Imagine you could walk about freely and know that your microwave radiation exposures were okay.
That you could walk into a store, ride on a bus or a train or share a car and know your exposures were within carefully set limits (set by you) without having to get an EMF meter out and take readings.
Well, this is the idea behind the RadAware personal microwave radiation exposure alarm.
RadAware – Technical Specifications
Here are the technical specs:
Main detection frequency range: 200 MHz to 6 GHz
Signal Strength Sensitivity: gives measurements in the range <0.02 V/m (1 µW/m2, 0.0000001 mW/cm2) to 3 V/m (25000 µW/m2, 25 mW/m2)
General Characteristics
Small, compact handheld design: 69mmX110mm
Battery operated (9V PP3)
Mains Adapter – available separately
Why Would You Want To Buy A Personal Microwave Radiation Exposure Alarm?
The number of cell phone users in the world is expected to pass the five billion mark by 2019. 5G and the Internet of Things (IoT) promises to connect us in our homes, schools, workplaces, cities, parks and open spaces to over a trillion objects around the world.
Wireless is taking over the world. For all these devices to be able to connect, without wires, our world is being engulfed in an invisible sea of radio frequency microwave radiation exposures.
Some people consider these exposures harmless, they are not harmless. 2 points:
- in 2011 the World Health Organisation (WHO) classified radio frequency microwave radiation as emitted by cell phones and the like as a possible Class 2B carcinogen.
- thousands of independent studies now link these exposures to a long list of serious diseases including cancer
What EMFs Can The RadAware Detect?
The RadAware is designed to detect radio frequency microwave radiation exposures. That means it can detect radiation from the following sources:
- Cell phones (mobiles)
- Cell towers (masts)
- Bluetooth devices
- Cordless DECT phones
- Smart meters
- Microwave ovens
- WiFi router/modems
- Wimax networks
- Wireless video games
- Digital baby monitors
- Digital TV
- Audio/Video Sender Receivers
- Tetra emissions
- Wireless burglar alarms
- and more.
According to the manufacturer, “the RadAware will also pick up most forms of electronic harassment (using RF up to about 6 GHz, and to a lesser extent up to 8 GHz).”
Is The RadAware An EMF Meter?
No. The RadAware is not an EMF meter. An EMF meter will typically:
- have an LCD display which will provide actual readings in W/m2 or V/m
- be something you use punctually to enable you to record your readings in different rooms in your home, over a period of time.
The RadAware offers less precision but greater ease of use. It's designed to enable you to:
- constantly monitor your radio frequency microwave exposures
- effortlessly monitor your exposures
With an EMF meter, the real benefit is when you do something that resembles an EMF survey and you note down your readings in specific locations at specific times. The RadAware is more suited to everyday use.
I made this video to give an overview of the meter:
RadAware Electrical Power Adapter
If you want to be able to continuously monitor your exposures and you have electrical power socket nearby, then you can use the mains power adapter (sold separately here) instead of batteries. The power adapter has a connector that you attach to the internal RadAware battery connector, instead of the 9 volt PP3 battery.
How To Use The RadAware
Every day just switch it, the previous days settings won't be lost, pop it in your bag when you are out about and let it do it's job.
Or perhaps you want to monitor your microwave radiation exposures when you are working in your office, just put it on the corner of your desk and forget about it.
When you have switched it on, usually with the sound on, then its a question of turning the knob to determine at what level you want the alarm to sound. The more you turn the knob in the clockwise direction the greater the sensitivity.
For instance, in your office you would set the sensitivity just below the level at which the alarm is activated, so that you would be alerted when your exposures would go beyond this pre-set level.
The only thing to avoid when using it, is putting your hand or anything else directly over the microwave antenna (as shown in image), which would impede it from detecting radiation.
The most effortless way of using it is with the sound on, that way providing you are within earshot you will be alerted to RF spikes beyond the pre-set level.
If you need to be more discreet, in a library or a place of worship for instance, then you would mute the sound so as not to disturb the peace.
How To Interpret the Alarm Signals
You can chose the alarm range that matches the exposure levels that you need to avoid – this will probably change depending on whether you are in an RF polluted area or not.
With the knob turned fully clockwise (the + direction), the green LED lights at 0.015 V/m (0.6 uW/m^2) and the top of the scale Red continuous at 0.15 V/m (60 uW/m^2).
With the knob turned fully anti-clockwise (the – direction), the green LED lights at 0.3 V/m (240 uW/m^2) and the top of the scale Red continuous at 3 V/m (24000 uW/m^2).
