Columbia, Mendenhall

Element Washington, Columbia, Mendenhall (formerly known as PCTEST Columbia) was founded in 1989 by a group of former Federal Communications Commission (FCC) engineers, to meet the growing needs of many of the world’s leading technology product manufacturers, to have their products and devices independently tested against a diverse range of FCC regulatory requirements. 

Following its formation, the laboratory rapidly became a specialist provider of Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) testing, Hearing Aid Compatibility (HAC) and Over the Air (OTA) testing and certification services to the international mobile device and cellular sector.

In 2011 Element Washington, Columbia, Mendenhall became a Verizon Wireless Authorized Test Facility for 4G/Long Term Evolution (LTE), which complimented its service range at the time.

The laboratory’s full service range of testing and certification services includes:

• Electromagnetic Compatibility/Electromagnetic Interference (EMC/EMI) testing and certification
• Radio Frequency (RF) testing and certification 
• Field Interoperability Testing (FIT)
• Hearing Aid Compatibility (HAC) testing and certification
• Lithium Battery testing and certification
• 4G/Long Term Evolution (LTE) conformance, testing and certification
• Over the Air (OTA) testing and certification
• RF Parametric and Protocol testing and certification
• Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) testing
• SunSpec Alliance test and certification
• Verizon Wireless Open Development certification testing

Strategically located within walking distance of the FCC’s lab in Columbia, Maryland, and half an hour drive from Washington, D.C., Element Columbia is now the preferred independent test house for many of the major cell/smart phone and electronic device manufacturers operating world-wide today.