3/5/2012

Federal Communications Commission

Office of Engineering and Technology
Laboratory Division

Guidelines for Compliance Testing of Unlicensed National Information

Infrastructure (U-NII) Devices - Part 15, Subpart E
This document provides guidance for determining compliance of U-NII devices under Part 15, Subpart E of the
FCC rules. It replaces and supersedes guidance contained in Public Notice DA 02-2138 of August 30, 2002 with
changes as follows:
• Revises the spectrum analyzer-based methodologies for measuring maximum conducted power and provides
an option to use an RF power meter;
• Revises the methodologies for measuring Peak Power Spectral Density (PPSD) to match those used to
measure maximum conducted output power;
• Specifies the use of max hold when measuring Emission Bandwidth (EBW);
• Defines compliance with Section 15.407(a)(6) (peak excursion) in terms of the ratio of maximum of the peak-
hold spectrum to the maximum of the average spectrum - eliminating the need to compute the ratio at each
frequency (a process that resulted in unintended failures near band edges);
• Adds guidance for measuring unwanted emissions. The guidance interprets the non-restricted band limit as a
peak limit and restricted band limits as including both average and peak limits. Both restricted and non-
restricted band limits are based on continuous transmission with no subsequent reduction for operational duty
cycle. The guidelines permit both restricted and non-restricted band compliance be demonstrated by radiated
measurements or by antenna-port conducted measurements combined with radiated cabinet emission
measurements.

The document includes acceptable procedures for measuring maximum conducted transmit power, peak power
spectral density, emission bandwidth, peak excursion, and unwanted emissions both in and out of the restricted
bands. Procedures for evaluating Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS) functionality are not covered in this
document. For EUTs that can transmit on multiple outputs simultaneously (e.g., MIMO or beamforming
devices), refer to FCC KDB Publication 662911 for additional guidance.

All operating modes and data rates of the equipment under test (EUT) must satisfy all requirements. Be aware
that the operating mode and data rate that are the worst case for one test may not be the worst case for another test
and be aware that data rate settings may have a significant effect on test results.

Nnote that requirements for testing unwanted emissions in the restricted bands differ between U-NII and DTS
(Section 15.247) in that U-NII measurements are based on continuous transmission, whereas measured DTS
emissions in the restricted bands have been historically permitted to be adjusted downward based on operational
duty cycle of the EUT.

ACCEPTABLE MEASUREMENT PROCEDURES

A) Antenna-port conducted versus radiated testing. All in-band measurements (sections B) through F),
below) are based on antenna-port conducted measurements. However, if antenna-port conducted tests cannot
be performed on the EUT, radiated tests are acceptable to show compliance with the various conducted
emission requirements. See KDB Publication 412172 for converting field strength measurements to EIRP.

