Cenelec and IEC Standards on EMC of Equipment and Cable Distribution Networks for Sound and Television Signals: Present Status and Future Developments

The aim of this paper is to consider the present situation of the European and international EMC standards concerning the methods of measurement for the radiation characteristics and for the evaluation of the immunity requirements of equipment and cable networks for sound and television signals. It is divided in several parts as follows. Background - A brief note about the evolution of the European and International EMC standards dealing with cable distribution networks. EMC of equipment - A review of the radiation and immunity limits for active and passive equipment recommended by CENELEC EN 50083-2 is given. Comparison of equipment limits - The differences between the radiation limits and immunity requirements for network equipment given in CENELEC EN 50083-2, for broadcast TV and FM sound receivers and associated equipment, given in IEC CISPR 13 (emission) and CISPR 20 (immunity) standards, and for Telecommunication equipment given in ETSI are shown in comparative tables. EMC of cable distribution networks - The philosophy of the European measuring methods for evaluating the immunity requirements of the cable network as given in EN 50083-8 is different to that given in international standards in particular in the North America (U.S.A and Canada) standards. The differences are mainly due to the quite different technical solutions for installations used in these Countries, overhead or underground distribution cables. Present and future activities - The problem to update the present standards including equipment for digital and multimedia signals (other than analogue signals) and harmonize them with ETSI standards, is considered and discussed, and the present activity of CENELEC in this field is illustrated. The harmonization of CENELEC and ETSI standards is very important for manufactures because the goal is to avoid to test two times (with different standards) the equipment that can be used in cable networks either for analogue or digital and for multimedia signals, as it occurs today. Conclusions. The considered standards have many advantages but also some disadvantages which are noted for the future works of the relevant organizations.