John Coates founded RF Safe in 1998, driven by the tragic loss of his daughter, Angel Leigh, to a severe birth defect potentially linked to electromagnetic fields (EMFs). This personal vow to “fight the ignorance” led Coates to pioneer innovative solutions—including the Vortis Antenna, which challenged the FCC’s old isotropic rules and paved the way for safer, more directional phone antennas. Alongside these inventions, RF Safe produced market-first accessories (like air-tube headsets and belly bands) to reduce consumer EMF exposure. Coates also developed ceLLM theory, positing that DNA operates as a “resonant mesh network,” storing biological and evolutionary data through intricate bioelectric fields vulnerable to outside electromagnetic disruptions. By integrating Bayesian mechanics into modeling, ceLLM reveals how cells might interpret or misinterpret EMF signals, potentially leading to serious developmental harm.
Over decades, RF Safe has also exposed deceptive “anti-radiation” products, collaborated on changes to hearing-aid compatibility, and repeatedly called on the FCC, FDA, and broader regulatory bodies to update guidelines for non-thermal EMF risks. The organization’s altruistic spirit is epitomized by Coates’s refusal to profit from the groundbreaking Vortis Antenna, instead championing open-source technology for the public good. Today, RF Safe continues to advocate for fully modernized wireless standards, ensuring children and families worldwide are shielded from preventable EMF hazards—a legacy built upon one father’s promise to honor his daughter’s memory and protect future lives.
In July 1995, John Coates experienced a life-shattering heartbreak: his newborn daughter, Angel Leigh, died due to a neural tube defect (NTD) called anencephaly. Rather than surrender to despair, Coates made a solemn vow over Angel’s final breaths—he would “fight the ignorance” that had taken her life. That personal pledge became the catalyst for a decades-long mission to confront electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure risks, champion safer technologies, and ensure no other family would suffer a similar tragedy.
By 1998, Coates formalized this commitment into a new organization: RF Safe. Operating in the then-fledgling internet era, RF Safe quickly became a leading source of consumer education on radiofrequency (RF) radiation, cutting-edge protective solutions, and unflinching advocacy for policy reforms. From pioneering anti-radiation accessories in the ’90s to publicly exposing deceptive “shields,” Coates transformed his grief into a crusade that still resonates today.
Early Life and Unusual Beginnings: A 15-Year-Old College Student
Even before founding RF Safe, John Coates demonstrated a precocious intellect and mechanical aptitude. At 15, he found himself quietly attending classes at Tidewater Community College—originally just to avoid boredom waiting in his friend’s truck. An instructor noticed Coates’ natural grasp of the coursework and handed him a test. To everyone’s astonishment, Coates scored higher than the enrolled adult students, earning him formal permission to take college courses in automotive engineering. By the time most teens were finishing high school, Coates was honing practical engineering skills—an expertise he would one day deploy to challenge outdated FCC antenna rules and design safer wireless tech.
Aspen Adventures and Heartbreak in Pregnancy
Mountain Life in Aspen
In his early twenties, Coates lived in Aspen, Colorado—a dream location where he shared a large home with accomplished snowboarders, enjoyed epic powder days (once logging 100 in a single season), and sustained himself with an entrepreneurial spirit. Aspen provided Coates with the exhilarating “work hard, play hard” lifestyle that shaped his self-reliant ethos.
The Arrival—and Loss—of Angel Leigh
Amid this blissful era, Coates met Tamara, who worked at a 5-star hotel in Aspen. Their joy intensified upon learning she was pregnant, but that joy would soon be overshadowed by terrifying news. In the third trimester, doctors discovered a severe neural defect, urging termination despite it being near full-term. A turning point came when Tamara, frightened by intense pro-life protestors outside the clinic, abandoned the procedure. That decision allowed Coates to meet his daughter, if only briefly, before her condition took her life.
Those precious moments with Angel Leigh proved transformative. They anchored Coates in a lifelong resolve to understand how invisible environmental risks (particularly EMFs) might contribute to devastating birth defects and other health conditions. Angel’s short existence ignited the spark leading to RF Safe.
