ham radio radiation hazard

(1( please correct my email address to brooxie47@yahoo.com
(2) advance ham license but hesitate to set up without learning more about rf radiation with pm with defib.

6 Comments

Neighbor uses his...

by Lurch - 2014-10-08 06:10:44

don't know how many watts he pumps out, but he uses his Ham and has a PM

Ask doctor?

by kermiehiho - 2014-10-08 12:10:02

I have also not used my ham radio since getting my pm. I hear you should keep the antenna a few feet away. Since I am only 5', that's like my entire armlength... :(

Life on the waves..

by TickTock-UK - 2014-10-09 07:10:22

I have an "A" licence and not found any problems, do a search at the top lots on here.

Len 73's

thanks all

by brooxie47 - 2014-10-09 09:10:07

will follow suggestions and advice

The best idea. . .

by SteveE - 2014-10-09 09:10:27

. . . would be to call tech support at your device manufacturer. I have a Boston Scientific PM, and have been a ham for many years. I called Boston Scientific tech support and asked them if I should be concerned about running my ham rig (100 watt HF rig, 99% CW, with a ground mounted vertical in the back yard, etc.). They knew exactly what I was talking about and transferred me to their "RFI expert." He asked me what frequencies I would be using and how much power. Then he laughed and said that at HF frequencies I would need to be running a hundred times more power before I would ever need to be concerned. I've been operating on HF and a bit of VHF since my device was implanted 3 1/2 years ago without any effect. Nothing felt, nothing showing up on interrogation reports. The rep said that these devices are so fully shielded that consumer and amateur devices (other than large magnets) have no impact on them.

That's my story. I suggest that you contact your device manufacturer and learn your own. I would be surprised if you get different information, but it is probably best to contact the manufacturer of your own device rather than relying on another.

1500 watts? Thank you, but no thank you!

by Griddlebone - 2014-10-10 09:10:56

Pacificon is this weekend in Santa Clara California. Although we have a hotel room, our RV will also be on site for a number of reasons, and my spouse is staying in it. He advised me that it is directly adjacent to the hosting club's antenna and they're pushing 1500 watts. I've decided I like the idea of the hotel room and am going to stay away from the RV.

I've had my PM less than 3 weeks, and I specifically asked about this after surgery. Based on the answers I got, I don't hesitate to use my 2m HT (5 watts) or my 2m/440 rig that's in the family room, generally running 50 watts or less. In both cases the antennas are remote - roof mounted on the back of the car for the HT, and a ground plane antenna mounted to our balcony rail about 8' away from where I use the indoor rig. I haven't had occasion to fire up the HF rig since my surgery, but I'm closer to its antenna - a roof mounted dipole - when I'm upstairs and my husband is transmitting downstairs. We don't have an amp or run high power on that rig either. All of this was cleared by my doc and the rep from St. Jude Medical, but they advised that I not go the route of planting a high-power antenna farm on our roof - thus my avoidance of the RV this weekend.

The general advice I received was to be smart about the equipment I was near, and if I felt light-headed or heart-weird, simply move away and let the pacer do its job of restoring order.

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