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Subtract the antenna gain of the EUT (in dBi) from the EIRP associated with a given in-band measurement to
compute transmit power in the measurement bandwidth.
B) Duty Cycle (x), Transmission Duration (T), and Maximum Power Control Level
1) All measurements are to be performed with the EUT transmitting at 100 percent duty cycle at its
maximum power control level; however, if 100 percent duty cycle cannot be achieved, measurements of
duty cycle, x, and maximum-power transmission duration, T, are required for each tested mode of
operation.
a) T refers to the minimum transmission duration over which the transmitter is on and is
transmitting at its maximum power control level for the tested mode of operation.
b) Duty cycle (x), as used in this document, refers to the fraction of time over which the
transmitter is on and is transmitting at its maximum power control level.
c) The term “maximum power control level” is intended to distinguish between operating power levels
of the EUT and differences in power levels of individual symbols that occur with some modulation
types such as quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). During testing, the EUT is not required to
transmit continuously its highest possible symbol power level. Rather, it should transmit all of the
symbols and should do so at the highest power control level (i.e., highest operating power level) of
the EUT.
2) Measurements of duty cycle and transmission duration shall be performed using one of the following
techniques:
a) A diode detector and an oscilloscope that together have sufficiently short response time to permit
accurate measurements of the on and off times of the transmitted signal.
b) The zero-span mode on a spectrum analyzer if the response time and spacing between bins on the
sweep are sufficient to permit accurate measurements of the on and off times of the transmitted
signal. Set the center frequency of the spectrum analyzer to the center frequency of the transmission.
Set RBW ≥ EBW if possible; otherwise, set RBW to the largest available value. Set VBW ≥ RBW.
Set detector = peak. The zero-span measurement method shall not be used unless both RBW and
VBW are > 50/T, where T is defined in section B)1)a), and the number of sweep points across
duration T exceeds 100. (For example, if VBW and/or RBW are limited to 3 MHz, then the zero-span
method of measuring duty cycle shall not be used if T ≤ 16.7 microseconds.)
C) Maximum conducted output power
1) If possible, configure or modify the operation of the EUT so that it transmits continuously at its maximum
power control level (see section B)).
a) The intent is to test at 100 percent duty cycle; however a small reduction in duty cycle (to no lower
than 98 percent) is permitted if required by the EUT for amplitude control purposes. Manufacturers
are expected to provide software to the test lab to permit such continuous operation.
b) If continuous transmission (or at least 98 percent duty cycle) cannot be achieved due to hardware
limitations (e.g., overheating), the EUT shall be operated at its maximum power control level with the
transmit duration as long as possible and the duty cycle as high as possible.
2) Maximum conducted output power may be measured using a spectrum analyzer or an RF power meter.
3) Measurement using a spectrum analyzer (SA)
a) The test method shall be selected as follows:
(i) Method SA-1 or SA-1 Alternative (averaging with the EUT transmitting at full power
throughout each sweep) shall be applied if either of the following conditions can be satisfied.
• The EUT transmits continuously (or with a duty cycle ≥ 98 percent).
• Sweep triggering can be implemented in a way that ensures that the device transmits at the
maximum power control level throughout the duration of each of the spectrum analyzer
sweeps to be averaged. This condition can generally be achieved by triggering the spectrum
analyzer’s sweep if the duration of the sweep (with the analyzer configured as in Method

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SA-1, below) is longer than the duration T of each transmission from the EUT and if those
transmissions exhibit full power throughout their durations.
(ii) Method SA-2 or SA-2 Alternative (averaging across on and off times of the EUT transmissions,
followed by duty cycle correction) shall be applied if the conditions of (i) cannot be achieved
and the transmissions exhibit a consistent duty cycle during the measurement duration.
(iii) Method SA-3 (RMS detection with max hold) or SA-3 Alternative (reduced VBW with max
hold) shall be applied if the conditions of (i) and (ii) cannot be achieved.
b) Method SA-1 (trace averaging with the EUT transmitting at full power throughout each sweep):
(i) Set span to encompass the entire emission bandwidth (EBW) of the signal.
(ii) Set RBW = 1 MHz.
(iii) Set VBW ≥ 3 MHz.
(iv) Number of points in sweep ≥ 2 Span / RBW. (This ensures that bin-to-bin spacing is ≤ RBW/2,
so that narrowband signals are not lost between frequency bins.)
(v) Sweep time = auto.
(vi) Detector = RMS (i.e., power averaging), if available. Otherwise, use sample detector mode.
(vii) If transmit duty cycle < 98 percent, use a video trigger with the trigger level set to enable
triggering only on full power pulses. Transmitter must operate at maximum power control level
for the entire duration of every sweep. If the EUT transmits continuously (i.e., with no off
intervals) or at duty cycle ≥ 98 percent, and if each transmission is entirely at the maximum
power control level, then the trigger shall be set to “free run”.
(viii) Trace average at least 100 traces in power averaging (i.e., RMS) mode.
(ix) Compute power by integrating the spectrum across the 26 dB EBW of the signal using the
spectrum analyzer’s band power measurement function with band limits set equal to the EBW
band edges. If the spectrum analyzer does not have a band power function, sum the spectrum
levels (in power units) at 1 MHz intervals extending across the 26 dB EBW of the spectrum.
c) Method SA-1 Alternative (RMS detection with slow sweep and EUT transmitting continuously at
full power):
(i) Set span to encompass the entire emission bandwidth (EBW) of the signal.
(ii) Set RBW = 1 MHz.
(iii) Set VBW ≥ 3 MHz.
(iv) Number of points in sweep ≥ 2 Span / RBW. (This ensures that bin-to-bin spacing is ≤ RBW/2,
so that narrowband signals are not lost between frequency bins.)
(v) Manually set sweep time ≥ 10 * (number of points in sweep) * (symbol period of the
transmitted signal).
(vi) Set detector = RMS.
(vii) The EUT must be operated at 100 percent duty cycle.
(viii) Perform a single sweep.
(ix) Compute power by integrating the spectrum across the 26 dB EBW of the signal using the
spectrum analyzer’s band power measurement function with band limits set equal to the EBW
band edges. If the spectrum analyzer does not have a band power function, sum the spectrum
levels (in power units) at 1 MHz intervals extending across the 26 dB EBW of the spectrum.
d) Method SA-2 (trace averaging across on and off times of the EUT transmissions, followed by duty
cycle correction).
(i) Measure the duty cycle, x, of the transmitter output signal as described in section B).
(ii) Set span to encompass the entire emission bandwidth (EBW) of the signal.
(iii) Set RBW = 1 MHz.
(iv) Set VBW ≥ 3 MHz.

