Subject: (Fist) (Curry) (Burmaster) cell-phones modus operandi (fwd)
Date: Tue, 20 Oct 1998 053414 -0500 (CDT)
From: "Roy L. Beavers" <rbeavers@llion.org>
To: emfguru <rbeavers@llion.org>
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......Stewart, WTR has built its (dubious) reputation by NOT answering
inquiries.......Ask Louis Slesin.......Still, the American "press"
treats them as if they were a legitimate scientific institution......
What you say here, Stewart, is quite interesting......Can you
provide more documantation?......guru.......
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 20 Oct 1998 18:06:56 +1000
From: Stewart Fist
To: "Roy L. Beavers"
Subject: Re: (Curry) (Burmaster) cell-phones modus operandi (fwd)
The recent discussion about arms-length earphone radiation, etc. reminded me
about one of the very early discussions on another forum about GSM phones and
their propensity (supposedly) to set off car air-bags. BMW and Mercedes
supposedly had a number of these in about 1992-3, although they denied them.
However they added a disclaimer in their car manuals saying don't use a
handheld in the car, use only a fitted car phone.
One German cellphone radio design engineer involved in the discussion decided
to test the level of emissions at the steering wheel (the detonator point) and
at the trigger mechanism (usually under the seat at that time). He measured
both his GSM handheld and his installed car phone, and then announced to the
group that the car phone put out a higher level inside the car than the
handset - despite the fact that it had a roof-top antenna.
The explanation was that the radiation came from the microphone lead, and in
those days the car-phones put out between 5 and 20 watts (I think this one was
a 5 watt). The power was radiating from the earthed cable shield.
It might be worthwhile for someone to put a meter over some of the present
car-phone units and see if the mike leads act like an antenna still.
When the WTR funded a major project comparing the statistical incidence of
handheld owners with brain tumours to car-phone users (hoping to prove there
was no difference, and therefore no R/F implication) I wrote to them pointing
out this fact -- then heard nothing more about the epidemological research.
Does anyone know what happened to this project?
And has anyone ever heard anything more about occasional air-bag blowouts when
a phone is being used. The consensus of opinion at the time was that these
were caused by bad contacts on the detonator (acting as a diode), not at the
trigger (which could be shielded).
--
Stewart Fist - writer and columnist
See http://www.newsit.com.au/index_opinion.htm
http://www.abc.net.au/http/sfist/ (some archives)
http://www.electric-words.com (main archives)
70 Middle Harbour Road, Lindfield, 2070, N.S.W, Australia
Phone +61 2 9416 7458 Fax +61 2 9416 4582
Archive provided courtesy of WaveGuide, http://www.wave-guide.org
Reprinted with permission of Roy Beavers, http://www.feb.se/EMF-L/EMF-L.html