Is radar dangerous?

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When we purchased our new to us NT last month it came with a Garmin 2010C plotter. It worked very well in the Vancouver harbour area and I quite liked it.

However, it ceased to work once we brought it up to Campbell River, which was a mystery as the chip was "Olympia to Skagway".

Upon investigation we discovered that the chip was only for American waters, i.e., it skipped the BC shoreline. And the unit was too old to get a new chip for unless we could magically find one on eBay.

That coupled with a Practical Sailor review that mentioned that Garmin recommends you upgrade the chip twice a year, at a 50% cost each upgrade, convinced us to move on, which we did. I should mention that the Practical Sailor article was two or three years ago, and the info may be dated. Plus who would religiously upgrade their chips every six months? But not being able to upgrade on an older system was the major clincher.

We went with a Simrad NSE12 unit that has a Navionics chip/card. Since Navionics uses a standard SD card I expect that we will be able to upgrade for years to come.
 
We went with a Simrad NSE12 unit that has a Navionics chip/card. Since Navionics uses a standard SD card I expect that we will be able to upgrade for years to come.
Excellent choice! (IMO) I'm a NorthStar advocate (Now Simrad) & have found their products to be really intuitive. Upgrading with my NorthStar 6000i has been a piece of cake. (No real reason for doing it, however. As has be previously pointed out, much of the chart data is from extremely old sources.)
 
I just upgraded my older Furuno, and thought about going with broadband. First of all, on the class of vessels we all represent, our maximum range to 'see' another vessel is less than about 8 miles, so claims for 36 or 48 plus mile radars are misleading. The 'longer range' radars provide some advantage in more power and narrower beam widths, so there is some greater clarity in the returns, and are helpful in navigation in seeing shoreside targets, but don't really provide greater on water range. So there is a good argument for broadband on our recreational boats.

Eventually, though, I decided on a conventional, digital radar, primarily for the ability to activate RaCons. Particularly coming in from offshore in low visibility - its really comforting to see that BOLD morse "A" illuminate the entrance buoy.
 
Eventually, though, I decided on a conventional, digital radar, primarily for the ability to activate RaCons.

Hmmm... very good point and one I have never considered. We have a fair number of Racon buoys in the shipping channels around here and getting that fat return on the radar display is a nice thing to see. Thanks.
 
I know there are several police and highway patrolmen that became sterile and got cancer from their radar guns. That was the news in the 70's. So if that little hand held radar gun can cause cancer, I think we might like to be more cautious.

Since the Japan earthquake and the radiation scare last year there has been more information about radiation poisoning and birth defects. Today there is a huge spike in radiation related birth defects that isn't being reported.

Be cautious my friends. Russia tested microwave (radar range ovens) when they came out and banned them from their country because of health problems from eating food cooked in them. I don't own one either. Read up on how it changes the molecular structure of the food into something unnatural. They are good for heating water, I think.
 
Having worked with a number of different radars, ATC, Artillery, and Infantry... some with long range, some with as little as 10km range...and quite frankly, I can only say that it is smarter to avoid exposure than to allow it. If your head (the one on your shoulders) gets enough RF energy exposure....you will have a headache that will make you sorry you got near a radar set.

Long term exposure to to RF energy is not healthy. A sales rep for a radar manufacturer is not going to tell you RF is harmful...it might kill a sale.

We each will believe what we will, but I think its advisable to use discretion around radar units that are radiating.
 
I know there are several police and highway patrolmen that became sterile and got cancer from their radar guns. That was the news in the 70's. So if that little hand held radar gun can cause cancer, I think we might like to be more cautious.

Since the Japan earthquake and the radiation scare last year there has been more information about radiation poisoning and birth defects. Today there is a huge spike in radiation related birth defects that isn't being reported.

Be cautious my friends. Russia tested microwave (radar range ovens) when they came out and banned them from their country because of health problems from eating food cooked in them. I don't own one either. Read up on how it changes the molecular structure of the food into something unnatural. They are good for heating water, I think.

Capt - Just wondering... know of links that have blind test study proof?