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(v) Number of points in sweep ≥ 2 Span / RBW. (This ensures that bin-to-bin spacing is ≤ RBW/2,
so that narrowband signals are not lost between frequency bins.)
(vi) Sweep time = auto.
(vii) Detector = RMS (i.e., power averaging), if available. Otherwise, use sample detector mode.
(viii) Do not use sweep triggering. Allow the sweep to “free run”.
(ix) Trace average at least 100 traces in power averaging (i.e., RMS) mode; however, the number of
traces to be averaged shall be increased above 100 as needed to ensure that the average
accurately represents the true average over the on and off periods of the transmitter.
(x) Compute power by integrating the spectrum across the 26 dB EBW of the signal using the
spectrum analyzer’s band power measurement function with band limits set equal to the EBW
band edges. If the spectrum analyzer does not have a band power function, sum the spectrum
levels (in power units) at 1 MHz intervals extending across the 26 dB EBW of the spectrum.
(xi) Add 10 log(1/x), where x is the duty cycle, to the measured power in order to compute the
average power during the actual transmission times (because the measurement represents an
average over both the on and off times of the transmission). For example, add 10 log(1/0.25) =
6 dB if the duty cycle is 25 percent.
e) Method SA-2 Alternative (RMS detection with slow sweep with each spectrum bin averaging across
on and off times of the EUT transmissions, followed by duty cycle correction).
(i) Measure the duty cycle, x, of the transmitter output signal as described in section B).
(ii) Set span to encompass the entire emission bandwidth (EBW) of the signal.
(iii) Set RBW = 1 MHz.
(iv) Set VBW ≥ 3 MHz.
(v) Number of points in sweep ≥ 2 Span / RBW. (This ensures that bin-to-bin spacing is ≤ RBW/2,
so that narrowband signals are not lost between frequency bins.)
(vi) Manually set sweep time ≥ 10 * (number of points in sweep) * (total on/off period of the
transmitted signal).
(vii) Set detector = RMS.
(viii) Perform a single sweep.
(ix) Compute power by integrating the spectrum across the 26 dB EBW of the signal using the
spectrum analyzer’s band power measurement function with band limits set equal to the EBW
band edges. If the spectrum analyzer does not have a band power function, sum the spectrum
levels (in power units) at 1 MHz intervals extending across the 26 dB EBW of the spectrum.
(x) Add 10 log(1/x), where x is the duty cycle, to the measured power in order to compute the
average power during the actual transmission times (because the measurement represents an
average over both the on and off times of the transmission). For example, add 10 log(1/0.25) =
6 dB if the duty cycle is 25 percent.
f) Method SA-3 (RMS detection with max hold):
(i) Set span to encompass the entire emission bandwidth (EBW) of the signal.
(ii) Set sweep trigger to “free run”.
(iii) Set RBW = 1 MHz.
(iv) Set VBW ≥ 3 MHz
(v) Number of points in sweep ≥ 2 Span / RBW. (This ensures that bin-to-bin spacing is ≤ RBW/2,
so that narrowband signals are not lost between frequency bins.)
(vi) Sweep time ≤ (number of points in sweep) * T, where T is defined in section B)1)a). Note: if
this results in a sweep time less than the auto sweep time of the analyzer, Method SA-3
Alternative shall not be used. (The purpose of this step is to ensure that averaging time in each
bin is less than or equal to the minimum time of a transmission.)
(vii) Detector = RMS.

