Satellite dishes don’t emit radiation

Q: I’m hoping you can provide guidance concerning harmful radiation from a satellite dish mounted on my roof. I’m a little concerned because we’re expecting a baby soon, and her crib will be just a few feet away from the satellite dish’s position on my roof.

James O’Kelley

A: Congratulations on the baby. There’s no worry from the dish. It simply receives signals transmitted from the satellite, and these signals are in the air whether you have a dish or not. Your dish does not generate signals or emit power. There’s zero radiation from it.

Q: I am having a problem with my date and time setting on my computer. I have to set it each time I turn on the computer. I have found no one so far to tell me what the cause is or how to fix it.

Jo Ann Roberts

A: Desktop computers have a small battery inside that keeps the clock and other devices going when the computer is turned off. That battery in your computer is dead. So it needs replacing. The manual should show you how to do it. You’d remove that battery and then take it to a store to find a replacement. It usually fits into a snap-in sort of holder in the computer so it’s easy to replace.

If you don’t feel comfortable doing it, you’ll have to go to a computer store or repair shop.

Q: I plan to get my wife a laptop this year and need advice on routers. Are some better than others? Is hooking them up to my desktop fairly easy? Do I need to download a program from BellSouth to make my router work?

Ernie Carlson

A: Most brands seem to work fine, but I find LinkSys routers easier to set up. You don’t need to download anything. There will be a CD with the router and it’ll help you with set-up. Your DSL cable will connect first to your router, then to the computer from the router.

Q: I’d like to buy a pair of webcams so I can see and hear my daughter and new granddaughter in Kodiak, Alaska. Do you have any shopping advice? Are the $99-plus webcams a lot better than the $30 webcams?

Morgan Howard

A: More expensive webcams have better optics and features such as autofocus. However, I use a webcam from Logitech that I bought a few years back for about $30 and it works fine. I use it with Skype to visit with friends in Australia. I’ve never been tempted to replace mine. And stuff such as autofocus isn’t all that important if you stay the same distance from the camera when you talk.