Cellular Phones with GPS

[b4u]

Hi,

I recently bought an HTC Touch Cruise mobile phone. It has integrated GPS, and some other stuff, so I started reading the manual.

I wanted to read all manual as this is a very cool gadget , and so I passed my eyes through the section "Important Health Information and Safety Precautions".

I'll transcribe a specific part:

NONIONIZING RADIATION

Your device has an internal antenna. This product should be operated in its normal-use position to ensure the radiative performance and safety of the interference. As with other mobile radio transmitting equipment, users are advised that for satisfactory operation of the equipment and for the safety of personnel, it is recommended that no part of the human body be allowed to come too close to the antenna during operation of the equipment.

Use only the supplied integral antenna. Use of unauthorized or modified antennas may impair call quality and damage the phone, causing loss of performance and SAR levels exceeding the recommended limits as well as result in non-compliance with local regulatory requirements in your country.

To assure optimal phone performance and ensure human exposure to RF energy is within the guidelines set forth in the relevant standards, always use your device only in its normal-use position. Do not touch or hold the antenna area unnecessarily when placing or receiving a phone call. Contact with the antenna area may impair call quality and cause your device to operate at a higher power level than needed. Avoiding contact with the antenna area when the phone is IN USE optimizes the antenna performance and the battery life.

From that part, I retained some info:

"... it is recommended that no part of the human body be allowed to come too close to the antenna during operation of the equipment."

"To assure optimal phone performance and ensure human exposure to RF energy is within the guidelines set forth in the relevant standards, always use your device only in its normal-use position. ..."

Reading the text, I stated to think about the GPS antenna included in the device, and so I would like to share my thoughts as a question I would like to have an answer (as the rest of humanity, probably).

This phone, as some others, has 2 included antennas, one for regular cellular calls, which transmit radiation when in use, and another antenna for GPS operation.

We all know about the problems that a cellular phone antenna may rise to the health, but then again, there are no sure facts that even prove that it poses any risk to health at all.

But now what about a GPS antenna? I think the cellular antenna as a lower emission than GPS antenna, for the fact that the signal transmitted by the satellites are weaker, so will it be a bigger threat, or a real threat at all?

I can read the text and assume that the author is stating that I must keep a safe distance from the antennas, but it is a phone ... it is supposed to be next to your head when in use ... even when I put it on the car support arm, I'm still near the hardware ...

I know I may be looking like a paranoid person, but I really want to know your opinions about this fact of having such gear, and the possible impact on health.


Thanks

 

[corkyg]

Nice info - but better suited to the "Gadgets, Gear, and Phones" forum.

GPS

 

[Aluvus]

The GPS receiver in your phone does not transmit any energy. How GPS Works.

The warning about using it in a normal position boils down to "don't shove the antenna in your ear or do something similarly stupid". Even if you were to do that, there is no firm evidence that you would be in any real danger.

Repeated studies have failed to demonstrate any significant health risk due to cellular phone radiation. Additionally, the energy radiated by cellular phones has been decreasing over time due to technological improvements.