cDASY6 acceptance by FCC

Update from the TCB Council Workshop in Baltimore (2-4 May 2017).

Another major milestone in the regulatory approval of cDASY6 was achieved at the recent Telecommunication Certification Body (TCB) Council workshop (May 2 – 4, 2017) in Baltimore, USA. During his presentation, Mr. Kwok Chan of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) declared

the full acceptance of cDASY6 measurements if performed with Sensor Model Calibrated (SMC) probes and by using the Modulation and Audio Interference Analyzer (MAIA).

This is well in line with the schedule presented during the last TCB workshop in October 2016. It all comes after a successful review of the full documentation for SMC and fulfilling the additional items requested previously by FCC and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) – namely, the extended validation and system check.

In his presentation, Mr. Chan also summarized technical details about some new cDASY6 software features, such as time-averaged specific absorption rate (SAR) testing, specialized phantoms and scaling using the ultra-fast scans. FCC has indicated their gradual acceptance too and is currently reviewing the technical documentation provided by SPEAG. During the Q&A session, Mr. Chan iterated that FCC envisions these features to be approved as an evolution of the existing procedure, rather than just fulfilling a “screening” role, similar to the current probe-array systems.

The presentation contained several other updates which were highly anticipated by the stakeholders in the SAR measurement industry. Here is a short summary:

• The broadband liquid can now be used up to 6 GHz if the reported SAR is expected to be ≤1.2 W/kg. Correction according to KDB 865664 D01 must be applied which will minimize the time needed for liquid exchange;
• The mm-wave probes and miniature waveguides described in the draft technical report of IEC TC106 AHG10 are now available and should be considered for compliance testing. It was noted that the WiGig certifications are gradually moving away from simulations towards measurements. FCC recommends measurement-based approaches for new submissions;
• A plan for the gradual acceptance of sensor array SAR systems, starting with 3G was proposed. The process will be started by FCC after initial review of the final 62209-3 standard;
• Results of measurements performed with specialized phantoms (limb, wrist, front-face, and head-stand) can be accepted, but a FCC Knowledge Database (KDB) inquiry is required to confirm the test methodology and system validation. These will be gradually accepted too;
• Equipment which is not supported by the manufacturer is unacceptable for compliance testing. For a list of DASY products lifetime, please click here;
• SAR measurements for 4-9 MHz are preferred instead of simulations in order to avoid possible issues due to varying methodologies and non-standard simulation procedures. SAR measurement support is available in terms of probe calibrations and validation sources (Confined Loop Antennas - CLA).

DASY summary slide presented at the TCB Council Workshop in Baltimore (May 2017).

 

WiGig summary slide presented at the TCB Council Workshop in Baltimore (May 2017).