Sennheiser ranges: A, B, G, Q, R and the EW-DX era
Sennheiser labels ranges with letters rather than block numbers: A1 is 470–516 MHz, A is 516–558, A1-A4 and A1-8 are 470–558, Q1-9 is 470–558, R1-6 is 520–607.8, G is 558–626, B is 626–668 and GB is 606–678 MHz. Everything at or below R1-6 stays inside the legal US band of 470–608 MHz. G loses everything above 617 MHz, while B, B1-8 and GB survive only in slivers at 606–608, 614–616 and 653–663 MHz, and the U, V and Y ranges above 800 MHz are European allocations with no legal US use.
Sennheiser has never used block numbers the way Lectrosonics does. Its ranges are letters, sometimes with a numeric span appended, and the same letter can mean different things across generations. Worse for anyone shopping internationally, several ranges were cut for European allocations that have no US equivalent. Here is the whole catalog with exact edges and legal status.
Ranges that live inside legal US spectrum
These stay at or below 608 MHz and are usable in any US market, subject only to local TV occupancy.
| Range | Span (MHz) | Width | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | 470–516 | 46 MHz | Fully usable |
| A | 516–558 | 42 MHz | Fully usable |
| A1-A4 | 470–558 | 88 MHz | Fully usable |
| A1-8 | 470–558 | 88 MHz | Fully usable |
| AW+ | 470–558 | 88 MHz | Fully usable |
| Q1-9 | 470–558 | 88 MHz | Fully usable |
| R1-6 | 520–607.8 | 87.8 MHz | Fully usable — stops below ch. 37 |
Ranges that cross the 600 MHz line
These reach above 608 MHz, so the number on the box overstates what you can legally tune. The legal-portion column is the honest figure.
| Range | Span (MHz) | Legal US portion | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| G | 558–626 | 558–608 plus 614–616 | Partly illegal — 617+ is carrier spectrum |
| GB | 606–678 | 606–608, 614–616, 653–663 | Mostly illegal |
| B1-8 | 606–694 | 606–608, 614–616, 653–663 | Mostly illegal |
| B | 626–668 | 653–663 MHz only | Mostly illegal |
| A5-W | 516–865 | 516–608, 614–616, 653–663 | Partly illegal above 617 |
Ranges with no US allocation
| Range | Span (MHz) | Status |
|---|---|---|
| V5-7 | 806–870 | No legal US use — above the cleared 700/800 MHz spectrum |
| U1-5 | 823–865 | No legal US use — European UHF |
| V5 | 830–870 | No legal US use — European UHF |
| Y1-3 | 1785–1800 | No legal US use — European DECT band |
The 1785–1800 MHz Y1-3 range is worth singling out, because a 1.8 GHz DECT-style radio sounds like it should be a license-free answer to the whole TV band mess. In the United States it is not — the comparable unlicensed allocation here is 1920–1930 MHz, a different slice entirely. If a package like this follows you home from a European rental house, it does not become legal on arrival. Working the other direction, see wireless mic frequencies in the UK.
The EW-DX era and wider tuning
The newer designations tell the story of where the industry went after the repack. Where the legacy evolution ranges were 42 to 68 MHz wide and scattered up to 678 MHz, the current US-facing ranges — A1-A4, A1-8, Q1-9 — are 88 MHz wide and sit entirely below 558 MHz. R1-6 at 520–607.8 MHz reaches to the ceiling and deliberately stops short of TV channel 37. None of them ask you to plan around a band that is half illegal.
That width is the practical benefit. 88 MHz of continuous tuning is enough to shift an entire multichannel plot off an occupied TV channel without swapping hardware, which is exactly the flexibility a one-block kit lacks — see choosing blocks when you work in more than one market.
What this means at the truck
- If it stops at or below `607.8 MHz`, it is a straightforward buy. A1, A, A1-A4, A1-8, AW+, Q1-9 and R1-6 all qualify.
- If it starts at `606` or `626 MHz`, you are buying slivers. GB, B and B1-8 leave you coordinating inside
653–663 MHz, which is itself split between licensed and unlicensed halves. - If it starts above `800 MHz`, it is not a US radio. U1-5, V5, V5-7 and Y1-3 have no domestic allocation at any power level.
- Wide is not the same as legal. A5-W spans
516–865 MHzand delivers roughly92 MHzof usable US tuning.
Enter a location and get a channel-by-channel read on the spectrum your Sennheiser gear actually tunes.
See what your ranges can do at an addressCommon questions
- What frequencies does the Sennheiser A1 range cover?
- A1 covers 470–516 MHz, a 46 MHz span at the bottom of the UHF TV band. It sits entirely inside the legal US range of 470–608 MHz, so it is usable in any market subject to local TV occupancy.
- Is the Sennheiser G range still usable in the US?
- Partly. G spans 558–626 MHz, and only 558–608 MHz plus the narrow 614–616 MHz guard band are legal — everything from 617 MHz up is 600 MHz service band spectrum sold to mobile carriers. Roughly three quarters of the printed range remains usable.
- Which Sennheiser ranges have no legal US use at all?
- U1-5 (823–865 MHz), V5 (830–870 MHz), V5-7 (806–870 MHz) and Y1-3 (1785–1800 MHz). The first three sit above the 700 and 800 MHz spectrum cleared in the US in 2010, and Y1-3 is a European DECT allocation with no US counterpart.
- How wide are the current EW-DX US ranges?
- A1-A4 and Q1-9 both span 470–558 MHz, which is 88 MHz of continuous tuning, and R1-6 spans 520–607.8 MHz. All three sit entirely below TV channel 37 at 608 MHz, so none of the range is lost to the 600 MHz reallocation.
Sources
Related notes
Field Notes are general reference, not legal advice or a substitute for the rule text. Spectrum rules change; verify anything you are relying on against the current source before you transmit. See the methodology and disclaimer.