L and R: Anthony Kuzub Co-Chair Toronto AES, Reza Saiphoo, Colin Bernard, Rob Poretti, Ike Zimbel — Toronto AES Section -- September 24, 2019
From time to time, the Toronto Section of the AES will hold a joint meeting with the Toronto SMPTE Section. This was one of those meetings.
This meeting looked at the repack of the 600 MHz frequencies and the impact it will have on wireless production equipment used in various fields such as broadcasting, outdoor concert and the special events world.
Reza Saiphoo introduced each of the speakers and included a brief background. While each presenter brought a unique perspective to this issue, their talks flowed and complemented each other rather well. All presenters incorporated an accompanying slide show.
Colin Bernard's talk provided an ISEC (Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada) update: the big picture and where things are at currently. He also spoke extensively about licensed and unlicensed wireless mics.
Rob Poretti's presentation looked at preparing for May 2020. He provided an overview of the transition and included the background, the current state of development, white space devices, spectrum changes in both the Greater Toronto Area and further out, mitigation strategies, new technology, and approaches for optimizing spectrum and maximizing error counts.
Ike Zimbel focused on the practical aspects of dealing with what's available after the 600 MHz transition. Topics covered were band planning, frequency coordination, filtering, zoning, power management, and alternate spectrum devices.
After the presentations, Reza Saiphoo moderated a Q&A session with the presenters. Subjects included white space, licensing costs/licensing brokering, pirates/jammers, how many times will these repacks occur(!), as well as solutions for houses of worship.
Reza closed the evening by handing out certificates of appreciation from both SMPTE and AES, and complementary notebooks from the Toronto AES.
