Small transmitting loop EMR safety – EMR Calc predictions

I thought it interesting to compare EMR calc with NEC-4 on my lossless octagonal loop (top tuned), 1m across on 40m in free space radiating 1W.

(ARPANSA 2002) RPS3 and AS/NZS 2772.2 require consideration of E and H separately, and the limit for E is 32V/m and H is 0.104A/m at 7MHz for time averaged fields.

Screenshot - 06_06_2014 , 11_03_45

Above is EMR Calc results for an antenna with 1.75dBi, approximately that of a lossless small loop. It calculates the safe distance (lower right) at 0.2m.

NEC-4 suggests that the E field at 0.2m above the top of the loop is 720V/m, almost 30 times the RPS3 E field limit, and that the safe distance at 1W is 1.15m above the top of the loop. The H field at 0.2m above the top of the loop is 5.2A/m, over 50 times the RPS3 H field limit and more than double the RPS3 instantaneous H field limit, and that the safe distance at 1W is 1.45m above the top of the loop. So the safe distance above the loop is actually 1.45m, not 0.2m.

Screenshot - 06_06_2014 , 11_08_53

Above is a point source calculation at 0.2m from a 1W source using Friis’ formula, the pink distance field warns that such calculations aren’t valid at such close distance except for a true point source, and it reconciles with EMR Calc. It suggests that is how EMR Calc works, and that EMR Calc’s method is not a valid method and its answer wrong.

It is notable that WIA and ACMA support EMR Calc.

References

ARPANSA. 2002. ARPANSA Radiation Protection Standard (RPS3 2002) – Maximum exposure levels to radiofrequency fields – 3kHz to 300GHz (assuming plane wave conditions).