FCC Part 15 — Intentional radiators

What this standard covers and how we test it

FCC Part 15C covers intentional radiators: anything that transmits on purpose, from Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to sub-GHz remotes, LoRa, UWB and cellular modules. Unlike 15B it needs certification through a Telecommunication Certification Body, an FCC ID and a grantee code, and the device must be tested as it will be sold - the antenna, the firmware power table and the enclosure all change the result.

The core measurements:

• Output power, power spectral density and 6 dB or 20 dB bandwidth
• Band-edge compliance, out-of-band emissions and spurious radiation
• Antenna gain, and the conditions attached to a modular approval
• RF exposure evaluation, or SAR where the device is worn or held against the body

Any firmware change after the grant needs a Class II permissive change, so we keep the raw test files and the power tables: a re-test then covers only the affected band instead of the whole submission.

We normally test FCC Part 15C together with 47 CFR Part 15: one sample set, one set of test dates, and a single report pack that the declaration of conformity can reference.