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AN1200.04 Application Note: FCC Regulations for ISM Band Devices: 902 - 928 MHz
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1 Table of Contents
1 2 3 Table of Contents............................................................................................................................. 2 1.1 Index of Figures ..................................................................................................................... 2 1.2 Index of Tables ...................................................................................................................... 2 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 3 An Overview of FCC Regulations .................................................................................................... 3 3.1 FCC Part 15 ........................................................................................................................... 3 3.2 Part 15.247 ............................................................................................................................ 3 3.2.1 Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum Requirements ...................................................... 3 3.2.2 Digital Modulation Scheme Requirements ........................................................................ 4 3.3 Part 15.249 ............................................................................................................................ 5 3.4 Part 15.243 ............................................................................................................................ 5 3.5 Part 15.245 ............................................................................................................................ 5 Device Measurements ..................................................................................................................... 6 4.1 Part 15.247 Measurements for Frequency Hopping Systems............................................... 6 4.1.1 20 dB Channel Bandwidth................................................................................................. 6 4.1.2 Carrier Frequency Separation ........................................................................................... 6 4.1.3 Number of Hopping Channels ........................................................................................... 7 4.1.4 Dwell Time......................................................................................................................... 7 4.1.5 Peak Output Power ........................................................................................................... 7 4.1.6 Band Edge Conducted Emissions..................................................................................... 7 4.1.7 Spurious RF Conducted Emissions................................................................................... 9 4.2 Part 15.247 Measurements for Digital Modulation Schemes ................................................ 9 4.2.1 Signal Bandwidth............................................................................................................... 9 4.2.2 Output Power..................................................................................................................... 9 4.2.3 Spurious RF Conducted Emissions................................................................................. 11 4.2.4 Power Spectral Density ................................................................................................... 11 4.3 Part 15.209 Measurements ................................................................................................. 12 4.3.1 Open-Air Test Site Requirements ................................................................................... 13 4.3.2 Duty Cycle Correction Factor .......................................................................................... 14 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................... 15 Further Information ........................................................................................................................ 15
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2 Introduction
The purpose of this technical note is to assist the engineer in understanding the requirements, including test methodology, of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) towards operating of non-licensed devices operating in the 902 - 928 MHz ISM band. It is intended that this report is read in conjunction with the following documents: Part 15 of Title 47 of the Code of Federal Regulations FCC Office of Engineering and Technology; Understanding the FCC Regulations for LowPower, Non-Licensed Transmitters (OET Bulletin 63); February 1996 FCC Filing and Measurement Guidelines for Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum Systems (DA 00-705); March 30, 2000 FCC Office of Engineering and Technology; Measurement of Digital Transmission Systems Operating under Section 15.247; March 23, 2005
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4. If the 20 dB bandwidth is less than 250 kHz, the system shall use at least 50 channels. The average dwell time on a particular channel shall not exceed 400 mS within a 20 second period. If the 20 dB bandwidth is 250 kHz or greater, then the system shall use at least 25 channels. The average dwell time shall not exceed 400 mS within a 10 second period. 5. The maximum allowed 20 dB bandwidth of the hopping channel is 500 kHz. 6. For systems employing at least 50 channels, the maximum peak conducted output power output is +30 dBm (1 W). For systems employing less than 50 channels but at least 25 channels, the maximum output power is +24 dBm (0.25 W). 7. If the antenna used has a directional gain in excess of 6 dBi then the conducted output power shall be reduced by the amount in dB that the directional gain of the antenna exceeds 6 dBi. 8. In any 100 kHz bandwidth outside the frequency band of operation the power shall be at least 20 dB below that in the 100 kHz bandwidth within the band that contains the highest level of the desired power. 9. Radiated harmonic and spurious emissions which fall within the restricted bands, as defined in FCC Part 15.205 must comply with the radiated emission limits specified in FCC Part 15.209. Please refer to Sections 4.1.7 and 4.2.3 for further details. From the above it can be seen that in the process of frequency hopping the signal appears to occupy a very wide bandwidth, although the instantaneous signal bandwidth can is either narrowband or wideband (providing that the 20 dB signal bandwidth does not exceed 500 kHz).
FHSS
f C1
fC2
f C3
fC4
fC
Figure 1: FHSS and Digital Modulation Scheme Spectrums
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2. The maximum permitted peak conducted output power is +30 dBm (1 W). However, the power spectral density conducted from the intentional radiator to the antenna shall not be greater than 8 dBm in any 3 kHz band during any time interval of continuous transmission. 3. If the antenna used has a directional gain in excess of 6 dBi then the conducted output power described shall be reduced by the amount in dB that the directional gain of the antenna exceeds 6 dBi. 4. In any 100 kHz bandwidth outside the frequency band of operation the power shall be at least 20 dB below that in the 100 kHz bandwidth within the band that contains the highest level of the desired power. 5. Radiated harmonic and spurious emissions which fall within the restricted bands, as defined in FCC Part 15.205 must comply with the radiated emission limits specified in FCC Part 15.209. Please refer to Sections 4.1.7 and 4.2.3 for further details. Direct sequence spread spectrum applies to the direct multiplication of the binary data at the transmitter by a pseudo-random bit sequence to generate a transmitted data stream defined in terms of a kilochips/second data rate. At the receiver, the reverse process is applied to recover the original binary data stream. The effect of this process is to generate a transmitted modulation spectrum that approaches that of random (or white) noise. Since the power spectral density of random noise is less than that of a coherent signal at the same power level, this allows for a higher transmit power level to be maintained whilst still complying with FCC regulations. From the above it can be seen that compliance with digital modulation schemes implies wideband modulation.