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(viii) Trace mode = max hold.

(ix) Allow max hold to run for at least 60 seconds, or longer as needed to allow the trace to stabilize.
(x) Compute power by integrating the spectrum across the 26 dB EBW of the signal using the
spectrum analyzer’s band power measurement function with band limits set equal to the EBW
band edges. If the spectrum analyzer does not have a band power function, sum the spectrum
levels (in power units) at 1 MHz intervals extending across the 26 dB EBW of the spectrum.
g) Method SA-3 Alternative (Reduced VBW with max hold):
(i) Set span to encompass the entire emission bandwidth (EBW) of the signal.
(ii) Set sweep trigger to “free run”.
(iii) Set RBW = 1 MHz.
(iv) Set VBW ≥ 1/T, where T is defined in section B)1)a).
(v) Number of points in sweep ≥ 2 Span / RBW. (This ensures that bin-to-bin spacing is ≤ RBW/2,
so that narrowband signals are not lost between frequency bins.)
(vi) Sweep time = auto.
(vii) Detector = peak.
(viii) Video filtering shall be applied to a voltage-squared or power signal (i.e., RMS mode), if
possible. Otherwise, it shall be set to operate on a linear voltage signal (which may require use
of linear display mode). Log mode must not be used.
• The preferred voltage-squared (i.e., power or RMS) mode is selected on some analyzers by
setting the “Average-VBW Type” to power or RMS.
• If RMS mode is not available, linear voltage mode is selected on some analyzers by setting
the display mode to linear. Other analyzers have a setting for “Average-VBW Type” that
can be set to “Voltage” regardless of the display mode.
(ix) Trace mode = max hold.
(x) Allow max hold to run for at least 60 seconds, or longer as needed to allow the trace to stabilize.
(xi) Compute power by integrating the spectrum across the 26 dB EBW of the signal using the
spectrum analyzer’s band power measurement function with band limits set equal to the EBW
band edges. If the spectrum analyzer does not have a band power function, sum the spectrum
levels (in power units) at 1 MHz intervals extending across the 26 dB EBW of the spectrum.
(xii) If linear mode was used in step (viii), add 1 dB to the final result to compensate for the
difference between linear averaging and power averaging.
4) Method PM (Measurement using an RF average power meter):
a) As an alternative to spectrum analyzer measurements, measurements may be performed using a
wideband RF power meter with a thermocouple detector or equivalent if all of the conditions listed
below are satisfied.
(i) The EUT is configured to transmit continuously or to transmit with a consistent duty factor.
(ii) At all times when the EUT is transmitting, it must be transmitting at its maximum power control
level.
(iii) The integration period of the power meter exceeds the repetition period of the transmitted signal
by at least a factor of five.
b) If the transmitter does not transmit continuously, measure the duty cycle, x, of the transmitter output
signal as described in section B).
c) Measure the average power of the transmitter. This measurement is an average over both the on and
off periods of the transmitter.
d) Adjust the measurement in dBm by adding 10 log(1/x) where x is the duty cycle (e.g., 10 log(1/0.25)
if the duty cycle is 25 percent).