Sumer 1972, I purchased a "Radar Range" for my restaurant tavern "The Hunter", Camden Maine (bought the range from Montgomery Ward in Rockland Maine... might have been Belfast??) Anyway' it was quite new to general market and we had to place a Heart-Pacemaker Caution over it and at front door. That baby cooked hot dogs in a snap and the buns came out as though they were steamed. It was tiny and a gray color... 2 hot dogs, each in bun, was about max. Man, we sold a lot of dogs to beer drinker at the bar. I've used the “Microwave" cookers for decades. Far as I know they are much improved regarding containing their microwave impulses. I’d think if they were killing or hurting many people by simply operating or what they do to food that the truth would have come out by now... I reheat food all the time and wife pre cooks some items before going to the grill.
 
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Capt - Just wondering... know of links that have blind test study proof?

Sumer 1972, I purchased a "Radar Range" for my restaurant tavern "The Hunter", Camden Maine (bought the range from Montgomery Ward in Rockland Maine... might have been Belfast??) Anyway' it was quite new to general market and we had to place a Heart-Pacemaker Caution over it and at front door. That baby cooked hot dogs in a snap and the buns came out as though they were steamed. It was tiny and a gray color... 2 hot dogs, each in bun, was about max. Man, we sold a lot of dogs to beer drinker at the bar. I've used the “Microwave" cookers for decades. Far as I know they are much improved regarding containing their microwave impulses. I’d think if they were killing or hurting many people by simply operating or what they do to food that the truth would have come out by now... I reheat food all the time and wife pre cooks some items before going to the grill.


Ok, here we are back to some of my earliest comments on this thread about radar. The word "radiation" is being used somewhat indiscriminately here. Electromagnetic radiation (created by radar, and all radio emitting devices) is changes in electromagnetic flux; the radar is attempting to influence the paths of the electrons that make up everything, and the pattens of interference with that effect make up the "return". Think of the radar beam as a gentle stream from a low pressure garden hose, one that's only operated at intervals as we wait for the splash of the water hitting something to come back.

Atomic Radiation (that stuff created by atomic piles) is more like a stream of rocks; actual heavy particles (not just electrons), particles that can penetrate cells and do damage. It's the difference between being hit with the stream from a garden hose, and being hit with fast moving rocks... It all has to do with the amount of energy given to the stuff hitting you. For a military grade sea search radar, replace "garden hose" with "hydroforming water stream capable of molding steel"....

Radar ranges are radars that operate in the "S" band, (2.60 to 3.95 GHz). These frequencies are particularly good at "shaking" (that is to say heating) water, hence their usefulness in kitchens. In all food prep involving microwave ovens, all you are doing is heating the water inside the food. Even when you use it to re-crisp potato chips.

Capt, I remember reading the case studies you write of. The officers in the study were placing the radar emitters in their laps between reading cars, and the emitter's standby wattage was enough (over many hours of exposure) to fry The Boys.... As I mentioned before, The Boys are very delicate, and even a garden hose at close range set to "needle spray" can make you wish they were Someplace Else. Using that same analogy, I will not stare into my home microwave with my nose pressed up against the door; the eyes are a little too delicate, and that's a little too close.

We should use a little common sense and caution when using radar, but it's not a Death Ray.
 
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Occupational Exposure of Police Officers to Microwave Radiation From Traffic Radar Devices

Police Traffic Radar Characteristics

Traffic radar devices have been manufactured using one of three microwave frequencies, either the X (10.525 GHz), K (24.15 GHz), or Ka-Band (33.40-36.00 GHz). All of the devices emit less than 100 milliwatts of microwave power, an amount considered by nearly all concerned to be rather low. Most radar units manufactured in the last twenty years have had emitted power in the range of 15 to 50 milliwatts. Compared to any other type of radar, e.g., military, commercial aviation, marine, etc., the power levels of police traffic radar devices are orders of magnitude lower.
 
Thanks for clarifying that Thurman...good post. Sometimes tales get out of hand, as sometimes the truth gets in the way of a good story...
 
