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Hey all you 900 SMR operators... Nextel has turned up some of their 900 MHz channels (at least in Orlando) this weekend. One of their sectors is less than a mile from my shop where my BDA system resides. Of course, the donor yagi is pointed DIRECTLY through their site to get to my trunk site 8 miles away. Their closest channel is 75 KHz away from my control and 62.5 KHz from a voice channel. My control channel RSSI at the input to the BDA is -70 dBm or so. The new Nextel channel hits me with -25 dBm. Can you say HAMMERED? My BDA isn't overloading but the brute force level coming out of the BDA is causing desense in my portables. If I pad anymore, my control channel is not decipherable in my portables. I haven't tried anything in the field yet but I suppose that my mobiles will get whacked when near a Nextel site.
I see this just turning into the 800 mess again for those of us who operate private 900 systems. I was told that Nextel is using 900 ONLY for interconnect and not direct connect at this time to help them with the rebanding project. As soon as the FCC approves the mass of apps for frequencies that ACI 900 has, Nextel is ready to go with more.
I'd be interested in comments from those using or maintaining 900 SMR systems (or Nextel techs... ) going forward as to changes in performance of the system or specific interference issues.
$hitty NexTel made their 900Mhz presence here a while back already. Not long after I read they were buying up all the 900Mhz they could get their greedy, grubby hands on.
Not sure when they're going to start jamming up the ham bands next, but certainly it's in their company's future outlook.
they have been on 900 for about a year in atlanta (marietta) but since there are so few private 900's on the air, the tree falls in a forest but no one is around to hear it. Nextel owned all the 900 Privacy pluses and shut them off 1st quarter 03.
at least they won't be jamming every ps system on 900...
NEXTEL has installed a ton of 900 BDA equipment (duplexed with the existing 800 BDA) in PBC. This is part of the migration path to offset their cellular traffic as part of the Public Safety Rebanding Plan. Their existence there will be about 2 to 3 years then they have to give up the licenses and remove themselves from the band.
All the new 3-digit phones can access the 900 SMR band w/iDEN.
We've had a privatly run 900MHz iDEN system up here in Toronto for awhile...It's run by a company called Lakeshore Electronics, the system is the Harmony System. It's biggest user is the Pearson International Airport, and from what I hear, they're quite happy with it. Audio quality is about on course for what you'd expect with iDEN. I
Great just when some of us hams in NW WI and NE MN where going to continue to move forward on a Ham 900 Mhz LTR system nextel is starting this.
I thik we might luck out as Nextel is not the far north yet but I am sure will be soon.
Hams of the US unite to stop our 900 Mhz from being taken away. Oh wait no manu. support 900 Mhz Ham band since the only thing you can really use is Kenwood or EFJ radios which is old commercial stuff.
" ah the fatman made a funny!" - Stewie from the family guy.
I went to the doctor and all he did was just suck blood. Never go to Dr Acula - M. Hedberg
well let's see, Nextel had no problem buying off the FCC, don't think the ARRL would be too much of a problem to buy out either. the ARRL isn't even a blip on their radar screen. Nextel has caused interference to over 22,000 public safety radio systems and yet has the FCC in it's back pocket. The ARRL would be no problem for them, nor would a few hams.
they get what they want when they want it because they have all gold...
This is just temporary spectrum for them. One the re-banding is completed and NEXTEL can populate the 1.9GHz band then they must relinquish their 900 licenses. It will be about 4 years until that happens.
KS4VT wrote:This is just temporary spectrum for them. One the re-banding is completed and NEXTEL can populate the 1.9GHz band then they must relinquish their 900 licenses. It will be about 4 years until that happens.
It sure seems like a lot of money wasted buying up 900Mhz licenses and 900Mhz "Radio" equipment just to give it up in a few years. I think they've got something worse up their sleeves.
On another note, has NexTel even approved of the "Consensus Plan" yet? I've heard nothing more about it, so what they hell are they stalling for?
KS4VT wrote:This is just temporary spectrum for them. One the re-banding is completed and NEXTEL can populate the 1.9GHz band then they must relinquish their 900 licenses. It will be about 4 years until that happens.
It sure seems like a lot of money wasted buying up 900Mhz licenses and 900Mhz "Radio" equipment just to give it up in a few years. I think they've got something worse up their sleeves.
