The iNARTE Informer – February 2012

As many readers will have already noticed, iNARTE fees for most certification applications and renewals have had to be increased this year. The last time we increased fees was back in January 2007, since which time we have been able to maintain a balanced budget by supplementing certification revenue with other activities, such as FCC Licencensure, workshop administration, book sales and royalties.

Finally in 2011 the economy and other circumstances have caught up with us. The FCC now issues lifetime licenses, so no renewal income there. Companies are no longer funding workshop attendance and tutorials as once they did, and today it seems that engineers are being asked to do more and more with less and less, so hardly any time is left for these activities, however valuable they might be in the long run. As a result our certification activities have to become self supporting in 2012. Our revised fee structure, together with the introduction of some new and exciting certification opportunities, is forecast to allow growth without further fee changes in the foreseeable future.

WHAT IS NEW IN 2012?

The fees for the EMC Design Engineer Certification program, launched in 2011, will not be changed and it is off to a great start. The Grandfather period in the USA for Master EMC Design Engineers closed on December 31st, 2011 with over 80 applications. Grandfathering for overseas residents is still active. The first examinations for the Engineer level applicant were conducted in Japan last October with almost 40 applicants. In 2012 the next level of this program for Senior EMC Design Engineers will be available. Here is a brief review of the program:

• This certification is intended for Engineers having the responsibility to apply EMC principles to ensure conformity in electronic design. Our traditional EMC Certification program was more geared towards EMC and EMI testing and mitigating engineering. Holding both credentials should be exceptionally valuable.
• The EMC Design Engineer certificate is intended for the graduate engineer just starting their career in design, or perhaps having just two or three years of practical work experience.
• The Senior EMC Design Engineer certificate is for the experienced engineer that has more than four or five years of design work experience.
• If there are any Master EMC Design Engineers out there who missed out on the Grandfather period, we can still accommodate you, but now there will be an examination involved.
• All certificates are lifetime awards, so no annual renewal requirements. However engineers and senior engineers can apply for upgrades after two years at their current levels.
• You can apply now for examination at any of our Authorized Test Centers. There is no need to wait for the EMCS 2012 Symposium. But remember, most test centers also require a proctoring fee that you can avoid by examining at any of the iNARTE supported special events; the EMCS symposium, the PSES symposium or the ESDA symposium.

Design artwork for the Lapel Pins and logos that Certified Design will be eligible to use are shown here.

The lapel pin

Certified Master EMC Design Engineer

Certified Senior EMC Design Engineer

Certified EMC Design Engineer

In addition, iNARTE will also be introducing new certification opportunities in 2012 for engineers and technicians having certain specialized knowledge and experience:

MIL-STD EMC Specialist, the details of which are already published on our web site at http://www.narte.org.

Spectrum Management Specialist, the purpose of which is to create a credential that ensures a uniform level of expertise and quality for engineers having
spectrum management and frequency coordination responsibilities.

Wireless Regulatory Compliance Specialist, the purpose of which is to ensure the correct interpretation of regulatory requirements for this complex family of equipment, and a uniform application of the rules for compliance.

REGISTER FOR CERTIFICATION EXAMS

A visit to the iNARTE web site at www.narte.org will enable you to get all the details of our current programs. If you have any questions about your qualifications for a particular program, or to find which program may best suit your career goals, please call or email us directly.

When you are ready for the iNARTE examination phase of your program, visit our web site at http://www.narte.org/h/testcenters.asp  to find a convenient iNARTE Authorized Test Center. If none of our centers are suitably located, we can make alternative arrangements for you.

Also remember that we will be offering examination for any of our programs at several technical conferences and symposia this year. Watch our web site for Coming Events Information and then book your examination at one of these special events. Arrangements like this could save you and your company additional travel and proctoring expenses.

Here are the major events in 2012 where we will be offering these services:

• IEEE EMCS Symposium: August 5-10, Pittsburgh, PA
• EOS/ESD Symposium: September 9-14, Tucson, AZ
• IEEE PSES Symposium: November 5-7, Portland OR

Question of the Month

Last month we asked:

A product being evaluated for product safety is provided with an interface port that has plain old telephone set (POTS) features and connects directly to a network interface unit (NIU). What is the acceptable working voltage for the TNV circuit that can be used for evaluating creepage and clearance distances required for separation within the product?

1. 90 V ac
2. 60 V dc
3. 127 V dc
4. 120 V dc

The correct answer is D. 120 V dc.

Since the interface port connects to a Network Interface Unit (NIU) and is a port with POTS type features that port circuit must be considered as TNV-3. Section 2.10.4 specifies that the normal operating voltage shall be assumed to be 120 V dc for either TNV-2 or TNV-3 circuits if the Telecommunication Network characteristics are not known. Note: This is generally the case since ringing voltage can be 90 to 105 V ac, 20 or 30 Hz and varies with Central Office ringing sources and loop length.

This month’s question is:

During a site survey, a meter reading of 97 dΒµV/m is recorded. The cable loss is 2.5 dB, attenuation is 10 dB and the antenna gain is –20 dBi. What is the corrected value in V/m?

1. 0.07 V/m
2. 2.99 V/m
3. 29.9 V/m
4. 7.0 V/m

Brian Lawrence began his career in electro-magnetics at Plessey Research Labs, designing “Stealth” materials for the British armed services. In 1973 he moved to the USA and established a new manufacturing plant for Plessey to provide these materials to the US Navy. In 1980 he joined the “Rayproof” organization to develop an RF Anechoic Test Chamber product line. As a result of acquisitions, Rayproof merged into Lindgren RF Enclosures, and later into ETS-Lindgren. Following a career spanning more than 40 years in the electromagnetic compatibility field, Brian Lawrence retired as Managing Director of ETS-Lindgren UK in 2006. Later that year he assumed the position of Executive Director for the National Association of Radio and Telecommunications Engineers, NARTE. Now renamed iNARTE, the Association has expanded its operations and is today an affiliate of RABQSA under the overall banner of the American Society for Quality, ASQ.