Equipment Limitationsand Certification
Certification
Part 15 devices are designed to be installed and used by the general public. With this in mind, the commission wants them to be as “idiot-proof” as possible. They have severe limitations on what you can do with this gear. For instance, the rules state that:
15.203 - An intentional radiator shall be designed to ensure that no antenna other than that furnished by the responsible party shall be used with the device.
A bit further in, the same sentiment is repeated:
15.204(c) - Only the antenna with which an intentional radiator is authorized may be used with the intentional radiator.
The basics of certification can be found in FCC 2.901 through 2.1093. The requirement for Part 15 devices can be found in 15.201.
Equipment can be certified in two ways: as a component or system. Component certification applies to equipment such as transmitters, amplifiers, or antennas. All can be mixed and matched with each other. However, if you have various equipment certified as a system, the parts of that system can’t be used with other equipment. See 15.203 and 15.204:
15.204(b) - A transmission system consisting of an intentional radiator, an external radio frequency power amplifier, and an antenna, may be authorized, marketed and used under this part. However, when a transmission system is authorized as a system, it must always be marketed as a complete system and must always be used in the configuration in which it was authorized. An external radio ...
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