ANSI C63.10 testing for unlicensed wireless devices

ANSI C63.10 Testing Services

ANSI C63.10 (2013) defines the test procedures for measuring compliance of unlicensed wireless devices (intentional radiators). Compatible Electronics performs C63.10 testing at all three California locations to support FCC Part 15 certification for wireless transmitters across Subparts 15C, 15D, 15E, 15F, 15G, and 15H.

NVLAP Accredited FCC Listed Lab ISO/IEC 17025:2017 3 California Locations

What is ANSI C63.10?

ANSI C63.10 — American National Standard of Procedures for Compliance Testing of Unlicensed Wireless Devices — specifies measurement methods for intentional radiators operating under FCC Part 15. It defines how to measure conducted output power, radiated EIRP, occupied bandwidth, power spectral density, spurious emissions, and frequency stability. The 2013 edition is the accredited version referenced by the FCC for all current intentional radiator compliance testing.

FCC Subparts Covered by ANSI C63.10

FCC Part 15 Subparts

Part 15C — Intentional radiators: WiFi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, Z-Wave, LoRa, NFC, RFID, sub-GHz
Part 15D — UPCS (Unlicensed Personal Communications Service) devices
Part 15E — U-NII devices: 5 GHz and 6 GHz WiFi (no DFS testing)
Part 15F — Ultra-Wideband (UWB) devices
Part 15G — Access Broadband Over Power Line (Access BPL)
Part 15H — White Space devices

Devices Covered

WiFi and WLAN devices — 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax all bands
Bluetooth Classic and BLE devices
Zigbee (IEEE 802.15.4) and Z-Wave devices
LoRa, LoRaWAN, and other spread spectrum LPWAN devices
NFC and HF RFID initiators
UHF RFID frequency hopping readers
Remote controls and wireless keyfobs
Ultra-wideband positioning and sensing devices

RF Measurements per C63.10

Core Measurements

Standard RF Measurements

Conducted output power — at antenna port, all channels and data rates
Radiated field strength and EIRP — in anechoic chamber or OATS
Peak and average power
Power spectral density (PSD) — per-MHz limits
Occupied bandwidth (99% method)
Out-of-band emissions — adjacent channel and non-adjacent
Spurious emissions — harmonics and spurious products
Band edge emissions
Frequency accuracy and stability

Spread Spectrum

Spread Spectrum Measurements

FHSS — channel count; minimum 50 channels for Part 15.247
DSSS — processing gain verification
Hybrid spread spectrum systems
Maximum dwell time per channel — 400 ms for Part 15.247 FHSS
6 dB bandwidth verification

Standards We Test To

USA

ANSI C63.10 (2013)

Primary accredited measurement standard for FCC Part 15 intentional radiators (Subparts C, D, E, F, G, H). Accredited at Lake Forest/Silverado, Brea, and Newbury Park.

USA

FCC Part 15.247 / 15.249

Spread spectrum devices (WiFi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, LoRa) in 902–928 MHz, 2400–2483.5 MHz, and 5725–5850 MHz bands; and intentional radiators operating below 1.705 MHz and at 13.56 MHz.

Canada

RSS-247 Issue 2 & 3

Industry Canada equivalent to Part 15.247; same measurement procedures apply. No DFS testing. Accredited at all three locations.

EU / CE

ETSI EN 300 328 V2.2.2

2.4 GHz wideband devices; measurement methods aligned with C63.10 for RF parameters. Accredited at Brea.

EU / CE

ETSI EN 300 220 V2.4.1

Sub-GHz SRDs; measurement methods aligned with C63.10. Accredited at Lake Forest/Silverado.

Real-World Testing Examples

LoRa Frequency Hopping Module — Part 15.247

A semiconductor manufacturer needed FCC Certification for a LoRa module operating as a frequency hopping spread spectrum system under Part 15.247. Compatible Electronics performed ANSI C63.10 testing verifying the module hopped across all 64 upstream channels in the 902–928 MHz band, confirming the maximum dwell time of 400 ms per channel, measuring conducted output power at all spreading factors (SF7–SF12), and verifying EIRP with the reference antenna. The modular transmitter grant was issued, allowing host manufacturers to integrate the module under a Permissive Change without full retesting.

UWB Indoor Positioning Tag — Part 15F

A real-time location technology company needed Part 15F FCC Certification for an ultra-wideband positioning tag operating across 6.0–8.5 GHz. ANSI C63.10 measurements covered the UWB emission mask limits, peak power spectral density per MHz, and out-of-band spurious emissions across 1–18 GHz. The very low transmit power required a calibrated low-noise receive chain for accurate EIRP measurement. The tag passed certification on first submission.

Multi-Protocol IoT Module — Parts 15C + 15E Combined

A module manufacturer needed FCC Certification for an IoT module combining WiFi 802.11ac (5 GHz U-NII) and Bluetooth 5.0. ANSI C63.10 was used for both Part 15C (Bluetooth 2.4 GHz) and Part 15E (WiFi 5 GHz non-DFS channels) measurements within a single test session. Worst-case simultaneous operation testing confirmed that Bluetooth frequency hopping across 79 channels did not degrade WiFi spectral mask compliance when both radios transmitted concurrently.

Why Choose Compatible Electronics?

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NVLAP Accredited (Lab Code 200527-0)

ISO/IEC 17025:2017 compliant and FCC Listed Test Laboratory.

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Sole Accredited FCC Standard for Intentional Radiators

Accredited for ANSI C63.10 (2013) — the sole accredited FCC measurement standard for all Part 15 intentional radiator subparts — at all three California locations.

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