Radar will melt the Hershey Bars in the lock master's shirt pocket. It makes a terrible mess.:D
 
Thanks Thurman for expanding on the cop's story. That's exactly as I remember it too. I like collaboration on postings. :)

Here is the first paragraph of this link.
In short, microwaves distort the molecular structure of the foods. They destroy much of the nutrients and cause many other problems with the immune system over a period of time. If you love your family read this and take the extra couple of minutes to heat the food up the right way.

http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/health-hazards-to-know-about/microwave-ovens-the-proven-dangers"

I have a friend that took a microwave and cut a hole in the front door glass and back wall the size of a 1 x 8. Then he took a 10' length of teak and put weights on it and suspended it below the dock for a week. He pulled the board out of the water and washed it good with fresh water. Then he had a series of screws he had placed in our wood dock that was the curvature of a transom he was making a new cap for.

He turned the microwave on and very slowly passed the board through the oven. It was limp when it came out, he placed the board into the pattern of screws and when it cooled he had a perfectly steamed and bent transom cap.

I think that's the best application of a microwave I've ever seen!!!
 
Ten Reasons to Throw out your Microwave Oven

From the conclusions of the Swiss, Russian and German scientific clinical studies, we can no longer ignore the microwave oven sitting in our kitchens. Based on this research, we will conclude this article with the following:

Continually eating food processed from a microwave oven causes long term - permanent - brain damage by "shorting out" electrical impulses in the brain [de-polarizing or de-magnetizing the brain tissue].
The human body cannot metabolize [break down] the unknown by-products created in microwaved food.
Male and female hormone production is shut down and/or altered by continually eating microwaved foods.
The effects of microwaved food by-products are residual [long term, permanent] within the human body.
Minerals, vitamins, and nutrients of all microwaved food is reduced or altered so that the human body gets little or no benefit, or the human body absorbs altered compounds that cannot be broken down.
The minerals in vegetables are altered into cancerous free radicals when cooked in microwave ovens.
Microwaved foods cause stomach and intestinal cancerous growths [tumors]. This may explain the rapidly increased rate of colon cancer in America.
The prolonged eating of microwaved foods causes cancerous cells to increase in human blood.
Continual ingestion of microwaved food causes immune system deficiencies through lymph gland and blood serum alterations.
Eating microwaved food causes loss of memory, concentration, emotional instability, and a decrease of intelligence.
Have you tossed out your microwave oven yet?
 
Microwave oven - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Several studies have shown that if properly used, microwave cooking does not change the nutrient content of foods to a larger extent than conventional heating, and that there is a tendency towards greater retention of many micronutrients with microwaving, probably due to the shorter preparation time.[23] Microwaving human milk at high temperatures is contraindicated, due to a marked decrease in activity of anti-infective factors.[24]
Any form of cooking will destroy some nutrients in food, but the key variables are how much water is used in the cooking, how long the food is cooked, and at what temperature.[25] Nutrients are primarily lost by leaching into cooking water, which tends to make microwave cooking healthier, given the shorter cooking times it requires.[26] Like other heating methods, microwaving converts vitamin B12 from an active to inactive form. The amount inactivated depends on the temperature reached, as well as the cooking time. Boiled food reaches a maximum of 100 °C (212 °F) (the boiling point of water), whereas microwaved food can get locally hotter than this, leading to faster breakdown of vitamin B12. The higher rate of loss is partially offset by the shorter cooking times required.[27] A single study indicated that microwaving broccoli loses 74% or more of phenolic compounds (97% of flavonoids), while boiling loses 66% of flavonoids, and high-pressure boiling loses 47%,[28] though the study has been contradicted by other studies.[29] To minimize phenolic losses in potatoes, microwaving should be done at 500W.[30]
Spinach retains nearly all its folate when cooked in a microwave; in comparison, it loses about 77% when cooked on stove, because food on a stove is typically boiled, leaching out nutrients. Bacon cooked by microwave has significantly lower levels of carcinogenic nitrosamines than conventionally cooked bacon.[25] Steamed vegetables tend to maintain more nutrients when microwaved than when cooked on a stovetop.[25] Microwave blanching is 3-4 times more effective than boiled water blanching in the retaining of the water-soluble vitamins folic acid, thiamin and riboflavin, with the exception of ascorbic acid, of which 28.8% is lost (vs. 16% with boiled water blanching).[


http://hps.org/publicinformation/ate/faqs/microwaveovenq&a.html
Microwave Oven Q & A

Will eating microwaved foods have any effect on humans after several years?

