Narrowbanding Update Time is Growing Short Bill Waugaman L. Robert Kimball & Associates

Narrowbanding Update

Time is Growing Short

Bill WaugamanL. Robert Kimball & Associates

Why 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)

04/20/23 2Kimball Technology

What 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


What 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


Dates 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” .


VHF 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.


Impact 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


Existing VHF Systems: Already a problem.

Not able to use adjacent channels at close distances.

155.745 155.760

155.775

20KHz Bandwidth

20KHz Bandwidth

20KHz Bandwidth

OverlapOverlap

Adjacent channels

WideBand

WideBand

WideBand

15KHz Channe

l Spacin

g

15KHz Channe

l Spacin

g04/20/23 8Kimball Technology

Beginning Narrowbanding Narrowband channels not usable until wideband users convert.

155.745 155.760

155.775

20KHz Bandwidth

20KHz Bandwidth

20KHz Bandwidth

Overlap

Overlap

155.7525

155.7675

ANALOGNARROWBAND

7.5KHz Channe

l Spacin

g

Wide Band

Wide Band

Wide Band

11KHz Bandwidt

h

ANALOGNARROWBAND


After all convert to Narrowband

155.745

155.760

155.775 155.752

5155.7675

7.5KHz Channe

l Spacin

g

11KHz Bandwidt

h

This represents analog voice with a 11KHz necessary bandwidth

ANALOG NARROWBAND

ANALOG NARROWBAND

ANALOG NARROWBAND

ANALOG NARROWBAND

ANALOG NARROWBAN

D


Hate That VHF Overlap??

Convert to Project 25 Digital

155.745

155.760

155.775 155.752

5155.7675

7.5KHz Channe

l Spacin

g

8.1KHz Bandwidt

h

DIGITALNARROWBAND

P25 with C4FM Modulation only requires 8.1KHz Necessary Bandwidth

DIGITALNARROWBAND

DIGITALNARROWBAND

DIGITALNARROWBAND

DIGITALNARROWBAND


Impact 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.


Beginning Narrowbanding Narrowband channels not usable until wideband users convert.

460.000 460.025

460.500

20KHz Bandwidth

20KHz Bandwidth

20KHz Bandwidth

460.0125

460.0375

ANALOGNARROWBAND

12.5KHz

Channel

Spacing

Wide Band

Wide Band

Wide Band

11KHz Bandwidt

h

ANALOGNARROWBAND


After all convert to Narrowband

460.000

460.025

460.050 460.012

5460.0375

12.5KHz

Channel

Spacing

11 KHz Bandwidt

h

ANALOGNARROWBAND

This represents analog voice with a 11KHz necessary bandwidth

ANALOGNARROWBAND

ANALOGNARROWBAND

ANALOGNARROWBAND

ANALOGNARROWBAND


P25 at UHF

460.000

460.025

460.500 460.012

5460.0375

12.5KHz

Channel

Spacing

8.1KHz Bandwidt

h

DIGITALNARROWBAND

P25 with C4FM Modulation only requires 8.1KHz Necessary Bandwidth

DIGITALNARROWBAND

DIGITALNARROWBAND

DIGITALNARROWBAND

DIGITALNARROWBAND


Latest Actions

• Clarifications Of Third R&O Issued By FCC

• NPSTC and LMCC Submit Suggested Action to Cancel Licenses That Do Not Reflect Narrow Band Emissions On January 1, 2008

04/20/23 Kimball Technology 16

What to Do Now!


PLAN!

COMMUNICATE!

PLAN!


Educate 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


Start Planning Now

• Hire A Good Consultant

• Engage Your Equipment Vendor

• Get Your Service Shop On Board

• Talk To Your Mutual Aid Partners & Neighbors


Start 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


Mobile & 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.

• Don’t Wait Until The Last Minute

• Mixed Vendor System?– Ensure The Equipment Is Compatible - “Companding”– Work With Your Radio Supplier And Test The System Early.


System 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


System 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.


Don’t 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


Mutual Aid Planning

• Mutual Aid– Neighboring Systems– Regional & Statewide Systems– Gateways – Reprogram As Appropriate

• Reprogramming timing– Do Together To Maintain interoperability


And a few DON’Ts• Don’t 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

• Don’t Be Rushed. – You Need To Be Planning Now.

• Don’t Wait Until The Last Minute


PAGING!

• Paging–only 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.


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.


Logistics 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


Logistics 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?04/20/23 Kimball Technology 31

Resources

04/20/23 Kimball Technology 32

A Few References locations

• APCO

http://www.apcointl.com/frequency/documents/NarrowbandOrder.html

• FCC http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-04-292A1.doc

• KIMBALL

https://www.kimballdata.com/webcasts/default.asp?whitepaper=7.21.08narrowbandingtips_07.08.pdf


And Now…..

Questions??


Documents

Narrowbanding Update Time is Growing Short Bill Waugaman L. Robert Kimball & Associates