The requirements for electrical equipment can be divided into three procedures:
- Verification
- Declaration of Conformity (DoC), and
- Certification
Verification and DoC mean that, after obtaining a suitable test report, the manufacturer can declare that the requirements are fulfilled. These two categories apply to all electrical equipment that does include radio transmitters. Radio transmitters cannot be marketed or used on the basis of a manufacturer's declaration, but must be certified by the FCC, i.e. a form of type approval.
EMC
There are no official requirements in the USA for testing the immunity of equipment to interference. EMC requirements consist only of specification of permissible levels of radiated and mains-borne interference emitted by the equipment. Parts 15 and 18 of CFR 47 regulate EMC requirements. SP is accredited for the necessary measurements required by the FCC. Our test site is also listed and approved by the FCC.
Radio
All radio equipment in the USA must be certified and approved by the FCC or a TCB before it can be released to the market. Approved radio transmitters are issued with an approval number, their FCC ID, which is linked to an approval referred to as a ”Grant”.
SP is the only body in Sweden that has been appointed by the FCC as a Telecommunication Certification Body (TCB). In this capacity, we can perform the necessary certification of radio transmitters required by the FCC, and thus issue the required approvals for sale of equipment on the American market.
The requirements for radio transmitters in the USA can be divided into two categories: ”unlicensed”, which are low-power short-range radios (SRD), for which no licences are required, and ”licensed” which are other radio equipment that must be licensed, or which have dedicated frequency bands, , e.g. Land Mobile Radio, cellular radio systems, marine radio etc. The requirements applicable to ”unlicensed” equipment are set out in Part 15 of CFR 47, while the requirements for ”licensed” equipment are spread among various parts. Those for, for example, Land Mobile Radio are in Parts 90 and 95, while those for cellular systems are in Parts 22/24 etc.
SP is accredited for test measurements of both these categories.
Electrical safety
Electrical safety requirements for the American market are specified by various bodies, one of which is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Equipment used in workplaces must be safe, and be certified by an inspection body recognised by OSHA. Other specifiers of safety requirements include insurance companies and local authorities. There are no voltage limits similar to those in the EU Low Voltage Directive.
We always recommend that our customers should include an electrical safety review of products intended for the American market. If this is done in conjunction with an inspection for the EU market, the additional cost is minimal. To this must be added the costs for certification and manufacturing inspection. The IEC 60 950-1/UL 60 950-1 telecommunication product standards are very similar to the EU EN 60 950-1 standard.