Rules and licensing
How the 600 MHz Repack Affected Churches
Quick answer
The 600 MHz incentive auction removed television channels 38 to 51, which is 84 MHz of wireless microphone spectrum, roughly a third of what churches had. Operation in 617 to 652 MHz and 663 to 698 MHz became illegal, and equipment tuned there cannot be recovered.
If your church bought wireless before about 2017 and has not thought about it since, this is the page that explains why the rack may contain equipment that is no longer lawful to switch on. The incentive auction was not a rule tweak. It moved mobile carriers into spectrum that wireless microphones had used for decades, it finished its transition in 2020, and it left churches with roughly two thirds of the room they used to have. The useful response is not regret but a channel count: work out what you actually need in the wireless microphone channel calculator and plan the replacement properly.
On this page
What was lost, in megahertz
Before the auction, wireless microphones worked across television channels 14 to 51, which is 470 to 698 MHz, less the six megahertz of channel 37 that was never available. After it, the working band stops at 608 MHz, with a two megahertz sliver left open above channel 37 at reduced power.
Churches lost 84 MHz of television spectrum, about 37 percent of the usable total, when channels 38 to 51 were reallocated.
| Before the auction | After the repack | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Television channels available | 14 to 51, less channel 37 | 14 to 36 | Lost 14 channels |
| Usable TV spectrum | About 222 MHz | 138 MHz, plus a 2 MHz sliver at 20 mW | Lost about 84 MHz |
| Share of the band lost | About 37 percent | ||
| Analog channels at full density | About 148 | About 92 | Lost about 56 |
| Digital channels at full density | About 296 | About 184 | Lost about 112 |
The density figures assume every remaining television channel is empty at your address, which never happens. They are there to show the scale of the change rather than to promise a channel count.
What happened, in order
The FCC auctioned the spectrum in a two sided process that paid television broadcasters to give up channels and sold the result to mobile carriers. The auction concluded in 2017. Broadcasters who stayed on air were then moved, or repacked, into the remaining channels over a phased transition that ran to 2020. Wireless microphone users had until the end of that transition to vacate the reallocated spectrum, and sooner in markets where carriers deployed early.
Manufacturers ran rebate and trade-in programmes during the transition to soften the cost, and those programmes have since closed. That timing is the part that hurts churches specifically, because a congregation that upgrades its sound system once every fifteen years may simply not have been paying attention during the window when help was available. If that is your church, the loss is real and there is no route back to it, so the question is what to buy now rather than what could have been claimed then.
What it means for equipment you already own
Three categories of equipment came out of this differently, and it is worth sorting your rack into them before deciding anything.
Only equipment whose tuning range sits entirely at or above 617 MHz is unusable. Systems crossing the boundary can still be operated legally below 608 MHz.
| Tuning range on the receiver | Status | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Entirely below 608 MHz | Legal | Keep using it. Check local TV occupancy and scan on site. |
| Crosses 608 to 616 MHz | Legal with care | Keep every assigned frequency below 608 MHz. Set by scan, not by hand. |
| Entirely at or above 617 MHz | Illegal to operate | Stop transmitting. Keep capsules and accessories, recycle the radios. |
| Above 698 MHz | Prohibited since 2010 | Stop transmitting. This one predates the repack entirely. |
| VHF, 900 MHz, 1.9, 2.4 or 5.8 GHz | Unaffected | The auction did not touch these bands at all. |
Band letters are not a reliable guide, because the same letter has meant different ranges across manufacturers and product generations. Read the megahertz figure printed on the receiver rear panel.
Rebuilding a plan in less spectrum
The strategic consequence of losing a third of the band is that density became worth paying for. Analog systems need roughly 400 kHz of spacing to stay clear of their own intermodulation products, and fit about four compatible channels per empty television channel. Digital systems manage 250 kHz and about eight, and high-density digital modes reach 125 kHz and about fifteen. In a market with four open television channels, that is the difference between sixteen channels and thirty-two.
For a church running two to four channels, none of this matters and analog remains the right answer. Past about six, digital is what makes the plan fit at all, which is why the recommendation changes at that threshold rather than at a price point. The other structural change is that in-ear monitor transmitters now compete for visibly scarcer spectrum, so they belong in the same count from the start. See analog versus digital wireless and in-ear monitor systems.
What to buy now
Replacement is per channel rather than per system, and the honest split is by channel count: analog below about six, digital above it, or leave the television bands entirely if the market is crowded and the room is small.
Shure BLX24/SM58 Wireless Microphone System - 14-Hour Battery Life, 300 ft Range, UHF
$389.00 Specs and sizingThe common landing place for a church rebuilding after the repack. Up to twelve compatible channels per band, a capsule everyone already knows, and a price a committee can approve four of at once.
Best for: Two to four analog channels in a 100 to 500 seat room
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Shure SLXD24/SM58 Digital Wireless Microphone System - Includes SLXD2 Handheld Transmitter with SM58 Vocal Mic Capsule and SLXD4 Single Channel Rack Mount Receiver
$769.00 Specs and sizingDigital transmission with much tighter channel spacing, which is precisely the property the repack made valuable. This is what makes a ten channel plan fit in what is left.
Best for: Churches running more than about six channels
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Shure GLXD24+/SM58 Digital Wireless Vocal System - Z3 Band
$659.00 Specs and sizingDual band 2.4 and 5.8 GHz with automatic frequency management, so no future television auction can strand it and there is no coordination to maintain. Range is about 100 feet.
Best for: Small rooms in markets where every TV channel is occupied
Check price on AmazonHow 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
Frequently asked questions
What exactly did the 600 MHz repack take away?
Television channels 38 to 51, which is the spectrum from 614 to 698 MHz, or 84 MHz in total. That was roughly 37 percent of the usable wireless microphone band. What remains is 470 to 608 MHz for full power operation, plus a two megahertz sliver at 614 to 616 MHz restricted to 20 mW.
When did church wireless microphones have to stop using 600 MHz?
By the end of the repack transition in 2020, and sooner in markets where mobile carriers deployed early. The auction itself concluded in 2017 and the broadcaster moves were phased over the following years. Manufacturer rebate and trade-in programmes ran during that window and have since closed.
Can any of our old 600 MHz equipment be saved?
The radios cannot. A receiver front end is tuned by physical components for a span of roughly 24 to 56 MHz, and software can select a frequency inside that span but cannot move it. What often survives is the accessories: capsules, lavalier elements, belt clips and charging parts frequently fit current systems from the same manufacturer.
Did the repack affect 2.4 GHz or 900 MHz systems?
Not at all. The auction covered television spectrum only, so VHF, 902 to 928 MHz, 1920 to 1930 MHz, 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz were untouched and remain legal and unlicensed. That immunity is the main reason churches burned by the repack now choose licence-free bands for at least some of their channels.
Do we need to move from analog to digital because of the repack?
Only if your channel count justifies it. Below about six channels, analog still fits comfortably in the remaining band and the audible difference at the back of a 200 seat room is nil. Above six, digital roughly doubles what fits in each open television channel, and that density is what makes a larger plan possible at all.
How do we avoid being caught out by the next auction?
Split the risk. Keep the channels that need range and power in the UHF television band, and put fixed short throw positions on licence-free bands that no television auction can reach. Mixing bands also means one source of interference cannot take out every channel at once, which is a reliability gain as well as a hedge.
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.