Info
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Info
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EN 55022:1994 Resuscitated (again)
We’ve just received word through the American Council of Independent Laboratories (ACIL) that CENELEC has agreed to shift the date of EN 55022:1994 from 2003-08-01 to 2005-08-01, promptly issue the related Corrigendum, and to inform the Commission. Companies still experiencing difficulty meeting the Telecommunications Line Conducted Emissions requirements of the latest version of EN55022 will appreciate the relief.
FCC May Get Increased Fining Authority
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) would be given the authority to levy significantly more onerous fines if a bill being considered by the Commerce Committee of the U.S. Senate becomes law.
The Wall Street Journal reports that fines for violating FCC rules could jump tenfold, and activities on lobbyist would be further restricted, under a reauthorization bill introduced in mid-June by Senator John McCain (R., AZ), who chairs the Committee. McCain’s bill reportedly has the support of Senator Ernest Hollings (D., S.C.), increasing its chances of gaining broader support.
In addition to the substantial increase in the Commission’s authority to levy fines, the proposed legislation would also extend the statute of limitations on violations of the agency’s rules from one year to two.
Other provisions include restrictions that would prevent top staffers from lobbying the agency for one year after leaving their positions, and a ban on the payment of travel expenses of FCC officials by companies and private interest groups.
The bill is expected to face tough opposition in the Senate.
Patriot Missile Systems May Be EMI Susceptible
The Wall Street Journal reports that military investigators are exploring the possibility that electromagnetic interference (EMI) may have been the cause for two friendly fire incidents during the Iraq war involving Patriot missiles that resulted in downing of two allied fighters and the deaths of three airmen.
A British Tornado fighter-bomber was accidentally targeted and destroyed by a Patriot PAC-2 missile near the Iraq-Kuwait border in late March, killing the crew of two. A few days later, a Patriot PAC-3 missile struck a U.S. Navy F/A-18C Hornet, killing that plane’s pilot.
According to the Journal report, investigators have ruled out either manual error by the operators of the Patriot missile batteries, or mistakes by the missiles themselves, and are now focusing on whether the extremely close positioning of multiple missile batteries on the ground resulted in elevated levels of EMI that interfered with the systems’ high-powered radars.
Military officials admit that the Patriot missile batteries were moved around the battlefield during the war to protect U.S. and British ground troops, and at times were clustered in close proximity to one another. And, although all military systems are tested for susceptibility to EMI, the Journal quotes one source who said “If you look at the intensity of the radiation in that battlefield area, I don’t believe anyone would say that particular environment had been duplicated before. It was very, very intense.”
The Patriot missile system has undergone a $3 billion dollar upgrade over the past decade following less than stellar results in the Persian Gulf War in 1991. The system’s developers, Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, have praised the new Patriot’s performance, pointing to nine shoot downs of missiles during the war with Iraq.
A full report on the investigation into the Patriot friendly fire incidents is due out in the coming months.
An Update on E-Bombs
Taking to heart the admonition from the movie Dr Strangelove that “it isn’t a deterrent if you don’t tell anyone about it,” the U.S. Department of Defense is beginning to release information on a technological weapon that has been in the development stages for nearly 20 years.
So says a report in a recent issue of PC Magazine on high-power microwave (HPM) generators that are under development at an Air Force research laboratory in Albuquerque, NM. HPM technologies are now ready to move from the development stage to actual deployment, making the prospective use of e-bombs in future conflicts likely according to some Pentagon watchers.
As we previously reported (see Conformity, April 2003), HPM generators produce an electromagnetic pulse of up to 2 billion watts that destroys electronics by short-circuiting internal electrical connections. The pulse lasts only microsecond and does not kill people or damage buildings. But, since most of the weapons used on today’s battlefield rely on electronic circuitry and microprocessors, an e-bomb could render enemy forces virtually incapable of fighting or defending themselves.
According to the PC Magazine report, e-bombs based on HPM generators will most probably be used on extremely dangerous or sensitive missions, such as incapacitating an enemy missile battery located in a heavily populated area. The Air Force is also exploring the prospects for the development of repeatable HPM generators that could be carried by cruise missiles to fly close to multiple targets, disabling them one at a time.
However, e-bombs are so stealthy that their actual use may never be disclosed. According to James Benford, president of Microwave Sciences, “HPM is a weapon of surprise. It’s utterly deniable. The guys on the ground won’t even think it was a weapon. They’ll think something happened to their computer network again.”
FCC amends Part 15
The FCC, in there Second Report and Order and Memorandum Opinion and Order released on July 17, 2003, have made several changes to Part 15 and other parts of the rules. Specifically, it:
Relaxes the restricted band emission limits for the second and third harmonics of low-power transmitters operating in the 24.0-24.25 GHz band.
Removes the restriction on data transmissions by remote control device because it may hinder the development of new types of devices, and the distinction between control signals and data signals is becoming increasingly blurred.
Relaxes the requirements for radio frequency identification (RFID) systems operating at 13.56 MHz to allow faster data transmission. RFID systems use a small transmitter attached to an item that transmits data identifying the item.
Streamlines the labeling process for equipment authorized under the Declaration of Conformity (DoC) procedure. As equipment becomes smaller, it becomes more difficult to include all the information currently required on the label.
Changes the authorization requirement from certification to verification (no application required) for transmitters operating below 490 kHz in which all emissions are at least 40 dB below the Part 15 limit.
Make minor corrections and updates to Part 15 and other parts of the rules.
The above was extracted from http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-236561A1.pdf. These changes become effective 120 days after publication in the Federal Register.
BSMI (Taiwan) has a new regulation
All certifications approved by the BSMI before November 1, 2002 are set to expire after December 31, 2003. Companies that wish to continue to sell the products under those certifications must apply for new certifications under the RPC or TA schemes before the end of the year. The new certifications will be good for 3 years and one renewal will be allowed.
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