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4 Device Measurements
4.1 Part 15.247 Measurements for Frequency Hopping Systems
Unless specified, the spectrum analyzer detector should be set to peak; the video bandwidth (VBW) should be equal or greater than the resolution bandwidth (RBW) of the instrument, and the display set to peak hold.
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With reference to the observations of Section 4.1.1, the channel separation, at 100 kHz, complies with FCC requirements. If numerous data rates and frequency deviation settings are applied for different modes of operation, a separate measurement must be made for each mode.
Modulation Disabled
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Figure 4: Measurement of Hopping Channel Dwell Time An example of a band edge emissions measurement is indicated below in Figure 5. Note that although there is evidence of switching transients below the band edge of 902 MHz, and the skirt of the transmitter is clearly visible, that these are below the 20 dB limit of the specification.
20 dB
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6 dB
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If the sweep time of the spectrum analyzer is < T, then spectral trace averaging and summing the power across the band can be employed. This procedure should only be employed if it results in averaging over intervals where the transmitter is operating at maximum output power. The procedure is listed below: 1. Set the frequency span of the spectrum analyzer to be wide enough to cover the entire modulated signal. 2. Set RBW to 1 MHz and VBW to at least 3 MHz. 3. If the frequency span/number of points of the display (bin width) is < 0.5 RBW then use the spectrum analyzers sample detector. Otherwise select peak detector mode of operation. 4. Select video triggering and ensure that the trigger level only triggers on transmitted pulses at the maximum power level. The transmitter must be set to operate at maximum power over the entire sweep of every sweep. However, if the device transmits continuously, with no off intervals or reduced power intervals, the trigger may be set to free run. 5. Average over 100 traces. 6. Compute power by integrating the spectrum across the 26 dB signal bandwidth. The integration function can be performed by summing power levels in each 1 MHz band (the RBW) in linear power terms. The 1 MHz band power levels to be summed can be obtained by averaging, in linear power terms, power levels in each frequency bin across the 1 MHz. Alternatively, if the spectrum analyzer has a band power measurement function, this can be employed by setting the band limits equal to the band edges of the modulated signal. If the sweep time > T, then the measurement procedure will depend upon the bandwidth of the signal. If the signal bandwidth < the RBW setting, use the spectrum analyzer is zero span mode and average the traces. This procedure should only be employed if it results in averaging over intervals where the transmitter is operating at maximum output power. 1. Set the frequency span of the spectrum analyzer to zero span mode, with the center frequency set to the midpoint between the -26 dB points of the signal. 2. Set RBW at least equal to the signal bandwidth and VBW at least 3 times RBW. If this is not possible use the highest available VBW, although this must be at least equal to RBW. 3. Select the spectrum analyzer sample detector mode. 4. Set the spectrum analyzer sweep time equal to the pulse transmission duration. 5. Select video triggering and ensure that the trigger level only triggers on transmitted pulses at the maximum power level. 6. Average over 100 sweeps and determine the peak from the resulting trace average. If the signal bandwidth is > than the maximum RBW setting of the spectrum analyzer, use video averaging with the spectrum analyzer set to maximum hold mode and sum the power across the band. 1. Set the frequency span of the spectrum analyzer to be wide enough to cover the entire modulated signal and set the sweep trigger to free run. 2. Set RBW to 1 MHz and the VBW equal or greater than 1/T (where T = pulse transmission time). 3. Select the sample detector mode if the bin width (i.e. the frequency span/number of points displayed is less than 0.5 RBW. Otherwise select peak detector mode. 4. Set the trace to max hold and allow to run for 60 seconds. 5. Calculate the power by integrating the spectrum across the 26 dB signal bandwidth or apply a bandwidth correction factor of 10*log(BW/1 MHz) to the spectral peak of the emission. The integration function can be performed by summing power levels in each 1 MHz band (the RBW) in linear power terms. The 1 MHz band power levels to be summed can be obtained by averaging, in linear power terms, power levels in each frequency bin across the 1 MHz. Alternatively, if the spectrum analyzer has a band power measurement function, this can be employed by setting the band limits equal to the band edges of the modulated signal. However, note that the power spectral density limits, defined in Section 4.2.4 must not be exceeded.
