What if you think you have got radio frequency RF radiation in your home but you do not want to, or cannot, go to the expense of buying a dedicated RF meter?
Worry not, you can use your portable AM radio to detect certain radio frequency (RF) sources, otherwise known as electromagnetic fields or EMFs.
How To Detect RF Radiation With Your AM Radio Step By Step
Here is how you can detect RF radiation with your portable radio:
1. Turn your radio dial to the white noise between stations, where there is no radio signal.
2. Move around turning your radio antenna in all directions.
When you hear it start to hiss this means you are picking up static and that there is a source of radiofrequency radiation present.
Detect RF Radiation Using Your AM Radio – Different Sources
– place your AM radio near a Compact Fluorescent Bulb (CFL), switch it on and listen to what happens.
– hold your AM radio next to your electrical appliances and listed. Many of them are now being equipped with RF transmitters to link up with the smart meters which are being deployed
– move round your house holding your portable AM radio near your electrical sockets, if your radio starts to hiss as you are doing this this is a good indication that there is dirty electricity (a GS meter will give you accurate readings).
You can buy a basic AM radio like the one shown above on Amazon.com.
Limitations Of Using Your AM Radio To Detect RF Radiation
You cannot use your AM radio to detect all sources of RF radiation. It won’t pick up certain sources, such as certain Wi-Fi and Wimax sources, which are too high a frequency and don't generate a strong enough electric field to create static.
In the absence of a sensitive RF meter your AM radio can be a reliable indicator of where radiofrequency fields are present, given the limitations listed above.
Comments
Chris Jones said,
Dear Lloyd, can you publish a list with Rf meter levels of the worst offenders. And put them in order with 1 being the highest level reading you can find.
Lloyd said,
Hi Chris
Thanks for the great question, I published my answer here so I could share it more easily with my readers.
jayasiman raghavan said,
Dear Sir, thank you for the information regarding the AM radio, I would also like to know if there is any danger when a Telco towers is based in front of a water tank.On top of a two story shop house.
Thank you
TOWARDS A RADIATION FREE TOWNSHIP.
Lloyd said,
By Telco tower, I assume you mean telecommunications tower. These towers come in all shapes and sizes, you can usually determine how potent they are by the number of antennas. They all emit RF radiation to some degree, which is neither good for the water in the tower, which people drink afterwards nor the people living near to the tower.
brian sengendo said,
thank you for the information. it opens my mind that every thing comes with a cost,but it is sad to know that the cost of development (efficiency,effectivenes) is our lives.i wish people could think about technology with the consumers welbeing in mind. because who will use these items in a long run if they are detrimental to our health. FOR EXAMPLE ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING ATTRIBUTES OF PLANT PARASITES IS THEY DONT AFFECT THE HOST TO THE POINT OF KILLING IT. i think this is because if the host dies then it will have no where to feed. thankyou. we need technology but in appropriate doses
james thorpe said,
Dear Lloyd
I am constantly disturbed by a whistling sound in my ears which I am sure comes from electronic equipment from the house next door.It regularly goes on for 4 days without a break. I also suffer from daily headaches that never seem to clear.There is 12ft of space between our house.I have lived in the house for 20 years and it has never happened before about 4 months ago. My neighbour has a grudge against me. The Police will not even investigate it.
I am a 71 year old pensioner living on a small pension that gets squeezed ever tighter every year.
Can you tell me how I would distinguish between RF signals and EMF signals?
Also, if I had a small room in my house lined with MYlar do you think it would work?
Regards
James thorpe
Drew Sampsel said,
Should I be concerned if there is a cell phone tower 250 yards from our house?
EJ said,
Hi Lloyd,
I used the AM radio at the smart meter and got a lot of static, this was with all my breakers to the house turned off. It was just directly in front of the smart meter, itself, where I got the noise–there was not noise at the conduit pipe leading in and away from the smart meter. What can I glean from this?
EJ said,
Hello,
I am picking up a RF signal in the bedroom again. This time, I cannot locate the source, even with my Cornet ED85EXS. It seems to be in one spot, the highest, but nothing is in that spot except my bed. When I move the meter a smidgen from the spot, the reading goes down. What the heck can it be then? It is at about .12 V/M.
HF said,
Can I find my lost Sentri pass, which has RFID chip in it, within my home with this?
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