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D) Emission bandwidth
1) Set RBW = approximately 1% of the emission bandwidth.
2) Set the VBW > RBW.
3) Detector = Peak.
4) Trace mode = max hold.
5) Measure the maximum width of the emission that is 26 dB down from the peak of the emission. Compare
this with the RBW setting of the analyzer. Readjust RBW and repeat measurement as needed until the
RBW/EBW ratio is approximately 1%.
Note: The automatic bandwidth measurement capability of a spectrum analyzer may be employed if it
implements the functionality described above.
E) Peak power spectral density (PPSD)
Note: Though the rule refers to “peak power spectral density”, the intent is to measure the maximum value of
the time average of the power spectral density measured during a period of continuous transmission.
1) Create an average power spectrum for the EUT operating mode being tested by following the instructions
in section C)3) for measuring maximum conducted output power using a spectrum analyzer: select the
appropriate test method (SA-1, SA-2, SA-3, or alternatives to each) and apply it up to, but not including,
the step labeled, “Compute power…”. (This procedure is required even if the maximum conducted
output power measurement was performed using a power meter, method PM.)
2) Use the peak search function on the spectrum analyzer to find the peak of the spectrum.
3) Make the following adjustments to the peak value of the spectrum, if applicable:
a) If Method SA-2 or SA-2 Alternative was used, add 10 log(1/x), where x is the duty cycle, to the peak
of the spectrum.
b) If Method SA-3 Alternative was used and the linear mode was used in step C)3)g)(viii), add 1 dB to
the final result to compensate for the difference between linear averaging and power averaging.
4) The result is the PPSD.
F) Peak excursion measurement
1) Compliance with the peak excursion requirement of Section 15.407(a)(6) shall be demonstrated by
confirming that the ratio of the maximum of the peak-max-hold spectrum to the maximum of the average
spectrum for continuous transmission does not exceed 13 dB. (Earlier procedures that required
computing the ratio of the two spectra at each frequency across the emission bandwidth can lead to
unintended failures at band edges and will no longer be required.)
2) Set the spectrum analyzer span to view the entire emission bandwidth.
3) Find the maximum of the peak-max-hold spectrum.
a) Set RBW = 1 MHz.
b) VBW ≥ 3 MHz.
c) Detector = peak.
d) Trace mode = max-hold.
e) Allow the sweeps to continue until the trace stabilizes.
f) Use the peak search function to find the peak of the spectrum.
4) Use the procedure found under E) to measure the PPSD.
5) Compute the ratio of the maximum of the peak-max-hold spectrum to the PPSD.
G) Unwanted emissions measurement
Note: Sections 1) and 2) below cover measurements in the restricted and non-restricted bands, respectively.
However, those sections are not self contained. Rather, they reference the general unwanted emissions
measurement requirements in section 3) and the specific measurement procedures in sections 4), 5), and 6).
1) Unwanted emissions in the restricted bands
a) For all measurements, follow the requirements in section G)3), “General Requirements for Unwanted
Emissions Measurements”.

