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Old May 23rd 13, 08:28 PM posted to rec.radio.amateur.antenna
[email protected] nm5k@wt.net is offline
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First recorded activity by RadioBanter: Jul 2006
Posts: 757
Default Backpacking antenna question (Was: Test)

On Thursday, May 23, 2013 12:10:54 PM UTC-5, seediq wrote:
None of us

has the right to be cavalier with our safety if our death would

negatively impact someone. Just my opinion of course.



Michael


I can "feel" when I'm in a high RF environment. And I seem
to be effected more by lower frequencies, than I do high.
I've "felt" RF at home once when running 160 meters with
a antenna fed from the shack.
And I've also felt it when running mobile, with the antenna
behind my head on the trunk lid. This was noticed when
running CW on I think 80m if I remember right.
And I have no pacemaker, etc, and was in normal health.
I didn't feel pain per say. It made me feel nervous and
uneasy. Hard to explain really.. But it definitely would
start and stop with my sending. It took a while before
I realized what was happening, and then I tested it with
sending tests. Sure nuff, every time I would start sending,
I would start feeling the effects. Quit sending, and it would
go away.
This was with a plastic bugcatcher mounted on the trunk
lid, with the loading coil just above roof level.
Running 100w CW. I've never really noticed it using SSB.
Too sporadic I expect, where as CW is pretty much pedal
to the metal when actually transmitting.

In both cases, I was near the current maximum. At my
table in the 160m case, and beaming the back of my head
in the car.
But I don't see this as being much of an issue with QRP.
Particularly if the feed line is decoupled, and the
actual antenna is a good bit away from the operator.