The FCC Mandatory Narrowbanding deadline is fast approaching and as of January 1, 2013, “any equipment that is not capable of operating on channels of 12.5 kHz or less will need to be replaced.” The FCC added that, “it is likely that those who fail to comply will face serious penalties such as monetary fines or license cancellation.” If you do not currently have a plan or need assistance, please contact us immediately.
What is Narrowbanding?
Traditional land mobile VHF and UHF bands use a 25 kHz bandwidth (“wide-band”); narrowbanding reduces the channel bandwidth of your radios to 12.5 kHz, with an eventual FCC goal of 6.25 kHz.
This change will create broader spectrum availability with an additional benefit of interference protection. This mandate does pose some challenges, but with proper planning and funding, you will find a seamless transition.
Whom Does This Change Affect?
Note: OmniSite is not a SCADA system and does not utilize VHF or UHF bands, so your OmniSite system is not affected by this requirement.
Most wastewater or water system that utilize a standard SCADA/RTU system through private land mobile radio to monitor remote pump stations should evaluate their current systems.
This mandate especially affects those that utilize monitoring equipment installed before 2011 and have not yet started to upgrade.
Some equipment comes preprogrammed to work on both the 25 kHz and 12.5 kHz channels, but running devices on different channels on the same network may create interference and other communication errors. Read more
