KENTUCKY PORTABLE CLUB • SAFETY
Every ham station has to be evaluated for RF exposure (FCC rule, since 2021). Enter your setup and see how far people need to be from your antenna — at home or in the park.
Controlled means you and people who know they're near a transmitter and can control it — your household, your club members at the table. Uncontrolled is everyone else: neighbors, park visitors walking by. The limit for the public is about five times stricter.
The limits are averaged over time — 6 minutes for controlled, 30 minutes for the public. SSB voice is only "on" about 20% of the time, and you listen about half the time, so your average is far below your peak power. FT8 and FM are full power whenever you transmit.
| FREQUENCY (MHz) | CONTROLLED (mW/cm²) · 6 MIN | PUBLIC (mW/cm²) · 30 MIN |
|---|---|---|
| 0.3 – 1.34 | 100 | 100 |
| 1.34 – 3 | 100 | 180 / f² |
| 3 – 30 | 900 / f² | 180 / f² |
| 30 – 300 | 1.0 | 0.2 |
| 300 – 1,500 | f / 300 | f / 1500 |
| 1,500 – 100,000 | 5 | 1.0 |
This uses the standard far-field estimate from FCC OET Bulletin 65 (with ground reflection it multiplies by 2.56), which is conservative close to most ham antennas. It's a planning tool — for a written station evaluation, see the ARRL RF Exposure page ↗.
SAFELY
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