Hello all,
I'm new here, so please excuse me if I cover ground that has been previously trampled . . .
There's a lot of concern about new TV Band Devices (TVBD's) "stepping on" wireless mics being used for TV productions, especially on location as opposed to on a studio lot. Some posts have referred to the TV channels that will be reserved for wireless mic use, although I'm sure that some productions will have needs that exceed their capacity. But I haven't seen any references to the "Plan B" tool that the FCC is putting into place for people with a temporary, but critical, need to operate wireless systems in the white spaces: the database.
If you know where and when you'll be using wireless mics, you can register in the database. The database will then tell all of the TV Band Devices around you not to use the TV channels that your wireless mics are in. Note that you only need to plan which TV channels your systems will be in -- not the specific frequencies that you'll use. Every white space device has to receive a list of "good" TV channels to work in, either directly or from another device. If it doesn't get the list, it stops transmitting within a day.
In other words, the database will deny service to the white space devices on one or more TV channels to accommodate you. In exchange, they want to know exactly where (in latitude and longitude) you will be, and exactly when (in half-hour increments I believe) you will be working. If you (or someone else on the production) don't have a Part 74 license, you have to register 30 days in advance, and you have to certify that you're already using all of the available reserved TV channels. If you do have a license, you can register very quickly (perhaps just a few hours notice) and you don't need to certify about the reserved channels.
Using wireless is certainly getting more challenging every day, but I was pleased to see the FCC go this far to facilitate professional productions. Again, if this has already been covered elsewhere, I apologize.
Chris Lyons
Shure Inc.