While I have not written this column in some time, I can assure you that

the area of frequency coordination has not been a quiet one in the interim.

We (Bill Cordell, Don Saenger and myself) have handled a number of local

events including the Texaco Grand Prix, the BMC Software Bicycle Tour,

NHRA drag races, and ESPN coverage of the nose dive by the Astros.

There have also been some local operational requests to help area broad-

casters find additional paths and spectrum in the market. Some of these

have been more successful than others. It is becoming increasingly clear

that in our market, frequencies in almost any band are at a premium.

Until the FCC actually makes a decision and establishes guidelines in the

2ghz band, that area and the other bands that microwave operations use

on a routine basis, will continue to be in turmoil.

An item that was of only passing interest when it first came in has taken on

added importance with the awarding of an NFL franchise in Houston. The SBE

and the NFL have agreed on a cooperative effort for frequency coordination for

all NFL games. What this means is that when the NFL starts playing in Houston

again, there will be some local coordination activity that has contact with both

the NFL and with local and visiting broadcasters to keep everything running

smoothly.

There is one problem that has come up locally that we need to consider.

There are a number of stations that are now using the 6.5ghz band for TV

remote pickups. This is in addition to the two known links that Micronet is using

in and out of One Shell. Fixed links in this band probably will not cause

problems for each other except that there are only four channels (with offsets)

in this band. Here is the problem, Metro Traffic is also using 6.5ghz band in their

helicopter operations. They have been using Ch-3. There have been a couple of instances in

which the signal from the aircraft has wiped across another path. Since many of us subscribe

to the services of Metro, even those who used to be with Shadow, it is in our best interests

to allow them to continue access to this band. I need suggestions from those of you at   KTMD,

KXLN, KTRK, and anyone else who uses 6.5ghz as to how we can fix this. One suggestion

has been that we "assign" them a channel that is least likely to cause problems for existing links.

KTRK has suggested that they use either Ch-1 lower offset, or Ch-4 upper offset.

The question then is, can those links on those channels now be moved elsewhere?