Wireless Mic Frequencies no longer available

Doug W

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I never much liked wireless mics but they have their place. I have been sorting through sound equipment at a place where I volunteer. Some of the stuff is junk and some is fine.

Some frequencies previously reserved for wireless systems have been sold by the FCC to the highest bidder; as a result, some old wireless mic systems are no longer legal. The AKG wireless system at this place operates at 736.975Mhz. According to this Sennheiser website, using this wireless base has been illegal since 2010.

https://sennheiserusa.happyfox.com/...-microphones-in-the-700-mhz-range-in-the-usa/

My question is: "how are they policing these frequencies?" Are the FCC detectives running intermittent scans to see who might still be using these frequencies?

They'll never get me!
 
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Here's the thing....There is no FCC police for wireless mics! Your wireless puts out milliwatts; You're not going to cause problems for anyone else in the spectrum! What tends to happen is, when the company that bought the spectrum starts using it i.e. ATT, Verizon or T-Mobile fires up the towers or lights the spectrum they bought in the spectrum auction, your wireless becomes useless. The signal to noise ratio of your receiver that's designed to receive milliwatts from the transmitter, is steamrolled by a signal it can't understand and is thousands of times more powerful!

I hope this helps!
 
That helps, thanks for the reply. I guess I will scrap 2 wireless mic systems from this place and keep the 3rd one which operates in a legal frequency band for wireless mics.

Thanks
 
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And any type of RFI will drive ya nuts. Some of my electric guitar amps pick up CB radio and local AM radio if near a transmitter and it's really disruptive to the artistic flow! I imagine AT&T wireless chirps (sounds like hundreds of crickets) fading in and out of the PA during a performance or jam would be a buzz kill.
 
We used to get AM radio stations on a regular basis with our upstairs recording computer. I believe aluminum foil hats helped to shield the AM stations while breaking up alien high frequency communications plots.
 
alien high frequency communications plots.

I've heard that they're already here, and they've already taken over. Secretly....

Happy Halloween!
 
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