United States – FCC Provides Additional Guidance Regarding Part 15 Antennas 

Be advised, after August 25, 2022, ALL FCC Part 15 applications will be required to provide specific documentation related to any approved antennas accompanying a certification. 

An antenna manufacturer’s datasheet is acceptable, but only if it includes the name and address of the manufacturer, the model number of antennas being listed, the maximum or peak gain of the antennas, the frequency bands of operation, and 2D or 3D antenna patterns. 

If a manufacturer’s datasheet is not available, or fails to provide sufficient information outlined above, an Antenna Under Test (AUT) Report will then be required as part of the submission for certification. The AUT Report is a comprehensive report that must include much of the information required from the manufacturer’s datasheet, such as max gain, bands of operation, polarization and radiation plots, etc. However, in addition the AUT Report will also require significant documentation of how the data is collected. These include items such as test methodology, traceability/calibration information of the equipment used, description of the test site/chamber, and full electrical/mechanical specifications, etc. 

Those rule parts with limits based on radiated field strength (Part 15.249 for example) can provide a simple attestation that states all measurements were taken radiated, and antenna gain was accounted for as part of the measurement. No additional information regarding the antenna would be necessary. 

Europe – UKCA: Further Changes Announced 

As we outlined in our previous newsletter, the UK has announced that “goods which previously required CE marking will not need to use UKCA marking until January 2023”, when UKCA marking will become mandatory. 

However, the UK Government has announced legislation introduced that extends the recognition for CE Marking on products being placed on the GB market, allowing the use of either the UKCA or CE Marking until December 31, 2024. 

If you’ve any questions regarding how this may affect your product, reach out to your Ezurio (formerly Laird Connectivity) representative today! More detailed information on the UKCA legislation and requirements can be retrieved here: 

UK conformity assessment - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)