RSS-210 — Low-power Licence-exempt Radiocommunication Devices (All Frequency Bands): Category I Equipment

1. Scope

This Radio Standards Specification (RSS) sets out requirements for the certification of licence-exempt (i.e. unlicensed) low-power radiocommunication devices (LPDs) defined as Category I equipment as per RSS-Gen.

2. General Certification Requirements and Specifications

2.1 Frequency Stability

When the carrier frequency stability is not specified, it need not be tested, provided that the carrier frequency is chosen such that the fundamental modulation products (meaning the nominal bandwidth) lie totally within the bands listed in Tables 2, 3, 4 and 5 and do not fall into any restricted band listed in Table 1. Due account shall be taken of carrier frequency drift as a result of aging, temperature, humidity, and supply voltage variations when using frequencies near the band edges.

2.2 Restricted Bands and Unwanted Emission Frequencies

Restricted bands, identified in Table 1, are designated primarily for safety- of- life services (distress calling and certain aeronautical bands), certain satellite downlinks, radio astronomy, and some government uses. Except where otherwise indicated, the following restrictions apply:

1. Fundamental components of modulation of LPDs shall not fall within the restricted bands of Table 1.
2. Unwanted emissions falling into restricted bands of Table 1 shall meet Tables 2 and 3 limits. It should also be noted that unwanted emissions falling in non-restricted bands do not need to be suppressed to a level lower than the Table 2 and 3 limits.
3. Unwanted emissions not falling within restricted frequency bands may also use the limits specified in the applicable annex.

2.3 Licence-exempt Receivers

Category I licence-exempt receivers are required to have their spurious emissions comply with Section 7.2.3 of RSS-Gen.

2.4 Cordless Telephones (General Conditions)

This section sets out the general conditions applicable to all cordless telephones regardless of the frequency band of operation. In addition, there are standards specific to those bands that can be used for cordless telephones as specified in the annexes.

A cordless telephone is a two- way radio communication device comprised of a base station and a portable handset. The handset is intended to operate as an extension of the base station by the elimination of the connecting handset cord of the standard telephone. The base station is intended to be connected to a telephone line which has access to a public switched network. Cordless telephones operate in a full duplex mode which allows simultaneous conversations between both parties. Note that cellular and PCS (personal communications services) handsets which operate with hub stations, the latter provided by cellular and PCS companies, are not classified as cordless telephones and RSS-210 cannot be used for equipment certification of these handsets.

The base station shall comply with both this standard (RSS-210) as well as Compliance Specification 03 (CS-03) and be certified under both documents.

Digital Security Codes:

Cordless telephones shall have circuitry which makes use of a digital code word in the dialling and ringing function to provide protection against unintentional line seizure and dialling, and unintentional ringing of the handset, in the following manner:

Access to the telephone network shall be preceded by the transmission of a code word from the handset. This code word shall be one of at least 256 possible combinations (i.e. 8 or more bits). Access to the telephone network is to occur only if the code word transmitted by the handset matches that used in the base station. Similarly, ringing of the handset shall be permitted to occur only if the code word transmitted by the base station matches the code word in the handset.

For a good geographical distribution of users of the possible combinations of digital security codes the manufacturer must incorporate one of the following provisions:

1. Provide means for the user to readily select one of the security codes. The telephone shall be either in a non- operable mode after manufacture and until the user selects a security code or the manufacturer must continuously vary the initial security code as each telephone is pro­duced.
2. Provide a fixed security code at the time of manufacture that is continuously varied either randomly or sequentially.
3. Provide a means for the telephone to automatically select a different security code each time the telephone is activated or dialled.
4. A combination of the above, or any method satisfying its intent.

Details concerning the means and procedures used to achieve the required geographical distribution shall be described in the product literature for the equipment being evaluated and attested to, in the application for equipment certification.

In addition to the requirements of Section 7.1.5 (User Manual) in RSS-Gen, the device's user manual shall also contain the following or equivalent statement: "Privacy of communications may not be ensured when using this telephone".

If privacy is provided as a standard feature, the privacy notice may be omitted provided that full justification accompanies the equipment certification application for evaluation by Industry Canada.

2.5 Radio Frequency Identification Devices (RFID)

An RFID system typically consists of a reader (interrogator) and a tag (transponder). A tag is attached to the item to be identified, and a transmitter/receiver unit interrogates the tag and receives identification data back from the tag.

RFID are considered active if they are self-powered and passive if they receive power from an external source.

This standard only applies to active RFID. In the case of passive RFIDs, this standard does not apply and the devices may operate without approval from Industry Canada.