On another note, has NexTel even approved of the "Consensus Plan" yet? I've heard nothing more about it, so what they hell are they stalling for?
-Josh
What's up their sleeve is 1.9 GHz....they will make the 900 MHz investment to get to 1.9. Their ultimate goal is to be a Part 22 carrier instead of a Part 90.
You can also bet that once the re-banding of the 800 spectrum is complete they will petition the FCC to create an additional 800 Cellular Block "C" which will be NEXTEL's nationwide 821-825 spectrum.
OK, I think we need to clear the air here. I dislike NEXTELL as much as the next guy. There new assignments are in the 900 COMMERCIAL band right, not the 900 HAM band. If this is not correct I'm sure someone will let me know.
So my 900 HAM repeater on 902.4875/927.4875 is far enough removed thet no interference should result. The effects on my 900
COMMERCIAL system might be a different story, with frequency assignments between 936 and 939 (input 45mhz down) I COULD have a problem depending on assignments.
Not much on 900 here but 2 large auto plants, mine is a 10 channel system (good old Delco) and the Germans (Chrysler) across the street have 15 channels. Anyway I think the ham stuff will be OK but the other 900 users are in for a couple of years of FCC approved hell.
Yeah just like cellone, U.S. Cellular, and AllTel in NW WI saying that their analog 900 Mhz links do not cause problems to the ham band. Yet every time I scan the 900 Mhz ham band for some reason I hear both sides of a cellular conversation in analog/clear.
For us that have to use Nextel having a t/a feature is nice, but I worry about what damage they will cause to the 900 Mhz band. We have seen what they will do to 800 Mhz.
" ah the fatman made a funny!" - Stewie from the family guy.
I went to the doctor and all he did was just suck blood. Never go to Dr Acula - M. Hedberg
There already is a "C" band, the feds run it.
If you look carefully at the 832 channel assignments you will see the holes.
There were 3 sets of 333 channels to begin with.
A was non-wireline.
B was wireline.
C was government.
The government gave up half of the channels when the cellular industry went to 832 channels, so there are only 167 channels maximum for the government.
The system is quite unusual in that both 30KHz and 25KHz is used.
It supports analog and TDMA as well as GSM, the IPCs are 21, just like AMPS/DAMPS on the bottom and GSM is on the top half.
There is no support for CDMA in this band.
The 1900MHz has the feds just outside the commercial bands.
Cellular and PCS handsets need only have a little firmware tweak to go there.
The earlier Motorola phones had this in firmware with the option locked out.
So, safe to say where nextel is not going.
NextHell has been using the 900's for abot 2 years in the NYC metro area. Mainly for lessening the traffic load in NYC. I kinda doubt that Nexthell is going to get the 1.9 band. Verizon has said it would tie Nexthell up in court for 20 years if the FCC gave in to their demands and they got it. More likely the are going to be forced to the 2 ghz channels, and yes they are trying to change from a commercial operations to common carrier. Something that leaves a distaste in my mouth. The FCC should be making poicy on radio spectrum use not Nexthell!
RADIOMAN2002 wrote:I kinda doubt that Nexthell is going to get the 1.9 band. Verizon has said it would tie Nexthell up in court for 20 years if the FCC gave in to their demands and they got it. More likely the are going to be forced to the 2 ghz channels, and yes they are trying to change from a commercial operations to common carrier. Something that leaves a distaste in my mouth. The FCC should be making poicy on radio spectrum use not Nexthell!
I guess your not up on current NEXTEL events:
Nextel and Verizon Settle Legal Disputes
November 02, 2004 10:54 PM ET
By BRUCE MEYERSON
NEW YORK (AP) - Nextel Communications Inc. and Verizon Wireless unexpectedly resolved a heated dispute Tuesday over a federal proposal to clear up interference between cell phones and emergency response radios by moving Nextel's signals to a more valuable band of spectrum.
In exchange for Verizon dropping its opposition to the spectrum proposal, Nextel is withdrawing its claim of trademark rights for the phrase "Push To Talk" and the word "push" to describe the popular walkie-talkie service which Nextel introduced to cell phones and which Verizon and other rivals now offer.
) going forward as to changes in performance of the system or specific interference issues.
