Narrowbanding Update

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

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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)

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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

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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

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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 .

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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.

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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

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Existing 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
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Beginning 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
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After 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
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Hate 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
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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.

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Beginning 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
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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
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P25 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
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Latest 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

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• What to Do Now!

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• PLAN!
• COMMUNICATE!
• PLAN!

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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

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Start Planning Now

• Hire A Good Consultant
• Engage Your Equipment Vendor
• Get Your Service Shop On Board
• Talk To Your Mutual Aid Partners Neighbors

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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

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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.
• 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.

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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

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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.

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Dont 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

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Mutual Aid Planning

• Mutual Aid
• Neighboring Systems
• Regional Statewide Systems
• Gateways Reprogram As Appropriate
• Reprogramming timing
• Do Together To Maintain interoperability

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And 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

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PAGING!

• 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.

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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.

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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

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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?

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• Resources

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A 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

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And Now..

• Questions??