Update on the 600 MHz Spectrum in Canada
As the FCC, in the US, and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), continue to find new ways to make more spectrum available for mobile broadband wireless devices, we in the pro audio world must revise our wireless frequency use. A broadband wireless device is a smartphone or IPad etc. that can connect to the Internet and stream or download content without connecting through a local Wi-Fi network. This extremely popular activity is requiring more and more frequencies to handle the demand. The large pool of reserved for TV but mostly unused spectrum is being “repurposed” to accommodate the need. Unused that is, except by wireless microphones.
Since the mid-1980s, we in the Pro Audio world have been very fortunate to have had free access to all the locally unused UHF Broadcast TV channels from 14 through to 69 or 470 to 698 MHz for our wireless microphones, In-Ear Monitors and Wireless Intercom Systems. Using this large portion of the radio spectrum has allowed us to easily find multiple clear frequencies. The only conditions were, and still are, that we didn’t cause any interference to a licensed user (Broadcaster) and that we were prepared to accept interference to us, if it occurred. By just having the knowledge of which TV channels were locally occupied, this unofficial arrangement worked well for more than three decades.
by Collin Makariak
Lawton First Assembly located in Lawton, Oklahoma has a 10-year history with AGI Professional of Eugene, Oregon. “We needed an AVL company that would understand what our needs were,” states Senior Pastor Don Barnes. “Our church was so outdated, we even had the original red carpet. We were in need of a facelift and without a large budget, AGI always looks ahead so we don’t spend money on products that would soon be obsolete. Greg Slape (AGI owner) knows the church as well as he knows the technology.” The company was again chosen to specify and install complete audio, video, and lighting systems first in the youth auditorium followed by the sanctuary.
Ashland Baptist Church was organized by fifteen members on August 20, 1858. That first meeting was held in the Union Meeting House, currently the Masonic Hall on England Street, and served as the worship center until the dedication of the new church on Railroad Avenue. That “new” church building also served as a hospital during the Civil War. In 1967, the congregation moved to its present location. Since that time, several wings were added including a new sanctuary and fellowship hall to accommodate their growing congregation. When church leaders determined that a new sound reinforcement system was needed to improve intelligibility and musical impact, they also knew that it could not come at the expense of First Baptist’s sanctuary aesthetics. Audio/video integration firm RTW Media designed and installed a Danley Sound Labs system that satisfied both the sonic and visual objectives by minimizing the number of speakers that were required to provide precise, intelligible coverage.