Cooking foods in a microwave oven does not alter them other than to heat them. There are no known effects on humans from microwaved food as opposed to foods heated by other means.
 
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:rofl::rofl::rofl::thumb:

FTI, anyone can edit wikipedia.
 
Art-when you get that page, look at the top and click on "Home", enter "microwave" in the search box and you can find the article. I have to say, after taking time to read the entire piece, if you are looking for some evidence of the scientific method, your time would be better spent diving for the microwave you threw overboard.
 
As background info, I was an X-ray tech in the US Army from 66-69 and there was a case of murder by x-ray then. There was a tech and a radiologist that hated each other and the radiologist happened to have an office directly above the x-ray room. When the radiologist would go to his office and the tech wasn't with a patient, he would turn the tube up towards the ceiling and zap.

It took months before the radiologist became sick with cancer but as you all know, in the 60's there wasn't much they could do to cure the radiologist.

I don't remember how they figured out how his death happened, just it was talked about a lot at the hospital I was stationed.

Another tidbit. We all wore badges that were small pieces of film. Much like what a dentist uses for dental x-rays. Every month they replace them and take the old one and do a test on it to see how much radiation you were exposed to.

Sounds great, huh? The tech's would grab someone's badge and zap it a few times and put it back. Nothing ever happened. I think they tossed them and never tested them.
 
What is the difference between X rays and Microwaves

What is the difference between X rays and Microwaves?

Answer:


The only difference is the frequency (or the wavelength, depending on which way you look at it). They are both part of the electromagnetic spectrum, as is visible light. For any wave, the wave speed is the frequency multiplied by the wavelength.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_differences_between_the_wavelengths_of_x-rays_and_microwaves
Answer:

The wavelength of Xrays is EXTREMELY short compared to microwaves. Wavelengths of xrays are from 10 to .01 nanometres. (10 nanometres is .00000001 metres). Wavelengths of microwaves are usually between 100 and 10 millimetres although they are not clearly defined. This means the wavelength of microwaves is 10 billion times longer than xrays.
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::sigh::

There are two components used to describe electromagnetic energy; the frequency, and the amplitude. Walk outside on a clear day, and look around; a wide spectrum of energy is pouring out of the sun, and we can see the world around us by using our eyes to detect a part of that energy. If we stay outside for an hour without protection, elements of that same energy spectrum may burn our skin. If we look directly at the sun for an hour, our eyes will be damaged. It's all a matter of degree of exposure. A little sunlight on the skin can allow us to synthesize vitamin D from cholesterol. Too much will burn.

A gentle stream of water appiled for a short time will not harm you. Water at 3,000 psi can kill.

Being hit by fast moving rocks (alpha and beta particles from nuclear decomposition) is never good.

When it comes to electromagnetic radiation, you have to consider both the frequency, and the amplitude.

I don't always automatically accept the ditates of officialdom, by the way. We have been told by TSA that both millimeter wave (microwave) and backscatter (xray) machines are safe, so why have all of the backscatter machines been quietly removed? Please don't repeat the recently offered reason "people disliked the virtual disrobing" as both machines do that... The real reason (IMHO), is that in officialdoms eyes, the potential threat justified the means. :mad: Now that there are enough millimeter wave machines available to go around, the backscatters are gone.
 
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I'm starting to understand the synthetic oil thread a bit better now.
 
Just makes me wonder now... lololol :D

What happens (i.e. what's the difference) to the molecular structure of synth - vs - dino oil when brought to very high heat in microwave?? Might shed some light as why the dinosaurs all perished in similar time span and may tell which type oil we should agree upon is the best to use!

I've heard computer geeks are looking to find answer to this! :ermm:

Just funnen! :dance:
 

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