FCC Cites Richfield Electronics for Antenna Violations

By Doug Lung
published

The FCC sent Richfield Electronics (China) Ltd. a Notice of Apparent Liability (NAL) for forfeiture in the amount of $18,000 (PDF) for marketing equipment that did not comply with FCC emission limits and labeling requirements.

The FCC said Richfield admitted it had modified the device's antenna "to improve sound quality." Richfield explained the antenna modification involved a "flexible copper" 1.5 meters in length.

"According to Richfield, it did not realize that the antenna, as modified, would cause increased field strength emission levels," the Report stated. "The sample 'Whole House FM Transmitter' tested by the FCC Office of Engineering and Technology was found to be non-compliant."

The Commission noted that the modification had been made after the device was certificated. Richfield also failed to label the device with the FCC Identifier until last December.

The Notice of Apparent Liability (NAL) for forfeiture in the amount of $18,000 (PDF) has more details on the case and cites the specific FCC rule violations.

Doug Lung
Doug Lung

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack.
A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.