10 Watt Portables?

[2wayfreq]

Just Curious,
I have seen a number of Chinese portables on the market with 10 Watt output i.e Radioddity GD-55, Retevis RT26 etc. Isn't that bit dangerous to have that much TX power near your head?
Plus, isn't it above portable radio legal power limits? And, can the power be turned down on these??

Thanks

 

[mmckenna]

Just Curious,
I have seen a number of Chinese portables on the market with 10 Watt output i.e Radioddity GD-55, Retevis RT26 etc. Isn't that bit dangerous to have that much TX power near your head?

Yes.

Plus, isn't it above portable radio legal power limits?

The limits have to do with RF exposure guidelines. "Legal" limits are dictated by the license, mostly.

[/QUOTE]And, can the power be turned down on these??[/QUOTE]

I'd hope so, but I'm not going to waste my money on one to find out.

RF exposure is one thing.
Battery life is another. 10 watts is going to drag down a battery quickly, and it's not going to double the range.
These sorts of things are marketed at people that buy into the RF wattage claims, sort of like the "peak and tune" CB thing.

The few low end Chinese radios I've used have been quite disappointing on many levels. I haven't seen anything to suggest these would be any better.

 

[nd5y]

Isn't that bit dangerous to have that much TX power near your head?

No. 10 W isn't much power. Depending on how good/bad the antenna is you could have less exposure than a 5 W (or less) radio with a good antenna. DMR only transmits 1/2 of the time becauses it's 2 slot TDMA. That also cuts your exposure by 1/2.

Plus, isn't it above portable radio legal power limits?

For ham radio there is no special power limit for hand held radios.
I don't think there are transmit power limits for PLMR hand held radios either (except on certain frequencies).
There are RF exposure guidelines. See:
https://www.fcc.gov/general/radio-frequency-safety-0

https://transition.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Engineering_Technology/Documents/bulletins/oet56/oet56e4.pdf

can the power be turned down on these??

Download the manual from the manufacturer or dealer web sites and find out. I seem to recall seeing a couple of those that had low power settings.

 

[Motoballa]

My friend bought the Radioddity GD-55 and had it shipped to my house so I could program it for him, low power is 5 watts and high is 10.

Once programmed I attached the speaker mic and held it as far away as my arm would reach and was doing some testing on a local GMRS repeater about 25 miles away. 10 watts vs my MD-2017 on 5 watts sounded exactly the same.. Even with the super long 16 inch antenna provided. I was not impressed.. Like they say, power is NOT everything.

I don't recommend getting one, better options out there that are well worth it.

 

[KK4JUG]

Someone needs to list the various parts of the body that thing might fry (if it's actually 10W).

 

[nd5y]

Someone needs to list the various parts of the body that thing might fry (if it's actually 10W).

That's not enough power to fry anything that big. Some people need to learn what RF can and can't do and the difference between exposure from an antenna spread out over fractions of a wavelength or more, which radiates in all directions with very little reaching any one point, and exposure from direct contact with a pinpoint source like the end of a wire.

Back in the 90s I worked at a military installation with an array of over 2500 VHF transmitters with dipole antennas made from 1" tubing spaced 4 feet apart for two miles. Each dipole radiated about 200 watts.

We worked right under the array with no effects. Sparrows made nests under the dipoles and it didn't fry them. One time we were swapping out a power supply and there was a big grasshopper on the end of one of the dipoles while it was turned off. When we turned the power back on all it did was jump off. It didn't fry or even die.

 

[KK4JUG]

That's not enough power to fry anything that big. Some people need to learn what RF can and can't do and the difference between exposure from an antenna spread out over fractions of a wavelength or more, which radiates in all directions with very little reaching any one point, and exposure from direct contact with a pinpoint source like the end of a wire.

Back in the 90s I worked at a military installation with an array of over 2500 VHF transmitters with dipole antennas made from 1" tubing spaced 4 feet apart for two miles. Each dipole radiated about 200 watts.

We worked right under the array with no effects. Sparrows made nests under the dipoles and it didn't fry them. One time we were swapping out a power supply and there was a big grasshopper on the end of one of the dipoles while it was turned off. When we turned the power back on all it did was jump off. It didn't fry or even die.