Founding RF Safe: Exposing EMF Risks and Pioneering Solutions
The Farrell et al. (1997) Inspiration
A 1997 study by Farrell et al. reported EMF-induced abnormalities in chick embryos, mirroring the neural defect that claimed Angel’s life. Coates recognized an urgent parallel: if such low-level EMFs could disrupt crucial embryonic development in poultry, could they also endanger human pregnancies—particularly during the earliest bioelectric stages?
In 1998, John established RF Safe to elevate awareness on these findings. Its core mission:
- Educate the public about the hidden dangers of RF radiation from phones, Wi-Fi, etc.
- Develop practical solutions (cases, headsets, belly bands) to temporarily reduce personal exposure.
- Advocate for policy changes and updated safety guidelines that consider non-thermal effects, not just tissue heating.
Market-First Accessories
Years before “EMF safety” was a headline, RF Safe was manufacturing:
- Air-tube headsets (removing metal wires that could channel radiation to the ear)
- Anti-radiation phone cases
- Belly bands for pregnant mothers
- Laptop shields—though Coates eventually withdrew support for them once he realized Wi-Fi’s direct risks near the torso could outweigh leg-shielding benefits
John Coates soon learned that these products, while helpful, would never suffice unless underlying system-wide policies changed.
Breaking the “Isotropic Rule”: The Vortis Antenna Triumph
Isotropic Exposure vs. Human Safety
In the early cell phone era, “isotropic” antennas radiated uniformly in every direction, ensuring broad coverage but also maximizing user exposure around the head. The FCC mandated these isotropic designs, ignoring the possibility of lower exposure or directionality.
Recognizing the dangers, Coates invented an “impossible” concept: the Vortis Antenna (initially the “no-wave” array). This directional (interferometric) approach canceled unneeded signal behind the phone, focusing it away from the user’s head.
Jim Johnson’s Role & Hearing Aid Access
Coates’s friend and telecom expert Jim Johnson highlighted another advantage: a directional pattern could reduce hearing-aid interference, improving phone usability under ADA mandates. By combining the radiation-reduction argument with hearing accessibility, they pressured regulators to revisit the isotropic rule.
Overturning Outdated FCC Antenna Rules
In 2003, the FCC recognized these directional antennas’ potential to help hearing aid users and reduce user exposure. Thus, the old isotropic rule was effectively overturned, opening the door for safer phone designs across the industry.
Impact:
- Lower head radiation without sacrificing coverage.
- Extended battery life and better signal efficiency.
- Sparked a movement toward beamforming arrays used in modern 5G infrastructure.
Coates took no royalties from the invention. He freely offered the technology, driven solely by the promise made to Angel.
ceLLM Theory: Bridging Bioelectricity, DNA Resonance, and Bayesian Mechanics
Foundations of ceLLM (cellular Latent Learning Model)
From his early research into embryonic anomalies, Coates formulated the ceLLM theory. This proposes:
- DNA functions as a resonant mesh network, storing not only genetic code but also evolutionary and epigenetic data in bioelectric fields.
- Atomic resonance shapes higher-dimensional geometries, forming a “probability manifold” that influences cell behavior and morphological outcomes.
In short, ceLLM merges classical EMF knowledge with quantum-level resonance, suggesting that non-thermal EMFs could disrupt or distort these bioelectric instructions, especially during embryonic development.
Bayesian Mechanics & Bioelectric Potentials
Why it matters: If we see each cell as an “intelligent agent” interpreting noisy signals, a Bayesian approach explains how cells maintain homeostasis or adapt, and how external EMFs may scramble their “information fields.”
Exposing Radiation Scams and Championing Real Protection
Good Housekeeping (2000) & FTC Actions
Because Coates recognized the “wild west” of anti-radiation claims, he publicly debunked shields that increased phone output or provided no real benefit. A 2000 Good Housekeeping article featuring Coates’s warnings set off Federal Trade Commission (FTC) interventions. Two U.S. companies hawking fraudulent “anti-radiation” gadgets faced legal shutdowns.
