At least two wireless microphone makers are offering assistance in retuning or replacing their own devices operating in the 700 MHz spectrum band.
Shure of Niles, Ill., is offering up to $1,000 on trade-ins of 700 MHz mics and related components. The rebates are good on specific products.
Lectrosonics gear “made in the USA by a Bunch of Fanatics,” put out the word that it will retune its mics in the market that currently transmit in the 700 MHz band at Channels 27, 28 and 29. Karl Winkler of Rio Rancho, N.M.based Lectronsonics said there were “certainly thousands, perhaps 10,000” such mics in use.
“But each one of these would be used by a professional of some sort or another: a TV station, news crew, freelancers, film sound guy, touring sound guy, church, theater, etc. It affects a wide range of markets,” he said.
“Approximately one-third of what we sold up through 2006 was in blocks 27, 28, and29. The lower 68 (out of 256) channels in block 27 will still be legal, by the way. In 2007, we started actively telling our dealers about the coming changes. In November of '07 we issued a policy note to the dealers that we would only make products on these frequency blocks as ‘special order’ and that we would cease manufacturing them at the end of 2008. At that time, we did not know that the FCC would rule to exclude even legacy users of wireless mics in this part of the spectrum.”
