[SteveCox]

Radar hazards

When I was in the Navy this came under the heading of HERP (Hazards of Electromagnetic Radiation to Personnel) and along with HERO (Ordanance) and HERF (Fuel) made for some very complicated and boring reading. If you want to know what damage radar can do find and watch the video of the disaster on USS Forrestal. Radar can damage people mostly in the areas of the eyes and the testicles. Its' danger changes however based on dwell time, output power, beam width, distance from the antenna, frequency and a whole host of other factors. While it's not a good idea to sit on the radome to keep warm on a chilly day in most cases the radar for our boats does not pose a health risk due primarily to their low power. As long as you are not going to be at eye level with it at a distance of six feet or so during normal operation you should be fine. BTW the warning from Raytheon is accurate though on the conservative side of things.