Another critical aspect is that some of the '700MHz' spectrum is assigned for first responder or public safety use and people are running into local public safety officials looking for other operations on those frequencies.  Not to mention the potential legal or public relations issues should one of your mics interfere with a public safety use.

 

Adding to this, many of the legal users of the 700MHz spectrum are starting to implement their new services, in many cases making them unusable for wireless microphones.  People are finding that 700MHz wireless systems that worked last week or even last night may suddenly be no longer be usable.

 

 

The first responder issue has been brought up by Shure in the context of an emergency at the facility using the wireless mic.  Their point is that if there were a medical emergency at your theatre do you want to assume the potential liability of interfering with any related communications?  It does seem that many life safety agencies are actively enforcing the availability of their spectrum before it becomes a problem.  One person related being rather surprised when a state police officer stopped by their high school theatre to tell them the police had traced interference with their communications systems to the theatre's 700MHz wireless systems and they had to cease use immediately.  At the same time, some of the legal users of the 700MHz spectrum are starting to implement their new systems on a much broader basis and this will make much of that related spectrum untenable for wireless mic use.

 

This actually seems to be a good opportunity for many to reevaluate their use of and dependence on wireless mics and some people are apparently surprised to find out how well they can still function with wired mics or even no mics at all where they used to automatically apply a wireless system.