Title: Narrowbanding Update
1- Narrowbanding Update
- Time is Growing Short
- Bill Waugaman
- L. Robert Kimball Associates
2Why Narrowbanding?
- FCC Foresaw A Spectrum Shortage
- Mandated By The FCC.
- Began In 1992. - Also Known As Refarming.
- Allows Twice The Systems In The Same Spectrum.
(15 or 25 KHz Bandwidth Channel)
3What Narrowbanding Is
- Reduces channel spacing by 50
- Reduces the emission bandwidth of a radio by 50
from 20KHz to 11 KHz - Applies to VHF High Band (150-174 MHz) Systems
- Applies to UHF (420 to 512 MHz) systems
4What it Is Not
- Narrowbanding is not 800 MHz Rebanding
- Does not impact 800 MHz systems
- Does not impact 700 MHz Migration to spectrum
efficient technologies is already in the rules
and equipment is available. - Does not impact Low band VHF (30-50 MHz.) Systems
5Dates to Remember
- January 1, 2013 (Think December 31, 2012)
- ALL Systems Must Be Operating In The Narrow
Bandwidth Mode. - January 1, 2011
- No New Systems Will Be Licensed To Use Wide
Bandwidth. - No Existing Systems Using Wide Bandwidth Will Be
Allowed To Expand Their Licensed Footprint .
6VHF And UHF Impact
- Impact varies at VHF and UHF
- Current Frequency/Channel Spacing
- 15 KHz spacing at VHF
- 25 KHz spacing at UHF
- New channel spacing for narrowbanding
- 7.5 KHz for VHF
- 12.5 KHz for UHF
- Common to both
- Adjacent channels must all be narrow banded to
realize the benefit.
7Impact at VHF
- Current 15 KHz channel spacing
- Reduces channel spacing to 7.5 KHz.
- Reduces the radio emission to 11 KHz Bandwidth
- Reduces system audio deviation (Modulation) from
5 kHz to 2.5 kHz. (Half the bandwidth) - Planning is CRITICAL to reduce interference
8Existing VHF Systems Already a problem. Not
able to use adjacent channels at close distances.
WideBand
WideBand
WideBand
Overlap
Overlap
Adjacent channels
15KHz Channel Spacing
15KHz Channel Spacing
155.760
155.745
155.775
9Beginning Narrowbanding Narrowband channels not
usable until wideband users convert.
20KHz Bandwidth
20KHz Bandwidth
Wide Band
Wide Band
20KHz Bandwidth
Overlap
Overlap
Wide Band
ANALOG NARROWBAND
ANALOG NARROWBAND
7.5KHz Channel Spacing
11KHz Bandwidth
155.745
155.775
155.760
155.7525
155.7675
10After all convert to Narrowband
This represents analog voice with a 11KHz
necessary bandwidth
ANALOG NARROWBAND
ANALOG NARROWBAND
ANALOG NARROWBAND
ANALOG NARROWBAND
ANALOG NARROWBAND
7.5KHz Channel Spacing
11KHz Bandwidth
155.745
155.775
155.760
155.7525
155.7675
11Hate That VHF Overlap??Convert to Project 25
Digital
P25 with C4FM Modulation only requires 8.1KHz
Necessary Bandwidth
DIGITAL NARROWBAND
DIGITAL NARROWBAND
DIGITAL NARROWBAND
DIGITAL NARROWBAND
DIGITAL NARROWBAND
7.5KHz Channel Spacing
8.1KHz Bandwidth
155.745
155.775
155.760
155.7525
155.7675
12Impact at UHF
- Utilizes the former 12.5 kHz offset channels
for full power systems - Results in some adjacent channel interference.
coordination and mileage spacing issues until
everyone converts. - Reduces adjacent channel splatter
- Allows closer mileage spacing.
13Beginning Narrowbanding Narrowband channels not
usable until wideband users convert.
20KHz Bandwidth
20KHz Bandwidth
Wide Band
Wide Band
20KHz Bandwidth
Wide Band
ANALOG NARROWBAND
ANALOG NARROWBAND
12.5KHz Channel Spacing
11KHz Bandwidth
460.000
460.500
460.025
460.0125
460.0375
14 After all convert to Narrowband
This represents analog voice with a 11KHz
necessary bandwidth
ANALOG NARROWBAND
ANALOG NARROWBAND
ANALOG NARROWBAND
ANALOG NARROWBAND
ANALOG NARROWBAND
12.5KHz Channel Spacing
11 KHz Bandwidth
460.000
460.050
460.025
460.0125
460.0375
15P25 at UHF
P25 with C4FM Modulation only requires 8.1KHz
Necessary Bandwidth
DIGITAL NARROWBAND
DIGITAL NARROWBAND
DIGITAL NARROWBAND
DIGITAL NARROWBAND
DIGITAL NARROWBAND
12.5KHz Channel Spacing
8.1KHz Bandwidth
460.500
460.025
460.000
460.0125
460.0375
16Latest Actions
- Clarifications Of Third RO Issued By FCC
- NPSTC and LMCC Submit Suggested Action to Cancel
Licenses That Do Not Reflect Narrow Band
Emissions On January 1, 2008
17 18 19Educate Your Decision Makers
- Narrowbanding Will Be Expensive!
