William Andersen wrote:
"Bryan" wrote in message
om...

wrote in message
ups.com...
I have just received a ICOM fix-mounted VHF radio. To my surprise, its
instruction says that I must keep the bottom of the radio antenna at
least 1-meter (3.3 feet) away from our heads if the antenna is mounted
in a small boat. I have never heard this before. Is this for real?
Does this have something to do with strong radio frequency may boil our
brain or cause cancer? Does this restriction also apply to 3dB
antenna? Does this mean that I need to use an extension to keep the
radio antenna further away from our heads?

Thanks in advance for any info about this "unexpected" restriction.

Jay Chan

Yes, and don't forget to wear you aluminum foil cap to protect from the
brain cancer wave frequencies. Seriously, what do I know, I just wanted
to use the aluminum foil line. Should be some interestingly knowledgeable
answers coming soon.

I suspect it's not a new warning, just that it's the first time you read
about it. I also doubt that you'd suffer any effects- how long are you on
your boat, how much time do you use the radio?
There's gotta be more important things for us to worry about.

Yes, this is the first time I read about this warning. I have been
reading quite a number of books on boating and marine electronics, and
I have never seen this mentioned in any one of the book.

No, I have very little experience with boats that have VHF radio. And
the boat that I have bought recently doesn't have a VHF radio. This is
the reason why I need to buy one (and received it yesterday).

This surely sounds like something similar to the issue not so long ago
about wearing a walkie-talkie in our belt may cause some sort of
problem or something. The manufacturer of the VHF radio may put that
warning in the instruction just to keep lawyers off their back.

OK, seem like this is not a "real" issue. This means I really don't
need an extension for the antenna.

Thanks.

Jay Chan