I have got total hip replacement two years ago. After a short recovery time it does not hamper my SOTA activations now . However, it seems I have to get a pacemaker implanted this year. I wonder if there are any pacemaker carriers among the activators and if yes, what are their experiences. There are two areas of interest - first, the physical ability for extended climbs and second, the RF field exposure.
73, Ruda OK2QA
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Hello Ruda, OK2QA
Yes I am a Pacemaker user and still do SOTA activations and chasing.
Mostly not too much to worry about just a few obvious things that should be avoided to save tripping the Pacemaker.
I will PM you with my experiences.
Rob G0HRT
Dr OM Ruda,
I do school projects with Radio. One of the helpers has a pace maker. Since the buiding project is a very simple signal seeker, his pace maker was detected with their signal seekers. All students found it very interesting.
All the best from Geert PA7ZEE
Try contacting the manufacturer of the pacemaker (if you can find out which one is to be implanted). I had a cardiac monitor implanted for a couple of years and having contacted the makers (in the USA) I received a long, detailed and very accurate assessment of what you could and could not do to prevent interference - the VP Engineering was a licensed amateur.
Barry GM4TOE
Hi Ruda,
My father had a pacemaker fitted in 1983 & the main advice he was given then was to avoid Microwave ovens. This could either be due to a worry about the magnetic field produced by the Magnetron inside, or simply the microwave radiation that naturally leaks from them.
In any case, he lived to a ripe old age, with a Microwave oven & me, being active on the amateur bands in the same house with up to 300 Watts between 1.8MHz & 430MHz & he suffered no ill effects due to my radio activity.
Modern internal pacemakers are supposedly even more robust to electromagnetic interference than older models, so unless you are going to be in or near strong magnetic fields, or are tempted to carry a 5KW linear up a Mountain with you, then you should have no worries about amateur radio.
Take it easy, follow your Doctor’s advice, & take note of the experiences of your fellow amateurs here with their own experiences.
Best wishes & 73,
Mark G0VOF