Does any manufacturer make a 50 watt handheld GMRS radio?
Does any manufacturer make a 50 watt handheld GMRS radio?
And why do you ask??
Larry
'They" do exist.
Which ones - handheld or mobile--and where please?
No. first off, the battery required would too big and heavy to be practical, and second, 50W of RF in contact with your body can cause RF burns and other radio frequency exposure health problems. For most frequencies, 5-10 watts within arm's length is about the limit for safe daily exposure.
Mobile radios can get away with much higher power because you're shielded by the vehicle body if the antenna is outside and you are inside the vehicle. But you want to stand back from the antenna if there is any possibility the radio might transmit.
Watts is the energy transferred to the load. Voltage is what overcomes the resistance of one's skin to push the energy into/through the body. 12V isn't enough voltage to push a harmful amount of energy through the skin unless your skin is wet. But pushing 50W through a 50Ω load (your typical antenna impedance) requires 50V, which is enough to push a painful or harmful amount of power through the skin.
Given the description of the antenna, you probably had an encounter with a HF rig running 100+ watts.
50V is on the low end of painful/harmful and nowhere near enough to cause rwier's experience. You're also ignoring the fact that RF is AC, so peak voltage is not 50V in your scenario.But pushing 50W through a 50Ω load (your typical antenna impedance) requires 50V, which is enough to push a painful or harmful amount of power through the skin.