[AMRadio] AMRadio Digest, Vol 199, Issue 5

[John Lyles]

To be clear, Charlie is referring to nonionizing energy (RF/uWaves) 
while the K5SPE incident was talking about an industrial radioactive 
device, ionizing radiation. Big difference in effects. Its important to 
remember that nonionizing means that there is insufficient energy (in 
electron volts) to cause atoms to gain or loose electrons and become 
ions. I work in high power RF field (Megawatts) but its all contained in 
coax, waveguide and cavities. But we are trained by the folks from Narda 
and also our own internal nonionizing RF/uW policies as its a national 
laboratory. Running a 1 kW 1 GHz source in a shop, radiating, is really 
awful. Even the ARRL HB warned against such practices. The primary 
effect of concern is cataracts. There would have also been thermal 
effects noted from this.

As for the embassy story in the 1960s, the units of concern were mW/cm^2 
power density, not mW which is only measured via power meters at the 
transmitter. The KGB had no such paper regulations like 100 mW. The US 
standards used to be 10 mW/cm^2 of E field power density measured with 
probes such as those that Narda made. Since around 1995 the US standards 
of exposure are 1 mW/cm^2 at VHF/uWave and higher levels are permitted 
at low MHz. Its all related to the wavelength and size of a human. This 
level is for workers in the RF power business, operators of commercial 
sites, tower workers, etc. The general public is only permitted to be 
around 0.1 mW^cm2. Back to the US embassy in Moscow, years ago I read 
that there was a lot of evidence that a particular framed pendant on the 
wall was actually sensitive to vibration like a microphone, and the 
microphonic influence on it could be measured in the reflected wave from 
the microwave beam. From this, voices could be detected at a remote 
building across the way.

So far there still hasn't been any epidemiological study with sufficient 
scientific rigor that has proven a link from RF exposure to cancer 
development. I am not suggesting that someday in the future it won't be. 
The >30 year effects of constant low level microwaves in the 700-2200 
MHz wireless range are not known and the industries that build the 
networks are certainly not going to be part of funded scientific study. 
I try not to sleep with my cellphone and keep it on speaker as much as I 
can for calls.

73

John

K5PRO


On 11/28/20 5:51 PM, amradio-request at mailman.qth.net wrote:
> ------------------------------
> Message: 2
> Date: Fri, 27 Nov 2020 15:49:57 +0000 (UTC)
> From: CL in NC <mjcal77 at yahoo.com>
> To: amphone <amradio at mailman.qth.net>
> Subject: [AMRadio] Dangerous prank plus a story
>
> Hard to say if fellow who put the radioactive capsule under K5SPE contributed to his health issues, chances are it did.  I worked at an FAA long range radar site back in the 70's, 4MW peak power in full diplex mode, 320 watts average, and at a spot under the TR switches, an OSHA safety inspector making measurements said, "I wouldn't stand on this spot for very long."  A waveguide TR switch was a 3 port 1/4 wave device with a diode on one leg that fired when the TX did, effectively 'shorting out'  the waveguide going to the receiver, and the spot the diode plugged in was radiating significantly.  While that old FPS20/66 radar set is long gone, of the 10 man crew I worked with back then, only one other fellow that worked there beside me, has not died from cancer.  When I worked in the TACAN repair shop at the JAX, Fla., NARF,  a curious spread of cancer occurred in the Norfolk, VA.  NARF  shop.  It was discovered that in that shop, they checked the air to air mode in the TACAN
>   by radiating within the shop from 1 set to the other, a pair of 1KW, 1Ghz peak power transmitters, leaving 2 of  them locked on to each other for hours at a time.  Some years ago, reports surfaced that the Russians had been, at least since the 1950's,  beaming a steady microwave carrier  from a building across from the  US Ambassador, directly into his office at a level that exposed him to 100 milliwatts.  Technically, they were doing nothing wrong because at the time, 100 mw was the max continuous  exposure rate allowed in industry and elsewhere in the US, while in Europe it was (is) 10 mw.  Cancer rate among those posted to Russia was higher than normal.  Like all of us perhaps, I have a cellphone, and will never be convinced that holding a 800Mhz and up low power microwave oven  up to my head has no effect in the long run.  If it was actually proven to have side effects, that might kill an industry or all cell phones would have a coax feeding an antenna on top of a metal
>   helmet.  But, everybody in the future will be myopic after looking at a 2 inch square screen all day, so the corrective lens biz will be happy at least.
> Charlie,  W4MEC in NC
>