- Bring Them Into The Planning Process.
- No Last Minute Surprises.
- Only Three Budget Cycles Remain Until 1/1/2012
- No Grants Or Funding For Narrowbanding
20Start Planning Now
- Hire A Good Consultant
- Engage Your Equipment Vendor
- Get Your Service Shop On Board
- Talk To Your Mutual Aid Partners Neighbors
21Start Planning Now
- Inventory Your System What Needs Replaced?
- Plan Your Subscriber Radio Purchases
- Plan Your Infrastructure Purchases.
- Plan Your System Reconfiguration Upgrades.
- Plan For Risks Unintended Consequences
22Mobile Portable Considerations
- Any Radios Purchased Since 1998 Should Be Capable
Of Narrowband Operation And Software Programmable
For Narrowband Use. - Check With Your Equipment Supplier.
- Will The Radio Program to all the 7.5 MHz VHF
Frequencies? - Plan To Phase Out Any Radios Which Are Not Narrow
Band Capable By 2011. - Dont Wait Until The Last Minute
- Mixed Vendor System?
- Ensure The Equipment Is Compatible - Companding
- Work With Your Radio Supplier And Test The System
Early.
23System Considerations
- Review Site Engineering For The Narrow-banded
System. - Adequate Signal Coverage?
- Simulcast holes created?
- Fringes and In-Building?
- Inventory The Infrastructure To Ensure It Is
Narrow Band Capable. - Repeaters
- Base Stations
- Satellite Voting Receivers And Comparators
- Encryption
- Paging Transmitters
- Work With Your Equipment Suppliers Consultant
24System Considerations
- Consider Project 25 Capable Equipment
- Meets Narrow Band Requirements
- Better Audio Recovery Than Narrowband Analog
- No Reduced Coverage Vs 25 Khz Analog.
- Multiple Features Not Available In Analog Systems
- Ensure Replacement Equipment Is Narrowband
Capable - NO Used Equipment
- NO eBAY
- Review Site Placement And Coverage Of The Planned
Narrowband System. - Paging/Messaging/Alerting Systems.
25Dont Forget Other Systems
- Public Utilities SCADA systems.
- Schools
- Road Department
- Low power Dot radios
- Community Watch
- Cache Radios Transportable Systems
- Command Post/Communications Vehicles
- Mutual Aid Gateways
26Mutual Aid Planning
- Mutual Aid
- Neighboring Systems
- Regional Statewide Systems
- Gateways Reprogram As Appropriate
- Reprogramming timing
- Do Together To Maintain interoperability
27And a few DONTs
- Dont Modify Legacy Wide Band Equipment That Is
Not Intended For Narrowband Use. - Modifications May Void FCC Type Acceptance
- This Is Old Equipment, No Longer Supported By The
Manufacturer - May Not Operate Properly In A Public Safety
Application - Dont Be Rushed.
- You Need To Be Planning Now.
- Dont Wait Until The Last Minute
28PAGING!
- Pagingonly Frequencies Are Exempt From
Narrowbanding. - There Are Only Two Public Safety Paging-only
Frequencies - 152.0075 Mhz
- 157.450 Mhz
- If You Page Or Alert On Any Other Frequency, It
Is Not Paging-only And Must Be Rebanded.
29 Volunteer Station Alerting
- Older Volunteer Responder Pagers And Monitor
Receivers Are NOT Narrowband Capable. - Minitor I IV Must Be Replaced
- Minitor V Is Narrowband Capable
- Older Plectron AND Other Station Alerting/Siren
Activation Systems Are Not Narrowband Capable.
30Logistics Planning
- How Do We Make Narrowbanding Happen?
- Maintaining Quality Of Service
- Infrastructure Cutover Planning
- Site By Site?
- Channel By Channel?
- Overlay System?
- Coordination With Mutual Aid Providers
- Maintain Interoperability
31Logistics Planning
- Subscriber Cutover Planning
- Radio Capacity
- Pre And Post Systems In The Radio?
- Turn The Knob?
- Limited Capacity A More Complex Plan Is Needed
- How Many Touches Are Needed?
- Who Does The Programming? Where?
- Assets Needed For Portable/Mobile Transport?
32 33A Few References locations
- APCO
- http//www.apcointl.com/frequency/documents/Narro
wbandOrder.html - FCC
- http//hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch
/FCC-04-292A1.doc - KIMBALL
- https//www.kimballdata.com/webcasts/default.asp?w
hitepaper7.21.08narrowbandingtips_07.08.pdf
34And Now..