Anduril
Bronze Member
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2015
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- Location
- South Florida
- Detector(s) used
- Garrett GTI-2500
- Primary Interest:
- Metal Detecting
Hi Dowser, theoretically a micro oven completly shields micro emmision, to keep from cooking the operator, however there are many other scources.
A typical microwave oven is electromagnetically and physically shielded so as to contain the vast majority of the microwave radiation, but not 100% of it.
Some "leakage" always occurs, but you may need very sensitive equipment to measure it. (i.e., less than -125dBm to -170 dBm measured at the door handle with an isotropic probe)
Depending on the bandwidth of the measurement, this is very nearly the same level as naturally occurring background radiation.
I didn't want to get into a full-blown discussion about this.
Just suffice it to say that microwave ovens do leak, barely (really: barely), but none of them are perfect.
Not that you couldn't make one perfect; but why would you? It would be a very expensive kitchen applicance!!
Also, if the MW oven is leaking so bad as to alter the resonance of the cooking chamber, many designs have an undercurrent relay to shut off the tube.
That, and a door interlock switch to prevent microwave radiation from escaping through an open door.