Legal bands
DECT at 1920 to 1930 MHz: Self-Coordinating
Quick answer
DECT wireless microphones at 1920 to 1930 MHz are legal and unlicensed in the United States and coordinate their own frequencies automatically. The band is 10 MHz wide, which is about four to eight channels, with a shorter range than UHF and a much narrower product range.
DECT is the band your cordless office phone uses, and the reason it matters to a church is that DECT systems do the frequency coordination themselves. There is no scan to run, no plan to write on a card and no volunteer to train, because the radios negotiate with each other. For a church whose wireless problem is really a people problem, that is a genuinely different proposition from UHF. The costs are range, channel count and a product range measured in a handful of models rather than hundreds. Check your channel count in the wireless microphone channel calculator before deciding.
On this page
What makes DECT different
Every other band on this site asks you to choose a frequency and live with the consequences. DECT systems pick their own, move when something else appears, and keep a list of alternatives ready. That behaviour is built into the standard rather than added by a manufacturer, which is why it works consistently across products.
DECT is the only common church band where frequency coordination is entirely automatic, at the cost of range and channel count.
| Band | Coordination required | Realistic channels | Typical indoor range |
|---|---|---|---|
| UHF 470 to 608 MHz | Yes: look up TV channels, scan on site, write a plan | 6 to 20 | 200 to 300 feet |
| 902 to 928 MHz ISM | Minimal, but audit the building first | 4 to 8 | 150 to 250 feet |
| 1920 to 1930 MHz DECT | None. The systems negotiate. | 4 to 8 | 100 to 150 feet |
| 2.4 GHz ISM | None, but plan the Wi-Fi around it | 4 to 8 | About 100 feet |
Ranges are practical expectations in an occupied building rather than published line of sight figures. Short wavelengths are absorbed by bodies, so a full sanctuary is a harder environment than an empty one at every frequency above about 1 GHz.
Where the 10 MHz goes
Ten megahertz is not much spectrum, and it is shared with the cordless telephone systems that the band was designed for. In practice a church can expect somewhere between four and eight simultaneous microphone channels, with the exact number set by the manufacturer implementation and by how many DECT phone base stations are already running in the building. A large church office with a multi-handset phone system is already using part of the band you are about to move into.
The other consequence of a narrow band is that there is no room to grow. A UHF plan with four channels in one empty television channel has twenty-two more television channels to expand into if the market allows. A DECT system at its channel limit has nowhere to go, and the upgrade path is a different band rather than another receiver. That is the question to ask before buying: not whether it covers today, but whether it covers the platform you expect in five years.
Range, bodies and line of sight
At 1.9 GHz the wavelength is about six inches, and a human body is an efficient absorber at that scale. This is the practical limit that decides whether DECT suits your room: a body pack on a preacher who turns away from the receiver antenna has just put a person between the two.
Antenna placement matters more at 1.9 GHz than at UHF, because a human body absorbs far more of a six inch wavelength than a two foot one.
| Antenna position | Effect at 1.9 GHz | What to do instead |
|---|---|---|
| Inside a closed rack at the back of the room | Severe loss. Often unusable past the front rows. | Remote the antennas, or move the receiver. |
| On the rack, line of sight to the platform | Works as specified | This is the baseline to aim for. |
| Ceiling mounted above the platform | Best case. No bodies in the path. | Worth the cable run in a difficult room. |
| Behind a projection screen or a metal panel | Severe loss | Move it. Nothing else will fix this. |
The same advice applies to 2.4 and 5.8 GHz systems. Above roughly 1 GHz, antenna line of sight stops being a nicety and becomes the main design decision.
What to buy, and the mainstream comparison
DECT microphone systems for installed sound are a specialist category, most often sold as conference and meeting room products rather than as worship products. Search current availability with a DECT band installed wireless system and compare carefully against a mainstream platform before committing, because the capsule you want may simply not exist on a DECT body pack.
Shure GLXD24+/SM58 Digital Wireless Vocal System - Z3 Band
$659.00 Specs and sizingAutomatic frequency management across 2.4 and 5.8 GHz gives the same no-coordination experience DECT is chosen for, on a platform with the full Shure capsule range behind it.
