NICE AND EASY: Will the FCC “repack” mean all LTE filters are obsolete?

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It’s coming. Within the next two years, a lot of television stations will be moving to new frequencies. The goal here is that channels 37-51 will be given over to a whole new generation of LTE cellular data services, to feed the ever-growing demand for cellular data. The FCC just finished a multi-year plan which will see a lot of stations moving down the spectrum.

So yes, this means that you’ll need a new LTE filter. The new cell services will come in just fine on your TV antenna and there’s a good chance that they’ll interfere with your TV picture.

The kicker is that you can’t buy those filters yet, because no one makes them. Our product team at Solid Signal is working hard with our contract manufacturers to get a filter ready for you, and there are still at least two years before any cell provider starts using those “600MHz” frequencies.

In the meantime, your older antenna could already be picking up frequencies in the 700MHz range that are used for today’s LTE services. If you have unexpected interference in your antenna signals, pick up one of these Channel Master LTE filters and put it inline with your antenna cable. It will take care of today’s problems, and as for tomorrow’s… we will deal with that tomorrow.

About the Author

Stuart Sweet
Stuart Sweet is the editor-in-chief of The Solid Signal Blog and a "master plumber" at Signal Group, LLC. He is the author of over 10,000 articles and longform tutorials including many posted here. Reach him by clicking on "Contact the Editor" at the bottom of this page.