Wireless guitar system frequencies in the UK

The licence-exempt bands Ofcom identifies

Ofcom lists 173.8–175 MHz, 863–865 MHz and 2400–2483.5 MHz as licence-exempt for wireless microphones and monitors, subject to the relevant technical requirements. Licence-exempt means you do not buy an individual operating licence; it does not reserve the channel or protect you from other users.

The 2.4 GHz systems in this catalogue sit in shared spectrum also used by Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and other equipment. Congestion is therefore a reliability question even when the equipment is legally compliant.

UHF equipment may need a licence

Ofcom offers shared UK wireless-microphone licences for specified UHF frequencies and coordinated licences for particular sites. These give access to spectrum beyond the small licence-exempt allocations, but shared channels still do not guarantee freedom from local users.

Never choose a UHF system by price alone. Confirm the exact frequency block printed on the transmitter and receiver, then compare it with current Ofcom guidance or ask the retailer to identify the UK-approved variant. A US or Asian-market frequency version can look identical to the UK one.

What about 5.8 GHz guitar systems?

Products such as Xvive A58 and Fender Telepath are sold as 5.8 GHz systems and provide their own declarations and regional specifications. The detailed exemption conditions for short-range devices are more technical than a product-category label, so the safe purchasing rule is to buy the UK/EU-market model from an authorised seller rather than importing an unspecified variant.

Keep the documentation. A declaration of conformity and the model's regulatory markings are more useful than a marketplace listing that merely says 'global frequency'.

Buying checklist for a UK player

This is operational guidance, not legal advice. Spectrum rules and licence products can change, and large productions often use a professional RF coordinator.

• Buy the UK-market frequency variant from a retailer that identifies it clearly.
• Check the exact frequency range, not simply 'UHF' or 'digital'.
• Retain the declaration of conformity and model documentation.
• Use Ofcom's current page before buying or hiring UHF equipment.
• For festivals, theatres and multi-channel productions, coordinate with the venue or an RF professional.