Cell Phones

Cell phones are hand-held telephone devices with built-in antennas. They are often called wireless, mobile, or PCS phones. Cell phones are popular with callers, especially those who are frequently on the go, since they can be carried easily from one place to another.

Basically, cell phones are two-way radios. When you talk into a wireless telephone, it picks up your voice and converts the sound to radio frequency energy or radio waves. The radio waves then travel through the air until they reach a receiver at a nearby base station. From here, it is the base station that sends your call through the telephone network until it reaches the person you are calling.

Health Concerns over Cell Phones

The most recent issue about cell phones is their perceived health hazards. As stated earlier, cell phones are radios. However, to be more accurate, cell phones are low-power, single-channel, two-way radio devices. When you talk on your cell phone, you are actually talking to a nearby base station. Cell phone base stations are low-power, multi-channel, two-way radios. Their function is to send your phone call into the regular land-line phone system so you can start talking with the person you are calling.

Now, since cell phones and their base stations are two-way radios, they produce radio-frequency (RF) energy which is what they use for communication. The people who are near them are of course exposed to the RF energy. However, because both the cell phones and the base stations are low power, meaning they only exhibit short range energies, the RF energy exposure levels from them are generally very low.

The scientific community both in the United States and internationally agree that the power from these cell phone base station antennas is far too low to produce health hazards and as long as people keep away from direct access to the antennas, they are safe from any perceived health risks.

Cell Phones – Buying and Savings Tips

Cell phones are the “in” things nowadays and it’s hard not to find anyone without it. However, despite cell phones being an absolute must, there’s no need for you to pay much for a gadget that you barely even use. So, if you don’t use cell phones very often, select a low usage service plan for your mobile. Many areas offer cell phones for as low as $19.99. This allows you the convenience of mobile phones but without making too much of a dent on your wallet.

Another excellent tactic to save on your cell phones is to only get features you need. Call your wireless provider to cancel extra features if you are not using them. This will allow you to save some on your cell phone service plan.