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b) At frequencies below 1000 MHz, use the procedure described in section G)4), “Procedure for
Unwanted Emissions Measurements Below 1000 MHz”.
c) At frequencies above 1000 MHz, measurements performed using the peak and average measurement
procedures described in sections G)5) and G)6), respectively, must satisfy the respective peak and
average limits. If all peak measurements satisfy the average limit, then average measurements are not
required.
d) For conducted measurements above 1000 MHz, EIRP shall be computed as specified in section
G)3)b) and then field strength shall be computed as follows (see KDB Publication 412172):
(i) E[dBuV/m] = EIRP[dBm] - 20 log(d[meters]) + 104.77, where E = field strength and
d = distance at which field strength limit is specified in the rules;
(ii) E[dBuV/m] = EIRP[dBm] + 95.2, for d = 3 meters.
e) For conducted measurements below 1000 MHz, the field strength shall be computed as specified in
d), above, and then an additional 4.7 dB shall be added as an upper bound on the field strength that
would be observed on a test range with a ground plane for frequencies between 30 MHz and 1000
MHz, or an additional 6 dB shall be added for frequencies below 30 MHz.1
2) Unwanted emissions that fall outside of the restricted bands
a) For all measurements, follow the requirements in section G)3), “General Requirements for Unwanted
Emissions Measurements”.
b) At frequencies below 1000 MHz, use the procedure described in section G)4), “Procedure for
Unwanted Emissions Measurements Below 1000 MHz”.
c) At frequencies above 1000 MHz, use the procedure for peak emissions described in section G)5),
“Procedure for Peak Unwanted Emissions Measurements Above 1000 MHz”.
d) If radiated measurements are performed, field strength is then converted to EIRP as follows:
(i) EIRP = ((E*d)^2) / 30
where:
• E is the field strength in V/m;
• d is the measurement distance in meters;
• EIRP is the equivalent isotropically radiated power in watts.
(ii) Working in dB units, the above equation is equivalent to:
EIRP[dBm] = E[dBuV/m] + 20 log(d[meters]) - 104.77
(iii) Or, if d is 3 meters:
EIRP[dBm] = E[dBuV/m] - 95.2
3) General Requirements for Unwanted Emissions Measurements. The following requirements apply to all
unwanted emissions measurements, both in and outside of the restricted bands:
a) EUT Duty Cycle
(i) The EUT shall be configured or modified to transmit continuously except as stated in (ii),
below. The intent is to test at 100 percent duty cycle; however a small reduction in duty cycle
(to no lower than 98 percent) is permitted if required by the EUT for amplitude control
purposes. Manufacturers are expected to provide software to the test lab to permit such
continuous operation.

1
At frequencies above 30 MHz, Section 15.209 specifies the limit on emissions at a distance of 3 meters. Below 30 MHz,
the emission limit is specified at 30 or 300 meters. At the 30 and 300 meter distances, the contribution of the ground bounce
can approach 6 dB, whereas at 3 meters it is limited to 4.8 dB [for example, FCC Report and Order FCC 82-359 of August
1982, Appendix B (Bulletin OST-55, “Characteristics of Open Field Test Sites”), paragraph 7.4.2]. A value of 4.7 dB has
commonly been used as representative of the ground-reflection addition for 3-meter measurements (for example, FCC
Bulletin OCE 44, “Calibration of a Radiation Measurement Site—Site Attenuation”, Figure 2; and, FCC First Report and
Order FCC 02-48, released April 22, 2002, paragraph 245).

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(ii) If continuous transmission (or at least 98 percent duty cycle) cannot be achieved due to
hardware limitations of the EUT (e.g., overheating), the following additions to the measurement
and reporting procedures are required:
• The EUT shall be configured to operate at the maximum achievable duty cycle.
• Measure the duty cycle, x, of the transmitter output signal as described in section B).
• Adjustments to measurement procedures (e.g., increasing test time and number of traces
averaged) shall be performed as described in the procedures below.
• The test report shall include the following additional information:
◦ The reason for the duty cycle limitation.
◦ The duty cycle achieved for testing and the associated transmit duration and interval
between transmissions.
◦ The sweep time and the amount of time used for trace stabilization during max-hold
measurements for peak emission measurements.
(iii) Reduction of the measured emission amplitude levels to account for operational duty
factor is not permitted. Compliance is based on emission levels occurring during
transmission - not on an average across on and off times of the transmitter.
b) Radiated versus Conducted Measurements.
The unwanted emission limits in both the restricted and non-restricted bands are based on radiated
measurements; however, as an alternative, antenna-port conducted measurements in conjunction with
cabinet emissions tests will be permitted to demonstrate compliance provided that the following steps
are performed:
(i) Cabinet emissions measurements. A radiated test shall be performed to ensure that cabinet
emissions are below the emission limits. For the cabinet-emission measurements the antenna
may be replaced by a termination matching the nominal impedance of the antenna.
(ii) Impedance matching. Conducted tests shall be performed using equipment that matches the
nominal impedance of the antenna assembly used with the EUT.
(iii) EIRP calculation. A value representative of an upper bound on out-of-band antenna gain (in
dBi) shall be added to the measured antenna-port conducted emission power to compute EIRP
within the specified measurement bandwidth. (For emissions in the restricted bands, additional
calculations are required to convert EIRP to field strength at the specified distance.) The upper
bound on antenna gain for a device with a single RF output shall be selected as the maximum
in-band gain of the antenna across all operating bands or 2 dBi, whichever is greater.2
However, for devices that operate in multiple bands using the same transmit antenna, the
highest gain of the antenna within the operating band nearest to the out-of-band frequency being
measured may be used in lieu of the overall highest gain when measuring emissions at
frequencies within 20 percent of the absolute frequency at the nearest edge of that band, but in
no case shall a value less than 2 dBi be selected.
(iv) EIRP adjustments for multiple outputs. For devices with multiple outputs occupying the same
or overlapping frequency ranges in the same band (e.g., MIMO or beamforming devices),
compute the total EIRP as follows:
• Compute EIRP for each output, as described in (iii), above.