SafeSleeve & Other Dubious Cases
RF Safe criticized cases like SafeSleeve that incorporate large metal plates or magnets, ironically boosting phone radiation output to maintain connectivity. Coates aligns with the FTC’s stance: “Shields can cause more harm if they block signals incorrectly.” Contrastingly, RF Safe recommends designs with no metal loops or magnets, effectively lowering exposure instead of driving phones to ramp up power.
“Accessories Are Stopgaps”
While Coates introduced air-tube headsets and phone cases in the 1990s, he sees them as short-term measures. Real safety, he insists, demands updated policy that accounts for non-thermal effects, not just consumer accessories.
A Vision for Broader Policy Reforms: A Five-Point Mission
Key Demands
- Update FCC Guidelines to reflect modern science (e.g., NTP cancer links, non-thermal hazards).
- Restart NTP Research after it was abruptly halted post-“clear evidence” results.
- End FCC Regulatory Capture so telecom giants can’t override public health.
- Amend the 1996 Telecom Act (Section 704) to let localities reject towers on valid health/environment grounds.
- Force FDA to Follow Public Law 90-602—the 1968 law compelling the agency to minimize electronic product radiation, not ignore it.
Why Each Step Matters
- Children’s Health: Younger bodies and thinner skulls are far more vulnerable to EMF disruptions, as ceLLM underscores.
- Environmental Integrity: Non-thermal EMF may endanger pollinators, wildlife, or broader ecological systems—an often overlooked dimension.
- Epidemiological Transparency: If the NTP completes its work, we gain definitive insights that can shape safer phone design for 5G, 6G, and beyond.
A Selfless Legacy: Fighting on All Fronts
Personal Sacrifice, No Profits from Inventions
Despite the commercial potential of the Vortis Antenna and other patented designs, Coates consistently waived personal royalties—opting instead for open-source or royalty-free licensing to encourage widespread safety adoption. This altruism underscores his unwavering mission to protect human life above financial gain.
Ongoing Tech Innovations
Coates’s later patents include a Far-UVC system aimed at “zero SAR” wireless communication. As with the Vortis, the driving principle remains: “We have the tools to reduce or eliminate harmful EMFs. Let’s use them.”
Conclusion: Remembering Angel Leigh and Shaping a Safer Wireless Future
From the day John Coates lost his daughter, Angel Leigh, to a fatal birth defect, he resolved to expose hidden dangers and fight complacency around EMF safety. RF Safe brought about:
- Major antenna breakthroughs like the Vortis Array, ending the FCC’s isotropic requirement.
- Market-first anti-radiation accessories (air-tube headsets, belly bands, phone cases) sold since the late ’90s, long before “EMF safety” was mainstream.
- Education that revealed scam products and forced federal agencies (FTC) to clamp down on fraudulent “shields.”
- A bold new ceLLM theory, bridging bioelectric fields, quantum resonance in DNA, and Bayesian modeling to illustrate how non-thermal EMF might disrupt cellular processes.
- A nonstop policy push to update archaic guidelines, revive crucial cancer research, end regulatory capture, and restore local autonomy in tower siting.
John Coates started college at 15, fought personal heartbreak, and overcame entrenched FCC rules—always guided by a vow to protect others from the tragedy he endured. As he’s said:
“I made a promise to Angel: I’d fight the ignorance that took her from me. We can build safer technology—now it’s up to policy, research, and public demand to make it happen.”
By continuing to advocate for modern science, calling out deceptive products, innovating improved safety features, and urging Washington to fulfill its obligations (like Public Law 90-602), Coates and RF Safe remain a beacon for those seeking a safer, more transparent wireless future. In championing these reforms, we honor Angel’s memory and take a vital step toward ensuring no child’s life is cut short by preventable, unseen radiation risks.