https://youtu.be/kyLDC-H8kb0 New FCC RF safety rules for ham radio #hamradio? - May 2021
Changes to FCC RF exposure rules go into place in May 2021 in the US. I talk about the rules, what's changed and how to stay in compliance. I also describe how to:
- Determine (under the new rules) whether you are covered under an exemption - Use either of two calculators to perform an evaluation for MPE (Maximum Permissible Exposure) if you wish to or are required to perform an evaluation.
Other videos will discuss using antenna modeling software and field strength measurements.
**NEW ARRL FAQ WITH 2021 INFO** Downloadable PDF and link to this video (share with your friends!) - https://hudson.arrl.org/index.php/fcc...?
~~INFORMATION~~ ARRL RF Safety info: http://www.arrl.org/rf-exposure? 2019 FCC R&O: https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-main...? FCC OET 65: https://transition.fcc.gov/Bureaus/En...? Specific information for radio amateurs (OET 65b): https://transition.fcc.gov/Bureaus/En...?
FREE ARRL eBook - RF Exposure and you (PDF): http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Techno...? American Cancer Society RF Safety information: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-...?
RSGB (UK) RF Safety video: https://rsgb.org/main/technical/emc/e...?
In-depth presentation by N9GL: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/mq3djoyqpp...?
~~CALCULATORS~~ **NOTE - All calculators are for power AT THE ANTENNA so you need to take into account feedline losses. See this video for how to calculate your feedline losses: https://youtu.be/YcA-XfSYbTk?
MPE Calculator #1 (Evans): http://hintlink.com/power_density.htm? MPE Calculator #2 (Overbeck/Lake Washington): http://www.lakewashingtonhamclub.org/...? Another calculator (pwr_dens) from K1TR. This is a Windows program: https://www.qsl.net/k1tr/Downloads.htm? Original BASIC program by Wayne Overbeck, N6NB: http://n6nb.com/rfsafety.htm? More RF calculators: https://www.vpitechnology.com/rf-calc...?
Join ARRL: http://www.arrl.org/join? Donate to ARRL: https://www.arrl.org/arrl-donation-form? ARRL Technical Information Service (TIS): http://www.arrl.org/technical-informa...?
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http://www.arrl.org/news/updated-radio-frequency-exposure-rules-become-effec...
Updated Radio Frequency Exposure Rules Become Effective on May 3, 2021
Updated Radio Frequency Exposure Rules Become Effective on May 3 04/12/2021 The FCC has announced that rule changes detailed in a lengthy 2019 Report and Order governing RF exposure standards go into effect on May 3, 2021. The new rules do not change existing RF exposure (RFE) limits but do require that stations in all services, including amateur radio, be evaluated against existing limits, unless they are exempted. For stations already in place, that evaluation must be completed by May 3, 2023. After May 3 of this year, any new station, or any existing station modified in a way thats likely to change its RFE profile such as different antenna or placement or greater power will need to conduct an evaluation by the date of activation or change.
In the RF Report and Order, the Commission anticipated that few parties would have to conduct reevaluations under the new rules and that such evaluations will be relatively straightforward, the FCC said in an April 2 Public Notice. It nevertheless adopted a 2-year period for parties to verify and ensure compliance under the new rules.
The Amateur Service is no longer categorically excluded from certain aspects of the rules, as amended, and licensees can no longer avoid performing an exposure assessment simply because they are transmitting below a given power level.
For most amateurs, the major difference is the removal of the categorical exclusion for amateur radio, which means that ham station owners must determine if they either qualify for an exemption or must perform a routine environmental evaluation, said Greg Lapin, N9GL, chair of the ARRL RF Safety Committee and a member of the FCC Technological Advisory Council (TAC).
Ham stations previously excluded from performing environmental evaluations will have until May 3, 2023, to perform these. After May 3, 2021, any new stations or those modified in a way that affects RF exposure must comply before being put into service, Lapin said.
The December 2019 RF Report and Order changes the methods that many radio services use to determine and achieve compliance with FCC limits on human exposure to RF electromagnetic fields. The FCC also modified the process for determining whether a particular device or deployment is exempt from a more thorough analysis by replacing a service-specific list of transmitters, facilities, and operations for which evaluation is required with new streamlined formula-based criteria. The R&O also addressed how to perform evaluations where the exemption does not apply, and how to mitigate exposure.
Amateur radio licensees will have to determine whether any existing facilities previously excluded under the old rules now qualify for an exemption under the new rules. Most will, but some may not.
The ARRL Laboratory staff is available to help amateurs to make these determinations and, if needed, perform the necessary calculations to ensure their stations comply. ARRL Laboratory Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI, who helped prepare ARRLs RF Exposure and You book, explained it this way. The FCC did not change any of the underlying rules applicable to amateur station evaluations, he said. The sections of the book on how to perform routine station evaluations are still valid and usable, especially the many charts of common antennas at different heights. Hare said ARRL Lab staff also would be available to help amateurs understand the rules and evaluate their stations.
RF Exposure and You is available for free download from ARRL. ARRL also has an RF Safety page on its website.
The ARRL RF Safety Committee is working with the FCC to update the FCCs aids for following human exposure rules OET Bulletin 65 and OET Bulletin 65 Supplement B for Radio Amateurs. In addition, ARRL is developing tools that all hams can use to perform exposure assessments.