2
If an EUT uses an “electrically short antenna” (i.e., an antenna shorter than its resonant length of 1/4th or 1/2 wavelength),
the in-band antenna gain may be low - perhaps even less than 0 dBi - but the gain may be higher at an out-of-band frequency
where the antenna is resonant. In such a case, the gain is not expected to exceed that of a resonant ½-wavelength dipole,
which is 2.15 dBi - rounded, here, to 2 dBi.

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• Follow the procedures specified in FCC KDB Publication 662911 for summing emissions
across the outputs or adjusting emission levels measured on individual outputs by 10 log(N),
where N is the number of outputs.
• Add an array gain term of 10 log(N) [in addition to the 10 log(N) term mentioned above] if
the in-band transmitted signals are classified as correlated according to FCC KDB
Publication 662911 or if the unwanted emission is a narrowband line such as might originate
from a clock or local-oscillator frequency (including harmonics thereof) in the device.3
c) For all radiated emissions tests, measurements must correspond to the direction of maximum
emission level for each measured emission (see ANSI C63.10 for guidance).
d) The marker-delta method, as described below, is permitted for measuring band-edge emissions of
U-NII devices for emissions that fall within 2 MHz from the band edge.
(i) Measure the maximum in-band field strength of the fundamental emission using the RBW,
detector function, and all other settings and requirements specified in section G) of this
publication based on the frequency range of the band-edge emission to be measured. For
example, for a band edge that is not adjacent to the restricted band, section G)2)c) specifies that
the peak measurement procedure in section G)5) “Procedure for Peak Unwanted Emissions
Measurements Above 1000 MHz” is required (e.g., RBW = 1 MHz, VBW ≥ 3 MHz, peak
detector, max hold, etc).
(ii) Measure the band-edge emission levels relative to the maximum in-band emission using the
following procedure with a spectrum analyzer.
• Set span to encompass both the peak of the in-band emission and the band-edge emission to
be measured.
• Set RBW to approximately 1 percent to 5 percent of the span.
• VBW ≥ RBW.
• Detector = Peak
• Trace mode = max hold
• Sweep mode = auto
• Measure the amplitude difference (in dB) between the peak of the fundamental and the peak
of the band-edge emission.
(iii) Subtract the amplitude difference measured in (ii) above from the field strength measured in (i)
above to compute the effective band-edge emission level to determine compliance with the
emission requirement.
4) Procedure for Unwanted Emissions Measurements Below 1000 MHz.
a) Follow the requirements in section G)3), “General Requirements for Unwanted Emissions
Measurements”.
b) Compliance shall be demonstrated using CISPR quasi-peak detection; however, peak detection is
permitted as an alternative to quasi-peak detection.
5) Procedure for Peak Unwanted Emissions Measurements Above 1000 MHz.
a) Follow the requirements in section G)3), “General Requirements for Unwanted Emissions
Measurements”.
b) Peak emission levels are measured by setting the analyzer as follows:
(i) RBW = 1 MHz.
(ii) VBW ≥ 3 MHz.

3
Though out-of-band signals are not intentionally correlated between outputs and are not intended to exhibit array gain, we
note the following: (1) if the in-band signals on two outputs are correlated, out-of-band intermodulation products and
harmonics are also expected to be correlated; (2) narrowband signals originating from the same source are also expected to
exhibit correlation between channels.

