This is a re-transmission, my first send seems to have been corrcupted and combined with an earlier message.
Hi Chris & Treg world There is a lot of debate at present on harmonised frequency bands for Radio products under the R&TTE D. The basic argument is that, for reasons of differing terrain, evolution of national systems etc, there are many products required to perofrm the same function in different countries using different frequencies and sometimes, different modulation schemes. That is a fact. If we look at the wider picture, there are many new technologies for which CEPT (and in some cases ITU-R) have set-aside specific bands to be used by all member states. There are also moves to free up bands occupied by old technology (i.e. moving police and public services away from the lower VHF bands and ceasing VHF TV transmissions etc.). Where this occurrs, CEPT tries to formulate a new, pan-European use for these redundant bands and attempts to define harmonised usage. Under the R&TTE Directive, a simple CE mark will allow you to place an item onto the market in any country where there is harmonised spectrum usage. For products in countries where different bands / frequencies are allocated, your marking must (via an indicating code) show which countries it may be used in. You are not prevented from moving these goods around Europe but the user will be breaking the law if they attempt to use equipment so marked in a nation where the usage is invalid. So, one must check with the ERO (and maybe CEPT) on which frequencies and schemes are harmonised and for products outside of this, the National radio authorities will be required to produce their spectrum allocation tables from which one will try to best engineer the product to meet as many target markets as possible and seek an ID code for the CE marking in each valid nation. In cases of doubt (for radio products) an approval body will still exist but the role will be one of advising on compliance rather than actually certifying product. One will be able to approach these bodies for a guidance decission on use of appropriate standards etc. for a multi-country case. Please consider that this reply is very brief in terms of the degree of information to be conveyed by the directive, this response is aimed at definitions relating to harmonised spectrum usage only. There are many other considerations to be applied under the directive. I hope that this provides people with some basic understanding, the radio part of the directive is far more complex than te TTE part. Best regards: Bill Ellingford Motion Media Technology Ltd
