[TowerTalk] FCC RF Safety Regs Info Sept 1

[Tom Rauch]

> In a message dated 9/2/00 3:47:11 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
> kh7m@hsa-kauai.net writes:
> 
> << Chip wrote,  in part:
> 
>  > I have serious concerns about the 'dummy' compliance 
>  > calculators that are  making the rounds.
> 
>  Is this the calculator of which you have concern,  Chip?
> 
>  http://n5xu.ae.utexas.edu/rfsafety/
> 
>  ARRL is referring its' members to this site as one way
>  to determine compliance.  I have used it,  and am
>  satisfied that my situation is in compliance.  But.....
>  I do not know the depth of the analysis behind.

That site contains the proper disclaimers, and reports it uses the 
FCC formulas.

Since there is not any likelihood of harm even exceeding their 
guidelines tenfold, I think it's all pretty safe. The idea is to comply 
with our requirements.

There may be "hotspots" in the area of an antenna, in particular a 
small loaded antenna that concentrates fields, but the saving grace 
is the field spreads as you get close to a large antenna. At some 
point the field no longer increases at a rate anywhere near what 
you would expect.

If the antenna is physically small (not just in terms of wavelength) 
the induction field can become quite intense close to the antenna. 
If the antenna is physically large, then there isn't much reason to 
worry.

HF operators don't have much to worry about while using normal 
antennas, except perhaps high power ten-meter operators with 
multi-element antennas and close by neighbors.

I wouldn't give it a moment's thought, except to be sure I complied 
using the formulas the FCC wants us to use...which is what that 
page purports to be doing.


73, Tom W8JI
w8ji@contesting.com

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