liteppie@yahoo.com

Does anyone have any information on the effect of cell tower radio frequencies on pacemakers? liteppie

6 Comments

None 2

by ElectricFrank - 2009-06-14 11:06:16

Modern pacemakers aren't bothered by radio frequencies like the earlier ones were, but the myth lives on. I am an electronic engineer and have yet to find anything that interferes with mine. I have a Medronic Kappa 701 implanted in 2004.

If I were in the business of climbing cell phone towers and getting within a few feet of the active antenna I would use care.

frank

none

by Tracey_E - 2009-06-14 11:06:37

As far as I know, they shouldn't have any effect

Worked with transmitters

by johnb10000 - 2009-06-14 11:06:49

I worked at a company as a Manufacturing Test Engineer where I tested the radios that that go into a cell phone tower. There were at least a dozen of the radios operating around me. The radios did have attenuators on them that reduce the RF energy

There was no effect on my pacemaker.

???

by pete - 2009-06-15 07:06:14

Phone masts no problem . But dont climb up them. The only thing that worries me are these new radio pulse devices made by terrorists, that are no bigger than an orange and can be set off by remote control using a mobile phone. They can distroy electronic /computer controlled devices within a certain radius. The American military have various electronic bombs that can be devastating over quite a wide area distrying all electronic devices over quite a wide area. Some I believe use millions of conductor filiaments to cause shorts but the ones that send out are short intense magnetic radio pulse are the ones that threaten pacemakers particularly. Cheers Peter

Pete

by ElectricFrank - 2009-06-20 10:06:37

Where did you find that one? I haven't seen anything about such a device in the electronic literature. Some of the terminology sounds like the speculation of someone with little technical background

It is possible to generate a high current pulse by short circuiting a large capacitor. This is the same technology used in photo flash lamps. It would produce a large local magnetic pulse , but the intensity goes down with distance very rapidly.

Of course the US military has a device that produces a very large electromagnetic pulse. It also destroys electronic devices over a large area. It is called nuclear bomb. If you are in range of one of them you have a lot more to worry about than your pacemaker.

frank

cell towers

by pokey1 - 2009-08-30 09:08:02

i am not an electronics whizbang, of any sort,however i will tell you what i think no matter how wrong i might be. sometimes we forget that we are all individuals, each having our own physical makeup. what may not effect the masses, may just give the few or maybe just one a terrible time. i think some of our medical, and electonic experts are brilliant. however i don't think anyone, with any degree of accuracy can say that things like cell towers, digital signals, or any other type of interference no matter how great or how small won't or can't harm another INDIVIDUAL in some way.

You know you're wired when...

“Batteries not included” takes on a new meaning.

Member Quotes

Without this little machine, we would not be here.