INEXPENSIVE READOUT FOR A COMMERCIAL THERMOCOUPLE MICROWAVE POWER DENSITY PROBE
Authors not listed · 1970
Early recognition that affordable microwave measurement tools were essential for understanding radiation exposure levels.
Plain English Summary
This 1970 technical report describes the development of an inexpensive readout system for commercial thermocouple probes that measure microwave power density. The research focused on creating affordable measurement equipment to detect microwave radiation levels. This work represents early efforts to make microwave exposure monitoring more accessible to researchers and safety professionals.
Why This Matters
This technical development from 1970 highlights a crucial gap that persists today: the need for affordable, accurate EMF measurement tools. While this report focused on thermocouple-based microwave detection systems, the underlying challenge remains relevant as we face exponentially more complex EMF environments. The science demonstrates that reliable measurement is the foundation of both research and protection. Put simply, you can't manage what you can't measure. What this means for you is that even five decades ago, scientists recognized the importance of accessible monitoring technology. Today's microwave exposures from WiFi, cell phones, and smart devices operate at similar frequencies but with vastly different exposure patterns than the industrial sources this 1970 equipment was designed to measure.
Finding
The Division of Electronic Products has developed a metering system for use with one of the Narda probes. This meter can be constructed by technicians without specialized training for less than $50.00 (exclusive of the probe). The parts are readily available from local electronics dealers, except as noted in the parts list.
In their words
“The Division of Electronic Products has developed a metering system for use with one of the Narda probes. This meter can be constructed by technicians without specialized training for less than $50.00 (exclusive of the probe). The parts are readily available from local electronics dealers, except as noted in the parts list.”
Source
(1970) (1970)Exposure Details
- Power Density
- 100 mW/cm2
Exposure Context
This study used 100 mW/cm2 for radio frequency:
- 10,000Mx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.1 μW/m²
- 166.7Mx above the BioInitiative Report recommendation of 0.0006 μW/cm²
Building Biology guidelines are practitioner-based limits from real-world assessments. BioInitiative Report recommendations are based on peer-reviewed science. Check Your Exposure to compare your own measurements.
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
To develop an inexpensive, easy-to-build readout circuit that can be used with the Narda 8122 thermocouple microwave power density probe for measuring microwave oven leakage.
The meter was designed to be constructed by technicians without specialized radiation measurement in...
The instrument is capable of reading full-scale power densities of 10 mW/cm2 and 100 mW/cm2 at frequ...
The inexpensive meter can be constructed by technicians without specialized training for less than $50.00 (exclusive of the probe). The parts are readily available from local electronics dealers. The instrument provides all necessary features of the Narda 8100 system and can accurately measure microwave oven leakage with the same calibration accuracy as the Narda 8122 probe (+ 1dB).
Show BibTeX
@article{inexpensive_readout_for_a_commercial_thermocouple_microwave_power_density_probe_g6624,
author = {Unknown},
title = {INEXPENSIVE READOUT FOR A COMMERCIAL THERMOCOUPLE MICROWAVE POWER DENSITY PROBE},
year = {1970},
}