Technical Information

RF Exposure

As of May 3, 2023, FCC rules require that operators of all licensed transmitters, including radio amateurs, assure that RF exposure does not exceed safe limits. The limits themselves have been effect since 1996 and have NOT changed.

Here are some links to useful explanatory documents and calculators you can use. The calculators shown here were independently implemented, but they closely agree in the results they produce.

- ARRL RF Exposure web page
- ARRL RF Exposure calculator (probably the easiest to use)
- Frequently asked questions (v1.4 4/27/2021, from ARRL)
- RF Exposure Calculator at Lake Washington Ham Club
- RF Safety Calculator (by VP9KF, NOTE: uses metric units)
- FCC OET Bulletin 56 ("Questions and Answers about Biological Effects and Potential Hazards of Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields")
- FCC OET Bulletin 65b ("Evaluating Compliance with FCC Guidelines for Human Exposure to Radio frequency Electromagnetic Fields, Additional Information for Amateur Radio Stations")
- "RF Exposure and You" (a free eBook from ARRL, big and somewhat dated, but Chapter 8 includes useful, extensive tables for near-field exposure evaluation)