Why is Hydro so reluctant to go through a SAR test which is part of Code 6?

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Full details by engineer Peter… are attached 

Why is Hydro so reluctant to go through a SAR test which is part of Code 6 ?

There are a couple of reasons :

A SAR test would make the SM (Smart/Sick Meter) look terrible in comparison to a cell phone. It would have to be conducted with both antennas in operation and at full and continuous power. It would compel Hydro to warn customers to stay away from the meter by a certain distance. The AQLPA presented already at the Regie a document pertaining to Manufacturer directives on this matter ( exhibit : R-3770-2011-C-SÉ-AQLPA-0030-PREUVE-AUTRE-2012_03_19; yet, it has been conveniently forgotten. The directives call for a minimum of 20 cm and they forbid the collocation with other antennas within the same distance ( this is a serious recommendation that comes from the FCC – the USA Federal Communication Commission). A lot of Hydro’s installation (practically most in LaSalle) do not meet this requirements.

More than that, having to go through a SAR test would open up a can of worms for installations that have many meters put together. If there is a distance to be kept for a single SM, what is the distance to be kept from a group of meters bunched together? On this type of test as well, if the letter of the law is followed, all meters must be assumed to be working at maximum power and duty cycle( continuously) throughout the 6 minutes interval specified in Code 6. This is a very inconvenient test to go through for the proponents of the SM deployment. So, it is more convenient for HYDRO ( or whoever is driving Hydro) to skip the test. And they did just that: skip the test.

On a lighter note, Hydro is compelled by the law to permit costumers to get close to the meter for reading the consumption display; and, Hydro could be required to somehow compensate for the extra space taken by the meter on the clients home. So, skipping the test is the best approach for the pro-Landis-Gyr group within Hydro. Their solution to this hurdle ? SKIP THE TEST !

So, what can save Hydro from going through this test which is part of Code 6?

By using the exemption clauses specified in RSS-102 ( Radio Frequency Exposure Compliance of Radiocommunication Apparatus) from Industry Canada.

(http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/smt-gst.nsf/eng/sf01904.html )

Informant: André Fauteux