2.6 General Field Strength Limits

Tables 2 and 3 list the permissible levels of unwanted emissions of transmitters and receivers. However, transmitters with field strengths that do not exceed the limits in these tables may also operate in these frequency bands, other than the restricted bands of Table 1 and the TV bands (i.e. unwanted emissions of transmitters and receivers are permitted to fall into Table 1 and TV frequencies but intentional emissions are prohibited). See the note of Table 2 for further details.

2.7 Tables

This section includes the tables referenced within this Standard (i.e. Tables 1 to 5).

Table 1: Restricted Frequency Bands^Note

MHz	MHz	GHz
0.090-0.110	74.8-75.2	9.0-9.2
2.1735-2.1905	108-138	9.3-9.5
3.020-3.026	156.52475-156.52525	10.6-12.7
4.125-4.128	156.7-156.9	13.25-13.4
4.17725-4.17775	240-285	14.47-14.5
4.20725-4.20775	322-335.4	15.35-16.2
5.677-5.683	399.9-410	17.7-21.4
6.215-6.218	608-614	22.01-23.12
6.26775-6.26825	960-1427	23.6-24.0
6.31175-6.31225	1435-1626.5	31.2-31.8
8.291-8.294	1645.5-1646.5	36.43-36.5
8.362-8.366	1660-1710	Above 38.6
8.37625-8.38675	1718.8-1722.2
8.41425-8.41475	2200-2300
12.29-12.293	2310-2390
12.51975-12.52025	2655-2900
12.57675-12.57725	3260-3267
13.36-13.41	3332-3339
16.42-16.423	3345.8-3358
16.69475-16.69525	3500-4400
16.80425-16.80475	4500-5150
25.5-25.67	5350-5460
37.5-38.25	7250-7750
73-74.6	8025-8500

Note: Certain frequency bands listed in Table 2 and above 38.6 GHz are designated for low-power licence-exempt applications. These frequency bands and the requirements that apply to the devices are set out in this Standard as well as RSS-310.

Table 2: General Field Strength Limits for Transmitters and Receivers at Frequencies Above 30 MHz^Note

Frequency (MHz)	Field Strength microvolts/m at 3 metres (watts, e.i.r.p.)
	Transmitter	Receiver
30-88	100 (3 nW)	100 (3 nW)
88-216	150 (6.8 nW)	150 (6.8 nW)
216-960	200 (12 nW)	200 (12 nW)
above 960	500 (75 nW)	500 (75 nW)

Note: Transmitting devices are not permitted in Table 1 bands or in TV bands (54-72 MHz, 76- 88 MHz, 174-216 MHz, 470-608 MHz, and 614-806 MHz). Prohibition of operation in TV bands does not apply to momentary devices, or to medical telemetry devices in the band 174- 216 MHz, and to perimeter protection systems in the bands 54-72 and 76-88 MHz. The perimeter protection devices are to meet Table 3 field strengths limits.

Table 3: General Field Strength Limits for Transmitters at Frequencies Below 30 MHz (Transmit)

Frequency (fundamental or spurious)	Field Strength (microvolts/m)	Magnetic H-Field (microamperes/m)	Measurement Distance (metres)
9-490 kHz	2,400/F (F in kHz)	2,400/377F (F in Hz)	300
490-1,705 kHz	24,000/F (F in kHz)	24,000/377F (F in kHz)	30
1.705-30 MHz	30	N/A	30

Note 1: Use quasi-peak or averaging meter.
* Linear interpolation with frequency F in MHz:
For 130-174 MHz: FS (microvolts/m) = (56.82 x F) – 6136
For 260-470 MHz: FS (microvolts/m) = (41.67 x F) – 7083.

Note 2: The frequency band 225-399.9 MHz is allocated for Government of Canada usage. There are different types of operations in different parts of this band of frequencies, including communications with aircraft and operations using high power transmitters. Besides avoiding the frequency bands of Table 1, designers of low-power devices are strongly recommended to also avoid wherever possible the entire 225-399.9 MHz band.

Table 5: Reduced Field Strength Limits for Momentarily Operated Devices

Fndamental Frequency (MHz), excluding restrictued band frequencies of Table 1	Field Strength of Fundamental microvolts/m at 3 m (watts, e.i.r.p.)1	Field Strength of Unwanted Emissionsmicrovolts/m at 3 m
40.66-40.70	See Section A2.7
70-130	500 (75 nW.)	50
130-174	500 to 1,500*	50 to 150
174-260	1,500 (0.68 µW)	150
260-470	1,500 to 5,000*	150 to 500
Above 470	5,000 (7.5 µW.)	500

Note 1: Use quasi-peak or averaging meter.
* Linear interpolation with frequency F in MHz:
For 130-174 MHz: FS (microvolts/m) = (22.73 x F) - 2454.55
For 260-470 MHz: FS (microvolts/m) = (16.67 x F) - 2833.33.