Amateur Radio Stack Exchange
Amateur Radio Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [safety]

Questions about safely installing and operating ham radio equipment in homes or vehicles.

34 questions
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How can I protect equipment against a lightning strike?

A lot of aerials (almost by design) would be rather good attractors of lightning. What steps do I need to take in the field to keep my gear safe against a lightning strike? I'm presuming the obvious already here (such as not operating in a storm),…
berry120
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If I install a G5RV in my attic how could I be certain there are not harmful levels of RF in the shack, or my kids bedroom?

I assume that anyone who has a G5RV or G5RV junior in their attic has done so with ceramic spacers, and has zigzag or dog-leg installations, or otherwise has contorted the antenna to fit up there. My worry is how can I satisfy my own and my XYL…
Warren VE3WPX
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How can RF exposure hurt you?

In studying for the exam, one question came up about RF Exposure. G0A 07 What effect does transmitter duty cycle have when evaluating RF exposure? My understanding of Radio is that it is non ionizing electromagnetic radiation. How can RF be…
spuder
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What is the electrical shock risk of an antenna?

I've seen people refer to avoiding touching an antenna or bare transmission line that might be transmitting. What voltage potentials and currents are commonly found on typical ham radio antennas? Do both the voltage and current increase with…
Adam Davis
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Has a vehicle magnetic antenna mount ever caused a road accident?

Some people believe that mag mount magnets lose their effectiveness over time, eventually causing a dangerous situation as the antenna could rip loose from the vehicle and become a projectile or distraction at an unfortunate time -- e.g. on a…
Paul
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overhead power-line safety

A set of utility lines, and above them some high voltage power lines, run almost directly over the backyard fence. Some radio antennas are situated so that they can't fall onto the utility or power lines. However the opposite is not true. It…
hotpaw2
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Do lightning rods attract or do they help prevent lightning?

I'd read that the current theory of how lightning rods protect a house, antenna tower, or other structure is by preventing lightning from striking -- that is, the sharply pointed rod lets charge dissipate from the structure, so that it doesn't build…
Zeiss Ikon
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How to keep a disconnected coaxial connector weatherproof?

The advice I have seen on lightning safety is that if you don't have high-quality lightning protection (and associated grounding) installed on your feed line, it is advisable to, during a storm and preferably whenever you are not using your station,…
Kevin Reid AG6YO
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distance between shack and antenna

I am putting a 40m antenna in my attic and I was wondering would it be safe to have a shack in the room right below the attic (10ft of coax or less) or should I have my shack in the basement/ground level (50ft coax). Are there any health effects of…
Bogdan YU2DBC
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DIY lightning arrestor - gap size?

I have an antenna that's well above the treeline, and I've heard I can add some small amount of protection by placing two bolt heads a short distance from each other, one connected to the antenna, the other connected to the ground rod. What distance…
Adam Davis
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Does amateur radio induce a health risk?

Electromagnetic Exposure wise, does Amateur radio (Particularly 1.8 to 440 megahertz) induce a health risk due to RF radiation? Other than the Maximum Permissible Exposure (MPE) limits, which will cause RF burns etc., are there any studies that…
Skyler 440
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What are these antennas?

On a recent trip to China I photographed a number of "antennas" that I do not recognize. Are they even antennas?
VE3LNY
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why do some radios have two fuses in the power leads

On a number of fairly modern rigs I've seen that both power leads are fused: Why is this still so? Does this have something to do with some vehicles having a ground-positive system or is this simply a forgotten relic that needs to disappear as…
captcha
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Do modern radios and power supplies require grounding for safety?

Do modern radios require grounding to be used safely? All I am concerned about is not getting electrocuted when I attempt to use the radio. I'm not concerned with RFI or Lightning safety at this point in time. The power supply apparently has a…
Nick H
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Checklist for QRO remote setup

In a few weeks I'm hoping to set up a solid state linear amplifier at a remote shack that I've set up at the house of a friend who lives in a rural area. I've been connecting to this shack remotely using the SmartLink protocol offered by FlexRadio,…
Jeremy Gilbert
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