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8 dBm
Figure 7: Measurement of Peak Spectrum Density To measure the average power spectral density: 1. Center the spectrum analyzer on to the emission peak(s) within the signal passband. Set the RBW to 3 kHz and VBW to greater than 9 kHz. The sweep time should be set to automatic. 2. The spectrum analyzers peak detector mode should be used. A sample detector may be employed providing that; (i) the bin width (i.e. frequency span/number of points in the spectrum display) is less than 0.5 RBW; (ii) the transmission pulse or sequence of pulses remains at maximum transmit power throughout each of the 100 sweeps of averaging and that the interval between pulses is not included in any of the sweeps (e.g., 100 sweeps should occur during one transmission, or each sweep gated to occur during a transmission). If this condition cannot be met then a peak detector set to max hold must be used. 3. Select video triggering and ensure that the trigger level only triggers on transmitted pulses at the maximum power level. The transmitter must operate at maximum power for the entire sweep of every sweep. If the device transmits continuously, with no off intervals or reduced power intervals, the trigger may be set to free run. 4. Average over 100 sweeps and determine the peak from the resulting trace average. Ensure that in averaging mode that the spectrum analyzer does not default to sample detector mode.
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MHz 0.090 - 0.110 0.495 - 0.505 2.1735 - 2.1905 4.125 - 4.128 4.17725 - 4.17775 4.20725 - 4.20775 6.215 - 6.218 6.26775 - 6.26825 6.31175 - 6.31225 8.291 - 8.294 8.362 - 8.366 8.37625 - 8.38675 8.41425 - 8.41475 12.29 - 12.293 12.51975 - 12.52025 12.57675 - 12.57725 13.36 - 13.41
MHz 16.42 - 16.423 16.69475 - 16.69525 16.80425 - 16.80475 25.5 - 25.67 37.5 - 38.25 73 - 74.6 74.8 - 75.2 108 - 121.94 123 - 138 149.9 - 150.05 156.52475 - 156.52525 156.7 - 156.9 162.0125 - 167.17 167.72 - 173.2 240 - 285 322 - 335.4
MHz 399.9 - 410 608 - 614 960 - 1240 1300 - 1427 1435 - 1626.5 1645.5 - 1646.5 1660 - 1710 1718.8 - 1722.2 2200 - 2300 2310 - 2390 2483.5 - 2500 2690 - 2900 3260 - 3267 3332 - 3339 3345.8 - 3358 3600 - 4400
GHz 4.5 - 5.15 5.35 - 5.46 7.25 - 7.75 8.025 - 8.5 9.0 - 9.2 9.3 - 9.5 10.6 - 12.7 13.25 - 13.4 14.47 - 14.5 15.35 - 16.2 17.7 - 21.4 22.01 - 23.12 23.6 - 24.0 31.2 - 31.8 36.43 - 36.5 Above 38.6
Table 1: Restricted Frequency Bands Within these frequency bands only spurious and harmonic emissions are permitted. Harmonics of wanted transmissions in the 902 - 928 MHz are highlighted in red. Emissions falling within these restricted bands are subject to the radiated emissions limits outlined below. Frequency (MHz) 0.009 - 0.490 0.490 - 1.705 1.705 - 30.0 30 - 88 88 - 216 216 - 960 > 960 Field Strength (V/m) 2400/f (kHz) 24000/f (kHz) 30 100 150 200 500 Measurement Distance (m) 300 30 30 3 3 3 3 Conducted (dBm) 12.4 - 20*log(f)kHz 12.4 - 20*log(f)kHz -46 -56 -52 -49 -41
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3m
Figure 8: 3 Meter Test Site Generally, radiated emissions measurements are performed by an FCC accredited laboratory as part of the submission to the FCC. A list of accredited laboratories can be obtained from the FCC.
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5 Conclusions
It should be noted that this technical note is intended to provide an awareness and understanding of the FCC requirements for un-licensed intentional radiators operating in the 902 - 928 MHz band. It provides an outline of the main regulatory requirements of Subparts 15.247 and 15.249, together with the test methodology employed to ensure that the device complies with the current regulations. This document highlights that by employing spread spectrum techniques or pulsed transmissions it is possible to transmit at higher emission levels. It is recommended that final product testing be performed at an FCC accredited test laboratory for final product certification.
6 Further Information
The latest published version of Part 15 of Title 47 of the Code of Federal Regulations can be obtained from the National Archives and Records Administration Code of Federal Regulations website at the following link: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/cfr-table-search.html#page1 FCC Office of Engineering and Technology; Understanding the FCC Regulations for Low-Power, Non-Licensed Transmitters (OET Bulletin 63); February 1996: http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Engineering_Technology/Documents/bulletins/oet63/oet63rev.pdf FCC Filing and Measurement Guidelines for Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum Systems (DA 00705); March 30, 2000: http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Engineering_Technology/Public_Notices/2000/da000705.txt FCC Office of Engineering and Technology; Measurement of Digital Transmission Systems Operating under Section 15.247; March 23, 2005: http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/oet/forms/blobs/IDBretrieve.cgi?attachment_id=20422 The Federal Communications Commission website can be found at: The Office of Engineering and Technology of the FCC home page: http://www.fcc.gov/ http://www.fcc.gov/oet/
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