AIS Class B Transponders: Recent USCG Approvals
Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2018 1:18 pm
In the last two months the USCG AIS testing division has been busy. They have given approvals to a number of new Class-B AIS Transceivers. Here is a list of USCG approval numbers (with hyperlinks), dates of approval, and manufacturer-model names:
165.156/34/0: March 16, 2018; SRT Marine Neon II+ Automatic Identification System (AIS) Class B SO
165.156/33/0: March 16, 2018, SRT Marine Neon II Automatic Identification System (AIS) Class B SO
165.156/32/0: March 16, 2018; em-trak B360 Automatic Identification System (AIS) Class B SO
165.156/31/0: March 16, 2018; em-trak B350 Automatic Identification System (AIS) Class B SO
165.156/30/0: March 16, 2018; em-trak B330 Automatic Identification System (AIS) Class B CS
165.156/29/0: March 16, 2018; em-trak B300 Automatic Identification System (AIS) Class B CS
165.156/28/0: March 16, 2018; em-trak Marine Electronics Ltd. em-trak B100 Automatic Identification System (AIS) Class B SO
165.156/27/0: February 8, 2018; Raymarine AIS700 Class B SO
There are EIGHT new approved devices. I suspect that perhaps there has been a backlog at the USCG testing center created by so many devices being submitted for testing and approval.
Note that test approvals do not intrinsically mean the devices have been approved for sale in the USA. These approvals are preliminaries to testing for FCC certification. AIS devices must first be approved by the USCG for their operational characteristics and compliance with IMO regulations, then subsequently tested for FCC certification for radio-frequency emissions and radio signal modulations.
Regarding certification of AIS transmitters, in June 2002 the FCC gave Public Notice, entitled "Applications For Equipment Authorization Of Universal Shipborne Automatic Identification Systems To be Coordinated with U.S. Coast Guard To Ensure Homeland Security." This notice said, in part:
The Commission later (in c.2004 and then amended in c.2009) adopted these final rules in 47 CFR Part 80:
--
80.275 Technical Requirements for Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) equipment.
This means that as part of a certification procedure to permit the FCC to authorize the AIS transmitter, the USCG must first approve the device as meeting the applicable maritime regulations.
To browse the list of USCG approved devices, you have to begin a search for particular categories, in this case AIS Class-B.
165.156/34/0: March 16, 2018; SRT Marine Neon II+ Automatic Identification System (AIS) Class B SO
165.156/33/0: March 16, 2018, SRT Marine Neon II Automatic Identification System (AIS) Class B SO
165.156/32/0: March 16, 2018; em-trak B360 Automatic Identification System (AIS) Class B SO
165.156/31/0: March 16, 2018; em-trak B350 Automatic Identification System (AIS) Class B SO
165.156/30/0: March 16, 2018; em-trak B330 Automatic Identification System (AIS) Class B CS
165.156/29/0: March 16, 2018; em-trak B300 Automatic Identification System (AIS) Class B CS
165.156/28/0: March 16, 2018; em-trak Marine Electronics Ltd. em-trak B100 Automatic Identification System (AIS) Class B SO
165.156/27/0: February 8, 2018; Raymarine AIS700 Class B SO
There are EIGHT new approved devices. I suspect that perhaps there has been a backlog at the USCG testing center created by so many devices being submitted for testing and approval.
Note that test approvals do not intrinsically mean the devices have been approved for sale in the USA. These approvals are preliminaries to testing for FCC certification. AIS devices must first be approved by the USCG for their operational characteristics and compliance with IMO regulations, then subsequently tested for FCC certification for radio-frequency emissions and radio signal modulations.
Regarding certification of AIS transmitters, in June 2002 the FCC gave Public Notice, entitled "Applications For Equipment Authorization Of Universal Shipborne Automatic Identification Systems To be Coordinated with U.S. Coast Guard To Ensure Homeland Security." This notice said, in part:
...the FCC Laboratory will coordinate review of applications for certification of AIS equipment with the United States Coast Guard to ensure that the equipment meets all applicable international standards...
The Commission later (in c.2004 and then amended in c.2009) adopted these final rules in 47 CFR Part 80:
--
80.275 Technical Requirements for Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) equipment.
- (a) Prior to submitting a certification application for an AIS device, the following information
must be submitted in duplicate to the Commandant (G-MSE), US. Coast Guard, 2100 2nd Street, S.W.,
Washington D.C. 20593-0001:
- (I) The name of the manufacturer or grantee and the model number of the AIS device;
(2) Copies of the test report and test data obtained from the test facility showing that the device
complies with the environmental and operational requirements identified in Section 80.1 101 of this Part.
Guard will [provide] a letter stating whether the AIS device satisfies all of the requirements specified in
Section 80.1 101 of this Part.
(c) A certification application for an AIS device submitted to the Commission must contain a
copy of the U.S. Coast Guard letter stating that the device satisfies all of the requirements specified in
Section 80.1 101 of this Part, a copy ofthe technical test data, and the instruction manual(s).
This means that as part of a certification procedure to permit the FCC to authorize the AIS transmitter, the USCG must first approve the device as meeting the applicable maritime regulations.
To browse the list of USCG approved devices, you have to begin a search for particular categories, in this case AIS Class-B.