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(iii)Detector = Peak.
(iv) Sweep time = auto.
(v) Trace mode = max hold.
(vi) Allow sweeps to continue until the trace stabilizes. Note that if the transmission is not
continuous, the time required for the trace to stabilize will increase by a factor of approximately
1/x, where x is the duty cycle. For example, at 50 percent duty cycle, the measurement time
will increase by a factor of two relative to measurement time for continuous transmission.
6) Procedures for Average Unwanted Emissions Measurements above 1000 MHz.
a) Follow the requirements in section G)3), “General Requirements for Unwanted Emissions
Measurements”.
b) Average emission levels shall be measured using one of the following two methods.
c) Method AD (Average Detection): Primary method
(i) RBW = 1 MHz.
(ii) VBW ≥ 3 MHz.
(iii) Detector = RMS, if span/(# of points in sweep) ≤ RBW/2. Satisfying this condition may require
increasing the number of points in the sweep or reducing the span. If the condition is not
satisfied, the detector mode shall be set to peak.
(iv) Averaging type = power (i.e., RMS)
• As an alternative, the detector and averaging type may be set for linear voltage averaging.
Some analyzers require linear display mode in order to use linear voltage averaging. Log or
dB averaging shall not be used.
(v) Sweep time = auto.
(vi) Perform a trace average of at least 100 traces if the transmission is continuous. If the
transmission is not continuous, the number of traces shall be increased by a factor of 1/x, where
x is the duty cycle. For example, with 50 percent duty cycle, at least 200 traces should be
averaged.
(vii) If tests are performed with the EUT transmitting at a duty cycle less than 98 percent, a
correction factor shall be added to the measurement results prior to comparing to the emission
limit in order to compute the emission level that would have been measured had the test been
performed at 100 percent duty cycle. The correction factor is computed as follows:
• If power averaging (RMS) mode was used in step (iv) above, the correction factor is
10 log(1/x), where x is the duty cycle. For example, if the transmit duty cycle was
50 percent, then 3 dB must be added to the measured emission levels.
• If linear voltage averaging mode was used in step (iv) above, the correction factor is
20 log(1/x), where x is the duty cycle. For example, if the transmit duty cycle was
50 percent, then 6 dB must be added to the measured emission levels.
d) Method VB (Averaging using reduced video bandwidth): Alternative method.
(i) RBW = 1 MHz.
(ii) Video bandwidth.
• If the EUT is configured to transmit with duty cycle ≥ 98 percent, set VBW ≤ RBW/100
(i.e., 10 kHz) but not less than 10 Hz.
• If the EUT duty cycle is < 98 percent, set VBW ≥ 1/T, where T is defined in section B)1)a).
(iii) Video bandwidth mode or display mode
• The analyzer shall be set to ensure that video filtering is applied in the power domain.
Typically, this requires setting the detector mode to RMS and setting the Average-VBW
Type to Power (RMS).

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 3/5/2012

• As an alternative, the analyzer may be set to linear detector mode. Ensure that video
filtering is applied in linear voltage domain (rather than in a log or dB domain). Some
analyzers require linear display mode in order to accomplish this. Others have a setting for
Average-VBW Type, which can be set to “Voltage” regardless of the display mode.
(iv) Detector = Peak.
(v) Sweep time = auto.
(vi) Trace mode = max hold.
(vii) Allow max hold to run for at least 50 traces if the transmitted signal is continuous or has at least
98 percent duty cycle. For lower duty cycles, increase the minimum number of traces by a
factor of 1/x, where x is the duty cycle. For example, use at least 200 traces if the duty cycle is
25 percent.

CHANGE NOTICE
03/05/2012: 789033 D01 General UNII Test Procedures v01 change to 789033 D01 General UNII Test Procedures v01r01 as
follows:
(1) Correct the specification of video bandwidth in section F)3)b) for peak excursion measurement to VBW ≥ 3 MHz.
(Previous version erroneously specified VBW ≤ 3 MHz).
(2) Added section G)3)d) permitting use of the marker-delta method for measuring band-edge emissions.

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