Alasdair Phillips the designer of the RadAware explains the finer points of the alarm,
‘the relative ALARM ratios are shown in the table with ‘green and one click’ being taken as the Reference level of “1” (the actual value of which can be adjusted with the sensitivity knob). So, for example, the ‘Red + on-off beeping’ alarm is at a level 6 times higher than the Reference V/m level and 36 times higher in power-terms'.
What I Like About The RadAware
The most important characteristics of any EMF meter or any EMF detector are:
- the frequency range
- the sensitivity – ability to detect very low levels of radiation
The RadAware ticks both these boxes. Most cell phone networks around the world operate in the 1-2 GHz range. Most WiFi operates at 2.4 GHz, with newer devices operating in the 5GHz range. It can detect all these frequencies – according to the manufacturer it can also detect those frequencies currently planned for 5G.
It appears to have very good sensitivity. I have stood it side by side with the Cornet ED88T, the Acoustimeter and Acousticom 2 and it's sensitivity seems to be on a par with these meters – if anything it might be slightly more sensitive.
The Downsides
If you're looking for an EMF meter, a device that will give you actual EMF readings, the RadAware is not for you. This is not really a downside, just something that needs to be stressed.
The second point I need to make is that, if you are electrically hyper sensitive (EHS) I believe using a device like this can create a state of hyper vigilance. There may be situations where the alarm tells you your exposures are high but if you are not in a position to reduce these exposures in some way, this might contribute to your symptoms.
This is not a criticism of the device, but a criticism of how the device is used. If you are EHS and you are following a program to overcome your symptoms then long term it will probably not be beneficial to use a device like this.
Conclusion
Its a dinky little device that packs a big punch. According to the manufacturer it's thousands of times more sensitive than other microwave RF alarms on the market and detects over more than twice the frequency range.
If you're looking to monitor your radio frequency microwave radiation exposures in real time then this is the perfect device for you.
You can buy the RadAware here.
Comments
Andy Hooley said,
Thanks Lloyd, that was a good summary. I’ve been looking at getting one of these to compliment my other equipment.
Patricia Ormsby said,
Thank you for the warning for the EHS. I was thinking as I read this, what we really need is a pup tent Faraday cage for those of us who lack the moxy to get the devices shut down–depriving nearby phone heads of their fix. That would help where it counts most: when we are trying to get some sleep, and could be marketed to the aware but non-sensitive as well. In extreme cases like taxis using smartphones to navigate, I am considering warning the driver that I tend to vomit (a gross exaggeration, but saying that I tend to experience severe arrhythmia doesn’t register), and could he please use it intermittently. Public transportation is simply off limits. Currently flights without wi-fi exist, but may disappear the way hotels without wi-fi have, and I wonder if the pup tent minus the frame would provide any help in a situation with no grounding. The pup tent would need a sturdy shielded floor in any case. The only solution at present seems to be to occupy the toilet. In countries without grounding leads in their wall sockets, I’m wondering if use of plumbing might offer a solution (stick the grounding lead down the sink).
Dr. Mercola says he sleeps in a Faraday cage and also seeks out and shuts off the myriad transmitters that come with modern home appliances. He might offer an avenue for marketing a portable Faraday cage. He has not declared himself EHS, so in his case it is awareness of the serious threat to health of ignoring this, which much of his readership shares.
lisa said,
i sleep in a emf free bed canopy AND wear a Cooks diode…
Ovidiu said,
Related to exposure warning devices and meters, I observed a fact : Most of them are sensible in the range above 1 Mhz , but I observed strong exposure in KHz range , e.g. 8 – 50 KHz , with strong intensity of magnetic fields variations : tens of mili Tesla .
Tanya said,
Thanks for the review, Lloyd. Initially I resisted buying the RadAware personal alarm as I feared it would cause me to panic unnecessarily. I finally bought one a couple of months ago and am glad I did. There are times when I’d rather not be told by the alarm that my life is in danger, but it can open conversation opportunities with people wanting to know what is causing that noise. It’s great in locations where I have the discretion to leave or move. And it can be quite interesting to see the locations and occasions when the alarm goes off, like when crossing the road. (Yet another reason not to stand in the middle of the road. One thing or another will kill you there.)
Joseph McCready said,
Is it practicle to wear EMF protection clothing like a hat or a EMF “hoodie”….or to place EMF mesh over my legs & torso when working at my computer???
Tanya said,
Joseph, it’s probably not a good idea to wear only partial protective clothing. As with shielding rooms, if there are any gaps for the RF to get in, once it gets inside your body and then tries to pass out of your body, if it hits the protective clothing, it cannot get out and it will reflect back into your body and keep bouncing around inside you until it finds a gap to escape through.
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