Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/830466
12 them to keep transmitting which keeps them in cable TV systems as a broadcaster but really makes home off-air reception messier. Many "Digital TV Antennas" are UHF only and won't receive 2-6 and 7-13 well. Also, the Part 90 Land Mobile channels are mandated to go away but some jurisdictions, especially the LA Sheriff, have told the FCC, "I've got a gun and a badge and you can't have my radio channels." They need to go back to Congress to change the law. The reason why TV channels 14-20 are not shown in the post- auction transition plan is because those are still in FCC Part 90 Land Mobile and not available for TV broadcast- ing. Channels allotted to Part 90 are also not available for Part 74 Low Power Auxiliary Services (LPAS). When the repacking is over, the law requires that those channels go away from Part 90 Land Mobile but there are rumors that Congress may be convinced to change the law and allow areas with "T-Band" Part 90 Land Mobile channels to remain especially for Public Safety licensees. Exactly how this plays out is completely unknown. Note that FCC Rule 90.303 shows TV channels 14, 16, and 20 as allotted to Part 90 in Los Angeles County. But Got Broken Equipment? Send It Our Way! Lectrosonics - Zaxcom - Sound Designs Sennheiser - Shure - Cooper Mixers Contact Us At: 1.888.259.4684 or Visit our website at: dwsoundservice.com If your equipment is not listed here Experts in the Repair of Production Sound Systems the LA Sheriff has one more TV channel, 15, licensed in Part 90 with licensee "Los Angeles County." TV channels 17, 18, and 19 have no Part 90 licensees and have a bunch of LPAS licensees in LA so those can be used for wireless microphones. The transition time is highly speculative. Congress man- dated that but in many places the stations can't change fast enough. The geographical phases are meant to organize the transition so every station moves, at the same time. Interlocking coverage makes it impossible to do this randomly. Everybody I talked to at the NAB show realizes that the transition schedule is not based on reality. Because of interlocking station moves, all it will take is one station to have a hiccup and the whole process falls apart. There is no way to predict this but I heard that the NAB will be petitioning the FCC to make a more realistic transition schedule. Problem is, though, that the FCC is not the one that mandated thirty-nine months, it was Congress. Again, it will take Congress to change that law to allow a more reasonable transition. Compound that with ATSC 3.0, a totally incompatible modulation scheme with present ATSC, and how to manage that transition, it gets complicated. Also, best as I know, no manufac- turer has been able to make 900 MHz wireless microphone transmit- ters that meet the new, tighter, RF mask. Lectrosonics has petitioned the FCC to reconsider this regula- tion and supporting filings have been made by the other wireless microphone transmitter manufac- turers. Overall, it is best to watch a train wreck from a distance. In the meantime, "Bring lots of mic cable™." Bill Ruck San Francisco There you have it. Look for updates in the next issue of Production Sound & Video. Jay Patterson CAS Vice President IATSE Local 695 Co-chair Technical Trends Committee