In article , "Mike Gilmour"
writes:

Maybe apocryphal but I heard that if you're stupid enough to look into an
open waveguide of an active 10cm marine radar it would cause that eye to
become the equivalent of a hard boiled egg. No need for a 3 minute timer
then?

Back when I was doing electronic instrumentation with an optics group
at Rockwell, my first day in that group brought forth a caution from one
of the optical physicists about lasers: "Do NOT look INTO a laser beam
unless you want that to be the LAST thing you see."

That was with a little 10 milliWatt laser used on their optical table
for initial system calibration.

Good advice I thought...and remembered it.

I'm sure there are some in here who want to gabble about "open wave-
guide" and it "not radiating much because it is open, represents a
discontinuity, and the VSWR is so high there won't be any power
radiated." Which MIGHT happen at any microwave frequency from
L-band bottom (1 GHz) on up past Ku band (24 GHz+). That will
depend on the wavelength of the physical waveguide opening to the
microwave source. The magnetron MAY also refuse to oscillate due
to a high VSWR, flash over and trip its breaker or something to not
operate. Then again it MAY - with equal likelyhood - work just fine
with an opening and radiate FULL power out that open waveguide.
Or something in between full power and no power...a big unknown.

No matter how much anyone likes hardboiled eggs, those belong in
the mouth and not the eye sockets.

Len Anderson
still looking at the world of electric things with cautious eyes