My RF Safe Journey
By John Coates, Founder of RF Safe
Original Email to: Amara, Editor of www.kurzweilai.net
Date: Wednesday, February 26, 2003, 8:41 AM
Subject: A Story Idea: “The SCP System”—and the Full Story Behind RF Safe and Me
Hello Amara,
I believe you could do a unique report on the cell phone controversy and related research. I tend to think very few individuals have reviewed as many studies on EMF health effects—especially regarding cell phones and wireless products—as I have.
At a fundamental level, EMFs lie at the heart of our universe—God’s tools of creation. As Jesus once said, “I AM THE LIGHT!” I believe our mission is to seek knowledge without sin. Personally, I think that our “fact-finding” work is divinely inspired and intended to spread love as a tangible force in all aspects of space-time, within God’s infinite intellectual medium.
I don’t mean to impose my beliefs, but I have no other source for much of the knowledge I’ve gained. Allow me to share my background so you understand my contributions—and why you could have an even greater impact on global EMF safety.
My Early Life and Inspiration
My father was an esteemed military aviator who worked with jet engines, planes, radar, bombs, rockets—an array of science and special ops. As a child, I was enthralled and constantly asked, “Why?” He always encouraged me to learn how things worked.
When I was seven, I survived my first brush with mortality: most of my left kidney had to be removed due to an unusual cancer. I distinctly remember my doctor mentioning that this also happened to other kids living on military bases. After spending six months in a Navy hospital, our family left the base—away from the microwave radar antennas around Norfolk Naval Air Station. I’m sure it was my mother’s faith in God that saved my life.
By eight, I was rebuilding my own go-kart engines, discovering a passion for fixing things (and even making them better). At fifteen, while still in high school, I enrolled in Tidewater Community College’s automotive engineering program.
Automotive Career and Early Success
By 18, I was a master technician. I took a management role with Twin B Auto Parts in Virginia, then moved on to Pep Boys, where I helped turn Store 121 into a $5 million-a-year operation.
A friend of mine, David Dunphy, moved to Aspen, Colorado, and persuaded me to join him. At almost 21, I arrived in a place where wealth was everywhere. With no stoplights or car-repair shops, it felt like a land of endless opportunity. I started at a small auto shop (Glenwood Tire) for a man named Terry Fattor. When he invested in a Midas franchise, our operation did over a million dollars in service in its first full year.
Personal Tragedy and New Directions
I was 24 when life took a turn. I married Tammy in Las Vegas, became a father to her daughter Jordain, and soon Tammy was pregnant. We discovered, near full term, our child had a fatal defect. At the same time, my work environment became extremely stressful, as certain employees were dealing with drug abuse. Terry and I worked with the DEA to stop major traffickers who were using our shop to service their delivery vehicles, but it felt endless. We noted tags for months, yet it kept happening. It was driving me crazy.
Shortly after losing our child, I quit my $60,000-a-year job. We were reeling emotionally and financially, but I felt called to do something different. With limited savings, I built a mobile tire truck and used the internet to list my products and services. Customers in Aspen could choose tires online, and I’d come right to their house or workplace. This “cyber auto mechanic” concept took off quickly, earning attention from local news outlets.
Within two years, I built a full-service auto shop—Coates Tire & Auto (CT&A)—and even started Aspen Limousine. I had steady management in place and time on my hands. But I was still researching EMF bio-effects as a possible cause of my daughter’s birth defect. Babies were dying, and I felt compelled to help prevent such heartbreak. So, I founded RF Safe Corporation to make people aware of RF hazards.
Shifting to EMF and RF Safety
I began with a web page and focused on protecting unborn children first. My wife and I stayed up all night making “AngelGuards” (lightweight garments with amorphous metal) and gave them away to at-risk mothers. I funded ads in major newspapers promoting the need for B-12/Folic Acid supplements and limiting RF exposure to lower the risk of neural tube defects. Around a year later, I saw celebrity-backed nonprofit groups advocating B-12/Folic Acid—but none addressed EMF exposure.
The rise of cell phones convinced me a massive threat loomed on the horizon. By 1998, I was determined to develop safer cell phones. After testing every “RF shield” product I could find, I saw that none were good enough. We needed a fundamentally new approach.
My first breakthrough was the “anti-wave” antenna prototype in 1998. A clip showing how it collapsed the near-field radiation around a Nokia 5160 (while still working properly) is online at http://www.rfsafe.com/MVC-001V.MPG.
Suddenly, I was traveling across the country to pitch this concept. My auto businesses were thriving without me; I checked in, but my heart was with RF Safe. I wanted to influence the wireless industry and educate the public about RF hazards.
Unexpected Setbacks
However, things took a turn again. After an inventory, I discovered $20,000 worth of missing tires. Betrayed by people I trusted, I shut down the shops. I aimed to manufacture my anti-wave antennas. But the first batch from a Swedish company didn’t meet specifications, costing me a fortune. My monthly expenses were over $6,000, and RF Safe wasn’t making money yet. I blew through my savings in six months and was down to $2,000 total.
I prayed fervently, knowing I was on the right path. My wife was scared to leave Aspen, so she stayed with her mother while I headed to Florida with just enough to scrape by.
