 451/453 MHz range were granted a four month wavier, with a May 1, 2013 narrowbanding deadline.


The full text of the waiver can be found here, in PDF format:

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_publi...-12-2078A1.pdf

Funny how those narrowband dates just sneak up on you, it realy takes a lot of nerve to have done nothing to comply up to this point then request a waver.


Now what are we going to do when the T Band goes away in less than 9 years ???

interesting precedent though. Will see if it spreads.
Alot of people around here apparently "didn't get that memo" about narrowbanding. Lots of 25th hour filings I've seen in the ULS.

I bet Chicago is next in line... I guess I was right....

Chicago gets 2 more years for VHF/UHF

http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Release ... 2079A1.pdf

When you pretty much "own" those freq's for years and many miles, there isn't too much to worry about from other licenses who know you have the "lock" on them.

I know of some of the FDNY repeaters can be heard for a great distance, but very few "reuse" in the immediate areas. Most band coniditions filter out the distance they reach into CT and NJ at times..but with the good sites they have - I've heard them in the truck as far as Durham NC and northern NH. Hell we had an old Relm scanner at the PD (behind two cinder block walls with a telescoping antenna) for two days when the band was wide open...and we were 100mi+ away.

Yeah it's cool, Gary...go right ahead and copy my entire post from RR word for word without linking to it or typing anything yourself except for the thread title. I don't mind, really.

http://forums.radioreference.com/new-yo ... r-fcc.html

res6cue wrote:Yeah it's cool, Gary...go right ahead and copy my entire post from RR word for word without linking to it or typing anything yourself except for the thread title. I don't mind, really.

http://forums.radioreference.com/new-yo ... r-fcc.html

Actually, my friend Al, KD4KNV e-mailed me the article. I have no idea where he got it from, so I'll give the credit to Al. All I did was copy & paste his e-mail to me, here. GARY

N4KVE wrote:Actually, my friend Al, KD4KNV e-mailed me the article. I have no idea where he got it from, so I'll give the credit to Al. All I did was copy & paste his e-mail to me, here. GARY

Well then I owe you a sincere apology, sir. I knew I should've just kept my mouth shut.

Welcome to the interwebs

So, anyone else major applied to the FCC that we are aware of or will this pretty much be it (not that there is a bunch of time left...)

Pj wrote:Welcome to the interwebs

So, anyone else major applied to the FCC that we are aware of or will this pretty much be it (not that there is a bunch of time left...)

NY, Chicago and Philly were the three "last minute" waivers issued, all on Dec 26th. I wonder if any are still in the pipeline that might be released today or in the near future, or if the FCC is really intent on slamming that door shut come midnight tonight. Of course a few metro areas dodged a bullet when the FCC issued a blanket narrowbanding waiver for T-Band back in April.

Incidentally, I know of at least one narrowbanding waiver that was issued but was never posted to the FCC's site. I'm not certain why they wouldn't have posted it, and it makes me wonder how many minor to moderate narrowbanding waivers may've been issued without any fanfare or public notice.

A local provider of LTR service got a 6 month waiver for their systems. Including a bunch of <470MHz freqs.

from what i can tell. Amtrak and MNCR is still running wideband so in middletown CT. this is just from me listening i am not sure if they went narrow band i never reprogrammed my XPR550 maybe the radio in RX sound normal

just kinda of Pissed i went thrue the number it cost me over 10k to bring my customers up (7400 for my trbo rpt)

KitN1MCC wrote:from what i can tell. Amtrak and MNCR is still running wideband so in middletown CT. this is just from me listening i am not sure if they went narrow band i never reprogrammed my XPR550 maybe the radio in RX sound normal

just kinda of Pissed i went thrue the number it cost me over 10k to bring my customers up (7400 for my trbo rpt)

Most railroads (especially the bigger names) went to Narrowband even as far back as 2011. I think all class I freight railroads were running NB by mid 2012. There was a website which showed the transition dates on each railroad's various lines. Since everyone around me went narrow long ago, I deleted it, but it was an AAR site as I recall.

-Josh

well as of today Amtrak made the Switch as well MNCR i think they let it go a day due to being a holiday. sounds like middletown pd still wide

Pj wrote:So, anyone else major applied to the FCC that we are aware of or will this pretty much be it (not that there is a bunch of time left...)

City of Houston was supposed to have applied for their legacy UHF systems, but I haven't seen the text. Dallas is already narrowband, and every other major metro area in the state is trunked.

Your guys at UP need to get on the ball down here. A lot of the defect detectors are still firing off in wideband, as are at least half of the handhelds. KCS, BNSF, and PTRA completed months ago.

They did a mass reprogramming up my area and the loco JEM radios will now only go to narrowband that they have touched... so if you enter 2424 or 24 it will automatically go to the 024 channels.

Yeah, quite a few transmitters around the Northwest are still wideband. I haven't checked within the last month but a few of the signal telemetry transmitters are still wideband; I know because I have the gain cranked on my audio (still receiving it with a Maxtrac) and every once in a while I'll get one that slams me. A number of portables and a few locomotive radios are still wideband. Probably dropping fast as they come in the shops for their 92-day inspections.

I do volunteer radio work for the Mt Rainier Scenic Railroad and I've moved all their portables (HT1000) as well as all the locomotive radios that are capable to narrowband. Only a few locomotives have old radios but they're not currently in service. When they come back in service they'll get changed out with M1225's or similar.

Just curious , was there anyone who actually thought that NYC was NOT going to file for an extension?