My bad. I should have put a in there.

 

[jwt873]

Practically speaking, going from 5 to 10 Watts, the power difference to a receiving radio would be just noticeable. It's only a 3dB increase.

But, as discussed above I'm pretty sure the radio has lower power settings. For safety, one might use a low setting while fully hand held, and the higher power while connected to an external antenna.

This thread is is reminiscent of the Luiton LT25 discussion held here on RR a while ago. The LT25 is a 25 Watt handheld Luiton 25W two way radio, Super high battery with 4000mAh

 

[mmckenna]

This thread is is reminiscent of the Luiton LT25 discussion held here on RR a while ago. The LT25 is a 25 Watt handheld Luiton 25W two way radio, Super high battery with 4000mAh

Hmmm, hand held radio that needs a cooling fan. That should tell people something.

I bet there are those that purchased these, too.

 

[lmrtek]

These companies are simply trying to appeal to all the CBers that are now on 2 meters.
.....
Yes, that much RF exposure is putting you at risk and given the explosive potential of a lithium battery that large, it's like a grenade on your belt.
......
And you need more than a couple watts to use a repeater then you either need a better antenna or the repeater is deaf.

 

[n1das]

Keep the antenna away from your eyes. The cornea is the part of the body most vulnerable to damage from an RF burn.

I have actually felt my eyes begin to itch after about a minute of transmitting and talking on a 4W UHF portable.

I recall Part 90 portables in the 4-5W range are required to have a warning label (usually under the battery pack) saying "Device must be restricted to occupational use to satisfy FCC compliance. See owner's manual for specific operating requirements."


Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

 

[scanmanmi]

I believe in power

I think it matters on fringe areas. My awesome little UV82 makes a difference when I go up to 8 watts from 5. My yaesu gets farther when I go to 75 from 50. Without these levels I couldn't make contact.

 

[KK4JUG]

8 watts out of a UV-82?

 

[zz0468]

Back in the 90s I worked at a military installation with an array of over 2500 VHF transmitters with dipole antennas made from 1" tubing spaced 4 feet apart for two miles. Each dipole radiated about 200 watts.

The space fence!

 

[scanmanmi]

Yes it's the 82HP. I've seen some advertised at 1/4/7 and 1/5/8. My meter says 5.5 and 8.5 watts. Sometimes I can't bring up a repeater on 5 but I can on 8.

 

[KK4JUG]

Yes it's the 82HP. I've seen some advertised at 1/4/7 and 1/5/8. My meter says 5.5 and 8.5 watts. Sometimes I can't bring up a repeater on 5 but I can on 8.

....and you get how many seconds out of the battery when you transmit?

 

[nd5y]

The space fence!

Exactly.

 

[Rred]

If you believe anything exported from China meets the published specs...

If you believe anyone in China is monitoring health and safety standards on domestic OR export goods...

If you believe that anyone, including the FCC or AMA really really knows for sure what a safe radiation limit is (compare and contrast with the old USSR, known to be extremely concerned with public safety, or with Sweden, known to be a bit more concerned with public safety....)

The rubes think "MORE IS BETTER" and there's always someone willing to sell it to them. Congratulations, on not falling for that line.

Maybe it is safe. Maybe the radio really puts out 10W. Maybe my lottery ticket is going to win, and I can hire someone on an H1B visa to come in from China and hold the radio for me. (Karma's a b|tch, ain't it?)

 

[zz0468]

...Maybe my lottery ticket is going to win, and I can hire someone on an H1B visa to come in from China and hold the radio for me. (Karma's a b|tch, ain't it?)

Maybe if you can pay enough, you can get someone on an H1B visa to come in from China, hold the radio and get close enough to speak English into it for you so you don't have to.

I'm sure not holding a 10w HT up to MY head. We only know of so many ways to hurt yourself with RF. Mother nature knows 'em all, and I'm not going to be a statistic in some database used someday to show that strong RF fields near the brain, an electro-chemical appliance, are harmful.

My HTs are ALWAYS set to 1watt or less.

 

[Rred]

What, you don't want to donate your body to science? This way, you can do it right away, you don't have to worry about waiting till you die, and missing the heartfelt thanks from all the doctors.(G)