Another miracle happened: I found a house for $500 rent—far cheaper than in Colorado. I taught myself to build a simple e-commerce site for EMF and cell phone safety products. After just three weeks, I was ready. I opened a merchant account but had only a few hundred dollars left. I got a temporary job fixing cars at Ice Cold Air to make ends meet. Orders started pouring in, and it was wonderful—until CellularPhones.com went out of business.
They owed me commissions on free cell phones I had fronted. Without it, I couldn’t cover costs. I closed the site and was forced to let my employee go. My power was cut off, and I borrowed electricity and phone lines from the neighbors. I sold tools for food and answered customer emails non-stop. Desperate, I sent an email to my mailing list asking for prayers.
The Kindness of Strangers
Then, blessings arrived. A children’s book author named Louise Hawes emailed to ask for my address so she could send me a little money—$50. Her note mentioned my daughter in heaven, and the gesture overwhelmed me. I broke down, praying for guidance.
Another person, Kevin Luxon, once employed by CellularPhones.com, paid my electric bill. I felt God’s presence guiding me, yet I had three days to pay rent or move out. In a last-ditch effort, I found a note with Rich Emandi’s contact info, a local who had once visited me about potentially investing. Rich showed up that day with a check to cover my landlord. I offered him half of RF Safe in return. He agreed, paying my housing and giving me $200 a week until the company could stand on its own.
RF Safe Rises Again
Fast-forward two years: I’m still VP of RF Safe on a $200-per-week salary, but RF Safe has flourished. Thousands of people visit our sites daily, and we’ve helped countless individuals reduce their exposure to harmful RF radiation. We’re positioned to become a leader in next-generation “RF Safe” cell phones—where people come before profits.
I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Money and power don’t move me, but doing God’s work does.
The Mission Continues
This corporate story is full of lessons and miracles. I want you to see who I am and why I’m here. I’m not a writer or a webmaster—I’m just a person who loves fixing things and tackling the impossible with God’s help.
You have a remarkable readership, and people need to know it’s “The SCP System of Usage” that makes a cell phone safer. The truth should be shared! I’m here to help you tell that story. Until safer phones are made widely available, I plan to provide them to the world—and help people adopt the SCP (Safe Cell Phone) system that can minimize RF exposure in the meantime.
Thank you for letting me share my RF Safe journey.
God Bless,
Have a Great Day!
John Coates
Founder & VP, RF Safe
Founder, LibertyUnites.tv
RF Safe—A futuristic company available today! Give glory to God!
Subject: Missing “T-coil” Hearing Aid Compatibility in Cell Phones
Date: Saturday, June 14, 2003, 2:30 PM
Hello RF Safe Webmaster,
I’ve noticed that in your articles on cell phones not being compatible with “T-coil” technology for the hard of hearing, there’s a crucial concept missing. If you look into the U.S. FCC Part 68 regulations—which reference “Hearing Aid Compatibility”—you’ll find they refer to the EIA-504 standard (first version published in 1983).
From an engineer’s perspective, this standard is poorly written in regard to specifying an upper limit for magnetic field radiation. You see, the standard defines relative limits in decibels (dB) at 1000 Hz. The trouble is, the reference level at 1000 Hz has no maximum, which means it can “float” upwards indefinitely. Consequently, the specified relative upper limits can also float upward—effectively meaning there’s no true upper cap for magnetic field emissions.
In 1990, I notified the FCC about this defect. Seven years later, in 1997, the standard was revised as EIA-504A (and adopted in Canada as EIA-504A in 1987). Unfortunately, the revision still has the same problem: the reference point at 1000 Hz is defined by a minimum level, not a maximum. So again, no real upper limit on magnetic field strength is set. Phones made to comply with the 1983 version naturally pass the 1997 version too because both have “loopholes” large enough to accommodate any level of magnetic field.
This oversight affects both cell phones and landline telephones that adhere to the FCC’s “Hearing Aid Compatibility” guidelines proposed (but not required) under the 1999 FCC notice. Because of international marketing, nearly all telephones today meet these U.S. specifications—though they are, in my opinion, fundamentally flawed. If you know any phones that don’t meet this specification and therefore aren’t subject to its loopholes, please let me know where I can buy one.
In essence, the EIA-504 and EIA-504A specs are “shams” when it comes to limiting magnetic field emissions for T-coil use. They were rushed into place and now restrict the adoption of truly improved technologies—failing to meet the spirit of the original congressional act mandating hearing aid compatibility.
One potential solution for hard-of-hearing users is to receive phone signals from a remote transceiver, using an acoustic or similar link that isolates the phone’s transmission from the user’s ear.
I understand there’s a book published in Sydney, Australia, in the early 1990s that discussed this issue in more detail. This is indeed a major societal oversight—possibly on par with historical mistakes like using lead pipes in ancient aqueducts.
Please do not publish my name or email address, as I wish to avoid the surge of responses that can overwhelm a messenger of such information. It’s vital that we provide noninvasive communication solutions so people can decide for themselves how to proceed with hearing aid compatibility.
Thank you for your consideration—and hold on tight. It’s going to be a wild ride.
