Glossary

Antenna: A wire or set of wires used to send and receive radio waves.

Base Station: The combination of antennas and electronic equipment used to receive and transmit wireless telephone signals.

Cell Phone: A wireless telephone that sends and receives messages using radiofrequency energy in the 800-900 megahertz portion of the radiofrequency (RF) spectrum.

Cell Site: Another name for a cellular base station.

Cellular Base Station: Antennas and electronic equipment used to receive and transmit cellular telephone signals.

Cellular Phone: A wireless telephone that sends and receives messages using radiofrequency energy in the 800-900 megahertz portion of the radiofrequency (RF) spectrum.

Cordless Telephone: A portable telephone that transmits signals over a small distance to a receiver that is wired into the telephone network. Cordless telephones are generally used only in or around one's home.

Electromagnetic Energy: Waves of electrical and magnetic energy moving together through space. Also called electromagnetic radiation.

Electromagnetic Field: An area containing electromagnetic energy (electromagnetic radiation).

Electromagnetic Radiation: Waves of electrical and magnetic energy moving together through space. Also called electromagnetic energy.

Electromagnetic Spectrum: The collection of all electromagnetic energy arranged according to frequency and wavelength.

Frequency: The number of waves passing a given point in one second. Measured in Hertz (Hz), or cycles per second.

Hertz: The unit of measurement used to describe the frequency of a wave. One Hertz (Hz) is equal to one cycle of the wave per second.

Ionizing Radiation: Very high energy electromagnetic radiation that strips electrons away from their normal locations in atoms and molecules.

Microwaves: A subset of radio waves that have frequencies ranging from around 300 million waves per second (300 MHz) to three billion waves per second (3 GHz).

Non-Ionizing Radiation: Levels of electromagnetic radiation that are too low to strip electrons away from their normal locations in atoms and molecules

PCS Phone: A wireless telephone that uses radiofrequency signals in the 1850-1990 megahertz (MHz) portion of the radiofrequency (RF) spectrum. PCS stands for portable communication system.

Radiation: (1) The emission and transmission of energy through space or through a material medium. (2) The radiated energy itself.

Radio Waves: Electromagnetic energy with frequencies in the 3000 hertz (3 kHz) to 300 billion Hertz (300 GHz) portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Radiofrequency Energy: Another name for radio waves.

RF Energy: An abbreviation for Radiofrequency Energy.

SAR: Specific Absorption Rate.

Specific Absorption Rate: A measure of the rate at which RF energy is absorbed by the body.

Telecommunications: The transmission of words, sounds, or images, usually over great distances, in the form of electromagnetic energy, for example by telegraph, telephone, radio, or television.

Telephone Network: The system of wires, fiber-optic cables, satellites, and transmission towers that transmit telephone messages from caller to receiver.

Telephone Transmission Tower: A telephone base station located on top of a tall, free-standing structure.

Wavelength: The distance covered by one cycle of a wave.

Wireless Telephone Base Station: The combination of antennas and electronic equipment used to receive and transmit wireless telephone signals. Sometimes called a base station.

Wireless Telephone: A hand-held phone with a built-in antenna that transmits signals through the air without a physical connection. Cell (cellular), PCS, mobile, car, and bag (transportable) phones are all considered wireless telephones. Cordless telephones used only in or around one's home are not considered wireless telephones

Updated 4/3/02