[Elecraft] Radiation Question

[Lyle Johnson]

> I just became radioactive for prostate cancer treatment.  How close can 
> I sit to my Elecraft radios without risking radiation damage to the IC's?

The most susceptible ICs in the K3 should be good to between 5 and 15 
kRads (Si) before bias shift (the usual effect of radiation damage) 
results in any hard logic failures.

The DSP will be the most susceptible to soft errors because its code is 
running from RAM.  However, it also has the most shielding.  The last 
time I tested similar chips for radiation tolerance, they went beyond 50 
k Rads (Si).

You can re-boot the radio to reload the DSP if you suspect a soft error.

But you'll be mutated into another life form long before that many Rads 
impinge your K3, even if you sit on it!  Assuming, of course, that the 
implants really are low level :-)

73,

Lyle kK7P