The new rule is all about members of the public being exposed to radio signals. If a member of the public stands next to your transmitting antenna for a period of 6 minutes, they will be exposed to a certain amount of EMF. If, in that 6 minutes, you are transmitting for 3 minutes and listening for 3 minutes, then that member of the public only gets half of the exposure. So, for the calculator, you need to look at a period of 6 minutes that you are using the radio, and use the "transmit percentage in 6 minutes" to decide how much of your time is spent actually transmitting in that 6 minute period. Does that make sense?
@@EssexhamUk .. but if that 6 minutes happens to be when I'm listening, it'll be 0, whereas if I'm in the middle of a rag chew it could be 6 minutes.. but that could be the only 6 minutes that week. Also if they are walking past the antenna does that count as 6 minutes exposure or just the 10 seconds they walk past it?
@@EssexhamUk no it doesn't make sense, that 6 minutes could be any random time of the day. Wouldn't it be more sensible to go for an average over 24 hours?
@@testinguser That wouldn’t make sense, for two reasons: 1) how often are you using your radio for 24 solid hours, and b) how often do you have members of the public standing by your antennas for 24 hours at a time? This is all about you transmitting when members of the public are near your transmitting antenna. If you’re not transmitting, or there are no members of the public about, this is not a problem.
Most handhelds have a max of 5 watts output. EMF licence conditions only apply for over 6.1 watts erp. To answer the question though, the calculators do allow for inputting the numbers for a handheld - just select the power and use "Rubber Duck" as the antenna type.
I would do the assessment just to show you have complied. it always good practice for later.
I'm confused by the "Transmit % in 6 minutes". What if I use my radio for about an hour each week?
The new rule is all about members of the public being exposed to radio signals. If a member of the public stands next to your transmitting antenna for a period of 6 minutes, they will be exposed to a certain amount of EMF. If, in that 6 minutes, you are transmitting for 3 minutes and listening for 3 minutes, then that member of the public only gets half of the exposure. So, for the calculator, you need to look at a period of 6 minutes that you are using the radio, and use the "transmit percentage in 6 minutes" to decide how much of your time is spent actually transmitting in that 6 minute period. Does that make sense?
@@EssexhamUk .. but if that 6 minutes happens to be when I'm listening, it'll be 0, whereas if I'm in the middle of a rag chew it could be 6 minutes.. but that could be the only 6 minutes that week. Also if they are walking past the antenna does that count as 6 minutes exposure or just the 10 seconds they walk past it?
@@frankhovis You say you use your radio for one hour a week - roughly how many minutes do you spend transmitting on average during that hour?
@@EssexhamUk no it doesn't make sense, that 6 minutes could be any random time of the day. Wouldn't it be more sensible to go for an average over 24 hours?
@@testinguser That wouldn’t make sense, for two reasons: 1) how often are you using your radio for 24 solid hours, and b) how often do you have members of the public standing by your antennas for 24 hours at a time?
This is all about you transmitting when members of the public are near your transmitting antenna. If you’re not transmitting, or there are no members of the public about, this is not a problem.
Could anyone explain how (or even If) I need to calculate EMF for a handheld radio?
Most handhelds have a max of 5 watts output. EMF licence conditions only apply for over 6.1 watts erp. To answer the question though, the calculators do allow for inputting the numbers for a handheld - just select the power and use "Rubber Duck" as the antenna type.
@@EssexhamUk My radio has an advertised power of '10 watts'. In reality, in other people's tests it did around 5. Thank you for the information.