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    Surfin': Playing Safe

    By Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU
    Contributing Editor

    September 26, 2008


    This week's Surfin' visits Web sites that address the safety issues in Amateur Radio.


    Surfin Screenshot 2008 Sept 26
    The NWS Lightning Safety and Awareness Web site deals with the scariest safety issue in Amateur Radio.

    When I entered the radio world as an AM band DXer back in the early 1960s, I knew nothing about radio safety.

    Over the years, I learned the hard way. Luckily, those safety lessons were not the results of life threatening encounters and I have no scars, although I can show you a screwdriver I own that was chewed up by a close encounter with 220 volts ac.

    Today, I have an appreciation of the safety issues in Amateur Radio; whenever I do something where safety is a concern, I step back and plan what I am going to do before I do it. And if I am in unfamiliar waters, I will research the safety issues involved before I go forward.

    With that in mind, I have collected some useful links that address the safety issues that you may deal with when you use, install, and maintain Amateur Radio equipment.

    Antenna and Tower Safety
    Antenna & Tower Safety Tips, courtesy of Universal Radio, Inc.
    Ham Radio Operators Outdoor Safety, presented by Sothern California Edison
    On Remotes: Look Up and Live by Andy Funk, KB7UV
    Tower Safety by Chriss Scherer from Radio Magazine Online

    Electrical Safety
    Electrical Safety from the ARRL

    Grounding
    Grounding Systems for Amateur Radio Stations by John Wendt, WA6BFH, courtesy of The Tech Bench Elmers Amateur Radio Society, KF6GDJ

    Lightning Safety
    Lightning Protection from the ARRL
    NWS Lightning Safety and Awareness from the National Weather Service

    Mobile Safety
    Safe Mobile Operation from Alan Applegate's, K0BG, excellent Web site for mobile Amateur Radio operators

    RF Safety
    Amateur Radio RF Safety Calculator, courtesy of the University of Texas Amateur Radio Club, N5XU
    Radio Frequency Safety, presented by the Federal Communications Commission
    RF Exposure Regulations News from the ARRL

    Until next time, keep on surfin' safely!

    Editor's note: From firsthand experience, Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU, has learned to respect the many safety concerns in Amateur Radio. To communicate with Stan, send him e-mail or add comments to his blog. By the way, every installment of Surfin' is indexed here, so go look it up.

     


       



    Page last modified: 08:00 AM, 26 Sep 2008 ET
    Page author: awextra@arrl.org
    Copyright © 2008, American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved.