CONTENT
C63 2003 MEETING SERIES
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
SUMMARY OF RECENT ACTIONS
SUBCOMMITTEE 1 NOVEMBER MEETING REPORT
SUBCOMMITTEE 6 NOVEMBER MEETING REPORT
SUBCOMMITTEE 8 NOVEMBER MEETING REPORT
CISPR/A TECHNICAL ADVISOR (TA) REPORT
C63 OFFICERS’ DIRECTORY
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C63 2003 MEETING SERIES
Two C63 Meeting Series are scheduled for 2003. Current plans are:
April 8-10 (IEEE Operations Center in Piscataway, NJ
October 28-30 (Location not yet confirmed)
For both series, Subcommittee 1 and its Working Groups are scheduled to meet on the first day of the series, Subcommittees 3, 5, 6 and 8 will meet on the second day and C63’s Main Committee will meet from 8AM to 5 PM on the last day of the series. (Herb Mertel will send April meeting details when arrangements are finalized.)
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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION SUMMARY OF RECENT ACTIONS
by William Hurst
Biennial Regulatory Review of Part 15 (ET Docket 01-278)
As part of the Commission’s review of Part 15 a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) covering a wide variety of topics and proposed revisions to Part 15. Action on this item is expected in the next few months. Proposals of interest include:
- • Update the measurement procedure in Part 15 from ANSI C63.4-1992 to C63.4-2000. See footnote 72, page 16 of the NPRM, ET Docket No. 01-278, which states: "During the pendency of this proceeding, we will accept the use of ANSI C63.4-2000 to the extent that there are no substantive differences from the earlier edition."
• Incorporate the measurement procedure ANSI C63.17-1998 for Unlicensed Personal Communication Service (PCS) Equipment into the rules.
• Laboratory accreditation and test firm listing requirements, section 2.948
Radar Detectors (ET Docket 01-278 and Public Notice DA 02-2852)
Radar detectors are now required to be certified under FCC Part 15 of the rules. Under Part 15 of the FCC rules most devices that unintentionally radiate radio frequency energy, such as computers and receivers, are required to comply with radiated emission limits before they may be marketed. Receivers that tune only above 960 MHz have been exempt from complying with the limits because they have generally not been a source of interference to authorized radio services. Recently, however, there have been a number of cases of harmful interference to VSATs which have been attributed to radar detectors. Tests at the Commission’s Laboratory have shown that some radar detectors emit radio signals in the VSAT downlink band far in excess of the limits that apply to other unintentional radiators.
TCB Training Course
The FCC in conjunction with the TCB Council held a training course on General RF Radiation Exposure (October 22-25, 2002). The workshop provided a repeat of the General RF Exposure course taught last year and updated information on items of interest to TCBs. A new TCB Exclusion List has been issued which permits TCBs to certify more types of products that have been previously excluded due to RF Radiation Exposure considerations.
Digital Transmission Technologies (News Release, May 16, 2002)
The FCC has amended its rules to promote the introduction of new digital transmission technologies for high-speed wireless communications. Specifically, the Commission has modified Part 15 of its rules to permit new digital transmission technologies to operate in the 902-928 MHz (915 MHz), 2400–2483.5 MHz (2.4 GHz) and 5725–5850 MHz (5.7 GHz) bands under the current rules for spread spectrum systems. The Commission also provided flexibility in the design and operation of frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) systems in the 2.4 GHz band and eliminated the processing gain requirement for direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) systems.
Line Conducted (ET Docket 98-80)
In the docket on line conducted emissions the FCC has amended Parts 15 and 18 of the rules to revise the limits on the amount of radio frequency (RF) energy that is permitted to be conducted onto the AC power lines. The docket harmonizes the FCC standards on conducted emission limits with the international standards developed by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), International Special Committee on Radio Interference (CISPR).
Ultra-Wideband Transmission Systems (ET Docket 98-153)
The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) adopted a First Report and Order that permits the marketing and operation of certain types of new products incorporating ultra-wideband (UWB) technology. UWB has the potential to be used in a variety of applications such as radar imaging of objects buried under the ground or behind walls and short-range, high-speed data transmissions.
UWB devices operate by employing very narrow or short duration pulses that result in very large or wideband transmission bandwidths. With appropriate technical standards, UWB devices can operate using spectrum occupied by existing radio services without causing interference, thereby permitting scarce spectrum resources to be used more efficiently. The standards adopted are a cautious first step with UWB technology.
The Order establishes different technical standards and operating restrictions for three types of UWB devices based on their potential to cause interference. These three types of UWB devices are:
- • imaging systems including Ground Penetrating Radars (GPRs), wall, through-wall, medical imaging, and surveillance devices,
• vehicular radar systems, and
• communications and measurement systems.
The FCC has recently released, on the FCC interpretation database, a list of frequently asked questions concerning UWB.
FCC Allocates Spectrum for Advanced Wireless Services and Proposes Licensing and Service Rules. (ET Docket No. 00-258 / WT Docket No. 02-353)
The FCC allocated 90 MHz of spectrum for advanced wireless service, including services commonly referred to as “Third Generation” or “IMT-2000.” Two 45 MHz bands, located at 1710-1755 MHz and 2110-2155 MHz, were allocated.
Spectrum Policy Task Force Presents Recommendations for Spectrum Policy Reform.
The FCC’s Spectrum Policy Task Force presented recommendations to modernize the rules that guide how the spectrum is managed and utilized.
- • Access – Some spectrum bands are heavily used, but many others are not in use all geographic areas or are used only part of the time.
• Technology – Technological advances such as the used of digital technologies and the development of software-define radios are providing new opportunities to managing the spectrum. There is now the possibility of spectrum rights to be parceled as a function of time, in addition to the currently-used parameters of frequency and geographic area. Also, they allow systems to be much more tolerant of interference than in the past.
• Rights and Responsibilities – Spectrum rights and responsibilities are not always clearly defined – users need more certainty.
FCC Introduces Phase-In Plan For DTV Tuners.
The FCC adopted a plan that will give consumers access to digital programming over television by requiring off-air digital TV (DTV) tuners on nearly all new TV sets by 2007.
FCC Clarifies Equipment Certification Procedures for "Learned Mode" or "Trainable" Transmitters. (Public Notice DA 02-2850)
“Learned Mode” or “Trainable” transmitters are typically sold as universal replacements or duplicates for garage door opener controls, keyless entry systems, security alarm systems, remote switches, and similar types of radio controlled devices. A public notice has been issued to clarify the information that needs to be provided in an application for certification of such devices.
FCC Staff Releases Report "Measured Emissions Data for Use in Evaluating the Ultra-Wideband (UWB) Emissions Limits in the Frequency Bands Used by the Global Positioning System (GPS) (ET Docket No. 98-153 / Public Notice DA 02-2786).
In adopting new rules for UWB, the Commission stated that it would review the standards for UWB. The FCC laboratory undertook a study to measure the levels of ambient radio noise that exist in the GPS frequency bands at a variety of indoor and outdoor locations. The results of these tests show that the GPS frequency bands generally have very low levels of ambient radio noise in outdoor environments. The FCC Laboratory also measured the radio frequency emissions from a number of radio frequency devices, including personal computers, hairdryers and electric drills. These products generally had emissions above the limits established for UWB devices, but well below the current Part 15 emission limits for digital and other radio frequency devices.
The Commission Seeks Public Comment in the 2002 Biennial Review of Telecommunications Regulations within the Purview of the Office of Engineering and Technology (ET Docket No. 02-312).
The FCC is in the process of conducting its comprehensive 2002 biennial review of Parts 2, 5 and 15. The FCC is seeking suggestions from the public as to what rules should be modified or repealed as part of the 2002 biennial review.
Measurement Procedure Updated for Peak Transmit Power in the Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) Bands. (Public Notice DA 02-2138)
The current U-NII rules define “Peak Transmit Power” as the maximum transmit power as measured over an interval of time. To accommodate new technology, the measurement procedure for U-NII devices has been revised to allow peak transmit power to be averaged across symbols over an interval of time equal to the transmission pulse duration of the device or over successive pulses. Appendix A of the public notice provides an acceptable measurement procedure.
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SUBCOMMITTEE 1 NOVEMBER MEETING REPORT
By Don Heirman, Chair
4.1 C63.15 Immunity C63.15
The comment resolution committee has evaluated the comments received on the ballot. Most of the comments were editorial in nature and the Chairman of C63 must now review the ballot resolution for approval.
4.2 C63.22 Automated measurements
In pre publishing stage; author needs copies of recirc ballot comments. Next step is to see if original PINS still adequately covers this immunity work (Action item SC1-02NOV-1 for D. Heirman to discuss the need to keep the same PINS and change the title of the standard with the second edition).
4.3 C63.2 Instrumentation
Still questioning the need to change bandwidth requirements in C63.2 since it would not affect military standard tests as they have a clause in MIL STD 461E to use their standard is there are conflicts. This question is to be presented to Mr. Southworth for consideration by the military and his ad hoc group. ACTION item SC1-02NOV-2, Mr. Windler will submit this question to Mr. Southworth.
4.4 Measurements > 1GHz
First, the cables and connectors must be evaluated for stability over frequency after disconnect and re-connect operations. The Chair emphasized that this project will continue well into 2002 and needs to be coordinated with project 1-15.9 which is charged with the maintenance of C63.4.
4.5 LISNs (non-invasive power conducted measurements on signal lines)
ACTION item SC1-02NOV-3 for Mr. Bronaugh to discuss the status of this working group with Mr. Lichtig and if he can get sponsorship, he will reply to the chairman by December 15, 2002 his status as taking over the chairmanship of this WG.
4.6 C63.16 ESD
Work is in C63 to prepare an invitation to ballot to attach a revised draft being prepared by ESD WG.
4.7 Uncertainty C63.23
Draft circulated to SC1. There are several assignments in Clause 5 to be completed for the next draft. New Action Item SC1-02NOV-4 for Ed Bronaugh and Mike Windler to develop example reference clauses that would be added to existing C63 standards where applicable.
4.8 C63.5 Antennas
C63.5 is pre-publication process and in hands of Chair of C63 for final resolution. The next work is to include log periodic dipole arrays (complex fit NSA) and horn antenna calibrations in the next edition.
4.9 FAR test facility
Working group chair developing a “white paper” to determine what should be done in C63 on this project different than that going on in CISPR with their joint task force on FAR facilities. The issue was raised as to the implementation of fully anechoic rooms and the application of errors or uncertainties introduced by smaller anechoic rooms. Dr. Showers suggested this issue be discussed at the steering committee for further guidance
4.10 Reverb PINS-C
Working group chair developing a “white paper” to determine what should be done in C63 on this subject that is different than that going on in CISPR with their joint task force. It was suggested that it would be worthwhile to have a guidance document on how to convert a shielded room into a reverberation chamber.
4.11 C63.4 Status of deferred items and use of GTEM > 1 GHz
Default ballot closed 13 Nov. Reviewed status of deferred items until the 2004 edition of C63.4 including use of ferrites on cables. Discussed extending GTEM use above 1 GHz. Mr. Hurst expressed support for C63 participating with other interested parties on developing correlation or qualification tests for GTEM devices. Interest was expressed in establishing a joint project with other interested parties (TIA, IEEE, etc.) to develop correlation methods and/or site qualification requirements for GTEM devices to be used above 1 GHz. Suggestion was made to set up a joint task force with TIA, IEEE, etc.
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SUBCOMMITTEE 6 NOVEMBER MEETING REPORT
by Dan Hoolihan Chair
Subcommittee 6 (Laboratory Accreditation) met Wednesday noon for two hours with about 15 people in attendance.
The Checklists are still being refined in the subcommittee; the latest version of CISPR 22 and CISPR 14-2 need to be added to the compendium. A common modifications list of differences between European Norms and International Standards was reviewed and discussed. The goal is to have a DRAFT Compendium of Standards-Based checklists ready by 1 May 2003.
The Working Group on Proficiency Testing discussed their plan for 2003. They are going to develop a PT program to include circulating an artifact to laboratories, documenting the results, and drafting a guide or standard similar to ISO/IEC Guide 43. Both lab assessor groups (A2LA and NIST-NVLAP) stated there was a need for such a program.
The Working Group on Antenna Calibrations has had no activity and the Subcommittee recommended to the parent committee that it be dissolved.
Jon Crickenberger reported on NVLAP accreditation status; he said there are approximately 200 EMC-Telecom labs in their program. They have been using a Generic Checklist since March of 2002 and expanding the scope of accreditation of labs based on the generic checklist. They are also developing a web-based system for labs in the program which will allow them to check the status of their accreditation.
Trace McInturff reported that A2LA had about 85 EMC-Telecom labs in their accreditation data base. They also have accredited Blue-Tooth labs, Safety labs, CTIA labs, and Automotive EMC labs.
Bill Hurst, from the FCC, reported on the status of Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) between the US government and other government entities. He said there are 95 labs in the US/EU MRA (47 from the US, 48 from the European Union). The US has Phase I agreements (acceptance of test results) with both Canada and Taipei under the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) MRA. Work is progressing on expanding the Canadian Agreement to include Phase II; acceptance of Certification. He also discussed China, Singapore, Australia, Japan, and New Zealand. Bill reviewed the CITEL MRA for South America; he said that Brazil will probably be the first country to participate in CITEL.
Don Heirman disussed NACLA; he mentioned that the Second Annual Forum on Lab Accreditation sponsored by NACLA will be held March 17 and 18 (2003) in Columbia, Maryland at the Columbia Sheraton hotel.
The Automotive EMC Laboratory Recognition Program was discussed. A copy of their latest criteria for accreditation was distributed electronically to the Subcommittee. The subcommittee agreed to submit comments by 15 December 2002.
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SUBCOMMITTEE 8 NOVEMBER MEETING REPORT
by Dan Hoolihan, Chair
SC-8 (Medical Devices and EMC) met the morning of November 13th with about 15 people present.
Jeff Silberberg reported on the progress of Revision 1 of C63.18 – AdHoc test procedure. We expect to have a first Draft ready by 1 May 2003 and it will reflect comments from users of the document. It will also be publicized to the American Hospital Association and similar organizations when it is released in order to generate more users of the document. The technical report, C63.21, was sent back for more research as the Subcommittee decided that the impedances used in the study were all 50 ohms and additional information is needed on impedances of medical devices (around 1 megohm).
A revision of C63.19 (interaction of cell phones and hearing aids) is being considered to bring in the European approach of using GTEM cells. A PINS has been written for this revision but a decision will be made at the April meeting of SC-8 as to recommend to the main committee to continue or not to continue with the project.
A report was given by Jeff Silberberg on a meeting of the Mobile Health Care Alliance (MoHCA), a health informatics group. This group is reviewing the use of wireless devices in hospital and similar environments. Jeff also reported on the progress on Amendment 1 to IEC 60601-1-2; he will be attending a meeting of the Mainteneance Team in Japan the week of November 18 to begin to review of the 37 comments that have been received on the latest revision. Jeff also said that one proposed major change to a possible 3rd edition of 60601-1-2 is to allow “home-use” devices with professional supervision.
Jon Casamento of the FDA reported on some on-going discussions between the FAA and the FDA on patient-worn medical devices. There was an article entitled “Development of Emulator for Walk-Through Metal Detectors” by Jon, M. Misakian, and O.B. Laug published in Volume 44, Number 3, August, 2002 of the IEEE Transactions on EMC. The FDA has an interest in low-frequency, high-current measurements representing H-field sources.
Don Witters (FDA) had an interest in three possible EMC isssues:
1 – New technologies as a source of interference
2 – New technologies as a victim of interference
3 – Magnetic Resonance Imaging environments – impact on medical devices.
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CISPR/A TECHNICAL ADVISOR (TA) REPORT
by Herb Mertel
Since the CISPR meeting in New Zealand in October 2002 the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) has been busy to comment on several documents. The complete text of the documents is available for the purpose of informing the EMC industry about the CISPR work from: hmertel@ieee.org for a handling charge of $10.00. Send Credit card number to Fax No: (760) 741-5327 . A summary of each document reviewed follows:
CISPR/A/389/CDV - Reverberation Chamber Methods - The TAG prepared 15 comments on this Joint Task Force Document with IEC/TC77B.This document will become IEC 61000-4-21.
CISPR/A/400/CD - Validation of a Test Site - The TAG prepared 24 comments primarily concerned with the test site usability above 1 GHz. This Committee Draft (CD) is intended to amend CISPR publication 16.1, Clause 5.12.2, Validation of the Test Site, 1 -18 GHz.
CISPR/A/403/CD - Statistics - Applying the 80/80 Rule - The TAG had no comments on this document. This Committee Draft (CD) is intended to modify CISPR publication 16-3, Clause 2 because the present clause does not account for :
(1) A new mathematical approach to the 80% / 80% rule, based on the worst case standard deviation method and
(2) The different properties introduced by the use of tests, based on the non-central t-distribution (Student's) and the worst case standard deviation.
CISPR/A/406/CD - Measurements Methods Above 1 GHz - The TAG had 9 comments on this document. This Committee Draft (CD) is intended to modify CISPR publication 16-2, Clause 2 because the present clause does not consider measurements above 1 GHz..
CISPR/A/411/CD - Turntable and Tower - The TAG prepared 17 comments primarily concerned with the Turntable, EUT-Table and tower considerations for the 1-18 GHz frequency range. This Committee Draft (CD) is intended to add a Clause to CISPR publication 16.1, Clause 5. This new Clause also covers the 30 MHz to 1,000 MHz range, but this range is less controversial.
CISPR/A/412/CD - A Model for the calculation of limits - The TAG had no comments on this draft. This Committee Draft (CD) is intended to modify CISPR publication 16.3, Clause 3 because the present clause does not account for :
(1) Digital radio communication services are not considered ,
(2) The existing text suffers from a lack of statistical material and
(3) Emerging wireline communication services using radio frequencies need be taken in account .
CISPR/A/413/CD - Update of LISN Specifications - The TAG made two comments. This Committee Draft (CD) is intended to modify CISPR publication 16.1, Clause 5.1 because the present draft did not account for:
(1) To reduce the influence of the receiver input mismatch by adding an attenuator between the LISN and the receiver input,
(2) To reduce the influence of the unknown mains impedance by specifying a mains decoupling
factor and
(3) To improve the specification of the LISN input impedance.
CISPR/A Documents to be Reviewed
The three documents are scheduled to be reviewed by the TAG in the January/February 2003 time period.
CISPR/A/404/CDV - Calibration of the Absorbing Clamp - This document is a voting document with the vote due on 2003-01-17. This CDV was extensively revised upon the numerous comments received for the CD. It will be published in CISPR Publication 16-1, Clause 5.3 and Annex H. The major changes with respect to the CD are:
(1) Comments were incorporated to avoid a misinterpretation of the document,
(2) The measurement jig was brought in line with the measurement equipment and
(3) The title of the Clause is now: 5.3 Absorbing Clamp Instrumentation because the clause contains information about the absorbing Clamp, the secondary absorbing device and the absorbing clamp test site.
CISPR/A/424/CD - Calibration of Common Mode Absorption Devices - This document is a Committee Draft with the vote due on 2003-02-07. The text presented is to be added to CISPR 16-1. The calibration method presented determines the insertion loss of absorbing devices used for terminating the signal cables leaving the test setup table. This document is related to the ...404/CDV.
CISPR/A/419/FDIS - Emission and Immunity Testing in Transverse Electomagnetic (TEM) Waveguides - This document is the Final Draft International Standard (FDIS) with vote due on 2003-01-10. It underwent already the CD and the CDV review. It will be published as IEC 61000-4-20.
