What shall I check when buying radio equipment?
Answer
- There is the CE mark on the equipment as well as on its packaging. The purpose of the CE mark is to indicate that the equipment meets certain conformity assessment requirements and may therefore be sold on the European market.
- An EU declaration of conformity (DoC) or a simplified version of it is included in the user documentation of the equipment. The DoC is issued by the manufacturer to declare that the equipment fulfils the requirements of the applicable European Union directives. CE marked equipment must have a DoC available.
- Not all radio equipment is allowed to be used everywhere and some restrictions may apply. Check for any restrictions on the packaging or user manual of the equipment. An alert sign affixed close to the CE mark or printed on the user manual shows that restrictions apply.
- The use of certain radio equipment may be subject to the grant of an individual licence issued by the Malta Communications Authority (MCA) against payment of fees. This licence grants the right to its holder to install and use radio equipment and the right to use specific radio frequencies. It is an offence to install this type of radio equipment prior to obtaining such a licence. If in doubt contact the MCA for guidance.
- It is important that the radio equipment operates on the correct radio frequencies and with the correct parameters. It is an offence to operate equipment which does not use the proper frequencies and associated technical parameters. If in doubt contact the MCA for guidance.
- The equipment must be used only as declared by the manufacturer. For example, radio equipment intended to be used by radio amateurs cannot be used as a ‘walkie-talkie’ by persons not holding a valid amateur radio license, and radio equipment designed to be installed at indoor locations cannot be installed outdoors.