The staff and directors of iNARTE extend our best wishes for the 2012 New Year to all our friends, volunteers, members, partners, associates and affiliates. Without all of your help and support our programs would not be possible, and the true expertise of our certificate holders would remain un-validated.
NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS
How many of you made a resolution this year? And will you keep them? It is difficult to lose weight, save money, take more exercise or stop smoking. These things require constant attention and are so easy to let slip. But what about getting your iNARTE Certification, that would be a resolution of lasting value, and what’s more you have probably already accomplished most of the work to get there:
- Post secondary education qualifications in a suitable discipline.
- Work experience.
- Referees that will attest to your work ethic and professionalism
All of our programs have these elements in common, so all that remains is for you to pass our exam and send us a few question of your own that we can use in future exams. Just a day or two out of your schedule and this resolution can be achieved.
WHAT CAN WE EXPECT IN 2012
There seems to be a rally at the stock market. Europe may be getting its bail out programs in order. Holiday spending was up. US Automakers are forecasting profits. Maybe we will see some economic improvement this year, and maybe companies will be looking to expand once again. But there have been important lessons over the last five years that will not be soon forgotten. Money will be tight and cash will be closely guarded. Companies have figured out how to do more with less, either by better use of IT or by stretching and challenging a smaller staff to still get the jobs done.
There may very well be some new opportunities created in 2012, but it will still be a case of, “survival of the fittest”. Getting involved in a program of continuing professional development and validating your credentials through an independent and well established certification program may very well be the key to success in 2012. iNARTE has a wide variety of certification programs to offer and there will be some new ones to look forward to in 2012.
CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS
Here is a list of what we have to offer today:
- FCC Commercial License Examinations, RRP, MROP, GROL and GMDSS
- Telecommunications Technician – Junior, Senior or Master
- Telecommunications Engineer – Junior, Senior or Master
- EMC Technician
- EMC Engineer
- ESD Technician
- ESD Engineer
- ESD Engineer endorsement for ESDA Certificate holders
- Product Safety Engineering, PSE, Technician
- Product Safety Engineering, PSE, Engineer
- Internal Laboratory Auditor, iNCLA
- EMC Design Engineer
- Senior EMC Design Engineer
- MIL-STD EMC Specialist
Most of the above have a minimum experience requirement, but for applicants who can demonstrate knowledge but have not yet achieved the minimum years of work experience, we do offer Associate certification levels. We also have some new programs under development that should be ready in 2012:
- Spectrum Management Engineering
- Wireless Regulatory Test Engineering
The most significant new program that we introduced in 2011 was the EMC Design Engineer. This credential is intended for the EMC Engineer whose responsibility is the application of EMC principles in electronic design for compliance, rather than in EMC testing and mitigating engineering. It has been developed in cooperation with major corporations in both the USA and Japan.
The first phase of this program, launched at EMCS 2011, targets recent graduates and younger engineers about to begin their careers in EMC Design. The next phase, intended for Senior EMC Design Engineers with more than four years of related work experience, has now been completed and examinations will be available in January 2012. iNARTE’s partner in Japan, KEC Electronic Industry Development Center, attracted more than 40 applicants at their first examination session. We think this new program will be of great interest in 2012 and subsequent years.
REGISTER FOR CERTIFICATION EXAMS
A visit to the iNARTE web site at www.narte.org will enable you to get all the details of these 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.
iNARTE does not offer training in any of these disciplines in order that we can maintain our independent status according to ISO 17024. However, we can offer advice on training options and we do maintain a listing of Approved Training Centers that can be found on our web site.
When you are ready for the iNARTE examination phase of your program, visit our web site at 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. 
Question of the Month
Last month we asked:
Which of the spectrum analyzer CRT displays of the same signal (below) shows the narrowest resolution bandwidth?
A. a
B. b
C. c
The answer is A. a.
This month’s question is:
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?
A. 90 V ac
B. 60 V dc
C. 127 V dc
D. 120 V dc
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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. |