Best for: A church that wants DECT simplicity with mainstream spares
Check price on Amazon
Audio-Technica ATW-1101/H Wireless Headworn Microphone System
$399.95 Specs and sizingA 2.4 GHz headworn system at roughly half the price of the UHF equivalents, with automatic frequency selection. The obvious answer for a preaching channel in a small building.
Best for: One preaching channel where nobody will coordinate frequencies
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Shure BLX14/P31 Wireless Headset Microphone System - H10 Band
$379.00 Specs and sizingA UHF headworn system with about 300 feet of published range. If the building is large or the receiver cannot see the platform, UHF is the band that tolerates it.
Best for: Larger rooms where 1.9 GHz runs out of reach
Check price on AmazonWhat usually goes wrong with DECT in a church
Two things. The first is the office phone system, which was in the band first and will not move. If the church has a multi-handset DECT phone platform, count those base stations as occupants before assuming a channel count. The second is range optimism: a specification written for a conference room is a specification for a conference room, and a 200 seat sanctuary with a balcony is a different building.
The third, less obvious, is spares. A platform with three products in it has three products worth of accessories, and when a body pack dies the week before a large service the answer may be a lead time rather than a drawer. If the wireless channel is the preaching channel, keep a wired lectern microphone permanently patched and labelled as the fallback, whatever band you choose.
How we chose
We did not test these products in person and we never claim to. Picks are researched from manufacturer specification sheets and operator manuals, FCC rules where spectrum is involved, published standards, warranty terms, and the recurring themes in verified owner reviews. Every pick is matched to a real room size, seat count or input list rather than to a price bracket, and it is placed in the tier where its capability actually belongs. Where a product is wrong for most churches we say so on the page.
Sources
- FCC guidance for wireless microphone users
- FCC Part 15 rules for unlicensed personal communications devices
- Published manufacturer specifications for DECT band installed wireless systems
Frequently asked questions
Are DECT wireless microphones legal in the United States?
Yes. The 1920 to 1930 MHz band is unlicensed in the United States and DECT microphone systems operate there legally with no application and no fee. The band sits well above television spectrum, so the 600 MHz incentive auction did not affect it and no future television auction will.
How many DECT microphone channels can a church run?
Typically four to eight, set by the manufacturer implementation and by how much of the band your office cordless phone system is already using. Ten megahertz is narrow spectrum, and unlike UHF there is no adjacent territory to expand into. Check the channel ceiling of a specific product before assuming it covers a growing platform.
Do DECT systems really need no frequency coordination?
Correct, and it is the main reason to choose them. The radios negotiate among themselves and move when something else appears, which is built into the standard rather than added by one manufacturer. For a church whose wireless problem is that nobody on the volunteer rota wants to learn frequency planning, that is a genuine advantage.
What is the real range of a DECT microphone?
Plan for 100 to 150 feet in an occupied building. At 1.9 GHz the wavelength is about six inches and human bodies absorb it efficiently, so a full congregation is a harder environment than an empty room. Get the receiver antennas out of the rack and give them line of sight to the platform, which matters far more here than at UHF.
Will DECT microphones interfere with our office phones?
They share the band, so they negotiate around each other rather than interfere in the crude sense. What they do is consume the same limited spectrum. A large multi-handset phone platform in the church office reduces the number of microphone channels available, so audit the phones before deciding how many channels the band will hold for you.
Is DECT a better choice than 2.4 GHz?
For coordination behaviour they are similar, and 2.4 GHz systems from the major manufacturers now manage their own frequencies too. The deciding factor is usually product range: 2.4 GHz platforms offer the full sweep of handheld capsules, headworn elements and lavaliers, while DECT microphone products are a specialist category with a thinner spares market.
Researched, not professional advice. This page is compiled from published manufacturer specifications, operator manuals, FCC rules, published standards and owner-review consensus, not hands-on testing. Sound system design, rigging loudspeakers overhead, and any electrical work are jobs for a qualified professional: have flown loudspeakers and their attachment points signed off by a structural engineer or a certified rigger, and have all wiring done by a licensed electrician to your local code. Wireless microphone rules change, so confirm the current FCC position before buying. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.