Narrowbanding

Overview:

“Narrowbanding” refers to a requirement by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that — on or before January 1, 2013 — all existing licensees on the VHF and UHF Spectrum implement equipment designed to operate on channel bandwidths of 12.5 kHz or less or that meets a specific efficiency standard. Licensees will need to convert or replace their existing VHF and UHF wideband (25 kHz) systems. Ultimately equipment will need to operate on bandwidths of 6.25 kHz or less. (Currently no dead-line is set).

Deadline: January 1, 2013

All Part 90 VHF (150-174 MHz) and UHF (421-512 MHz) Private Land Mobile Radio (PLMR) system licensees convert from what has been known as "wide-band" (25 KHz) operation to "narrow-band" (12.5 KHz or equivalent) operation by January 1, 2013.

• VHF (150–174 MHz: available nationwide)
• UHF (450–470 MHz: available nationwide)
• UHF (470–512 MHz: shared with UHF-TV; available only in 11 cities)

The FCC may terminate your license or issue monetary fines if your agency is not in compliance with the FCC narrowbanding requirement.

Resources:

    Oklahoma County Presentation:

        Narrowbanding and the Future of VHF and UHF Communication (Click Here)

    Narrowbanding Compliance Plan:

• One plan for compliance*:
  • Verify that your company or organization has a current and valid FCC Part 90 radio station license (add NB emission designator)
  • Conduct a full inventory of all radios in your system
    • Including all portable, mobile, dispatcher-used, wireless data or SCADA (public works telemetry), and on or off-site base or repeater radios (include makes and models and, if possible, serial numbers)
  • Determine which equipment can be re-programmed and which must be replaced
  • Secure your budget for services and equipment
  • Develop a "wideband"-to-"narrowband" system conversion plan that addresses:
    • The replacement and installation of any narrowband-capable off-site base or repeater stations
    • The actual reprogramming of all radios in a system as close to simultaneously as possible
  • Work closely with a professional two way radio service vendor
  • Schedule and coordinate the actual system conversion (or cutover)
    • Make certain that all radio users have been advised in advance and are aware of the process.
  • Modify your FCC radio station license to remove any "wideband" emission designators, replacing them with the correct "narrowband" ED’s
    • Make any other changes or updates to a license that may be required
• Note that the conversion plan must be tailored for each agency
   
  * Source: http://www.qualitymobile.com/Part90NBNav.htm (Author: Nick Ruark)

    National Institute of Justice:

        Understanding Narrowbanding (Click Here)

    FCC:

        Tech Topic 16: Narrow Banding Public Safety Communication Channels (Click Here)

        FCC “Refarming” history (with jpegs) (Click Here)

        FCC Public safety spectrum (Click Here)

        Public Safety Frequency Coordinators (Click Here)

        FCC's "Narrowbanding" mandate:

                2004 Order (Click Here)

                2007 Order (Click Here)

                2008 6.25 KHz Migration Clarification (Click Here)

    International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC):

        FCC Narrowbanding Mandate: A Public Safety Guide For Compliance (Click Here)

    APCO:

        Automated Frequency Coordination Information (Click Here) 

    Minnesota Fire Services:

        Radio Information (Click Here)

    Yahoo Forums:

        Land Mobile Radio Narrowbanding (Click Here)