I'd adjust this slightly; the FCC has issued regulations that the connectors can be used but must be proprietary. Of course, in a free market anyone can make (except as prohibited by law) anything they want and sell it. So while the USE of standard connectors is prohibited the STANDARDIZATION of proprietary connectors is not. And if the market demands it; those connectors will be made. Yes, they'll be very expensive at first. So it makes sense that connector companies want these kinds of regulations...it's a cash cow for them until the open market kicks in.
...dtw -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of Todd Boyle Sent: Thursday, November 28, 2002 11:06 AM To: David T. Witkowski; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: [BAWUG] Rob should be getting a kickback... Let me see if I understand this right. The FCC has issued regulations, presumably conforming to US legislation, that vendors can provide external connectors but only if they are proprietary? Pardon me if I conclude these regulations were written, supported, and enacted by people who have indirect interests in hardware and telecom company profits, and the status quo. I will admit, I cannot establish the accuracy of my view, since the rulemaking process is such an opaque and arbitrary process. However, it will not be possible for anybody to convince me that my view is inaccurate, after the experience of a lifetime under a series of bad-faith rulemaking in telephony, telecom and computing right up to the present day (the Microsoft monopoly continuing, ILECs monopoly continuing, radio spectrum owned in perpetuity by corporations, etc.) TOdd At 11:36 AM 11/26/2002, David T. Witkowski wrote: >Then by definition Orinoco cards (for example) are prohibited because >they use a standard connector. > >...dtw > > >-----Original Message----- >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of Tim Pozar >Sent: Tuesday, November 26, 2002 7:42 AM >To: Enrique LaRoche >Cc: Dan Fitzpatrick; [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subject: Re: [BAWUG] Rob should be getting a kickback... > > >On Mon, Nov 25, 2002 at 10:48:06PM -0800, Enrique LaRoche wrote: > > Illegal why? > > I didn't see any specs just anecdotal testimonials... > > No Gain specs etc.. > > Is that why they are Illegal? > >Glad you asked... > > 15.203 Antenna requirement. - An intentional radiator shall > be designed to ensure that no antenna other than that > furnished by the responsible party shall be used with the > device. The use of a permanently attached antenna or of > an antenna that uses a unique coupling to the intentional > radiator shall be considered sufficient to comply with the > provisions of this section. The manufacturer may design > the unit so that a broken antenna can be replaced by the > user, but the use of a standard antenna jack or electrical > connector is prohibited. > [...] > > 15.204 External radio frequency power amplifiers and antenna > modifications. > [...] > (b) A transmission system consisting of an intentional > radiator, an external radio frequency power amplifier, and > an antenna, may be authorized, marketed and used under this > part. However, when a transmission system is authorized > as a system, it must always be marketed as a complete system > and must always be used in the configuration in which it > was authorized. > [...] > (c) Only the antenna with which an intentional radiator > is authorized may be used with the intentional radiator. > >In other words, APs, amplifiers and antennas cannot be mixed and >matched out side of the equipment they are certified with. In the >Cantanna web site on the "How to Use It" page >(http://www.cantenna.com/howto.html) they have it shown plugged >into, what looks like, a Linksys BEFW11S4. The antenna is not >certified to be used with any Linksys gear. As far as I can tell, >it isn't even certified. > >As the company is in San Diego and is marketing and selling it to >United States customers. > > 15.1 Scope of this part. > [...] > (c) Unless specifically exempted, the operation or marketing > of an intentional or unintentional radiator that is not in > compliance with the administrative and technical provisions > in this part, including prior Commission authorization or > verification, as appropriate, is prohibited under Section > 302 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, and > Subpart I of Part 2 of this chapter. The equipment > authorization and verification procedures are detailed in > Subpart J of Part 2 of this chapter. > [...] > > Subpart C - Intentional Radiators > 15.201 Equipment authorization requirement. > [...] > (b) Except as otherwise exempted in paragraph (c) of this > section and in 15.23 of this part, all intentional radiators > operating under the provisions of this part shall be > certificated by the Commission pursuant to the procedures > in Subpart J of Part 2 of this chapter prior to marketing. > >Now I have seen the argument that antennas alone are not "intentional >radiators". Since under these rules (defined earlier) antennas are >seen as a part of a system that includes the transmitter, coax, >etc. they are considered part of an "intentional radiators". As >such, the Cantenna folks are not in compliance with the FCC rules >as they are marketing and selling these antennas in the US without >certification. > >This gets into why all the stink about this? Folks need to be >warned that they are using equipment illegally as it is a liability >that they may not know they are carrying. They may not know there >can be fines and/or confiscation of their equipment. > >I fully understand why the FCC does this as they want a responsible, >knowledgeable party for the mis-operations of part 15 equipment. >Since the actual operator of the equipment is considered not >technically savvy and is not licensed, they need to regulate with >the manufacture. I would love to see the FCC reconsider how they >treat part 15 devices and do away with the "system" concept. They >really should just be certifying the antennas and transmitters >separately, much like they do for broadcast transmission systems, >so you can mix and match equipment. > >Tim >-- -- general wireless list, a bawug thing <http://www.bawug.org/> [un]subscribe: http://lists.bawug.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless -- general wireless list, a bawug thing <http://www.bawug.org/> [un]subscribe: http://lists.bawug.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless
