A Little 'Elmering' On Ham Safety

I'm really pleased to see all the new hams coming into the hobby and I'm also pleased to see good articles in QST, CQ, and here on eHam to help them get started in our great hobby and service! It is a good time to be an Elmer. There's so much you can do in Amateur Radio that nobody should ever be bored with it. However, when learning something new, there's nothing quite like listening to experience. That's what Elmers are for. So, this article is primarily for the "newbies" but it also takes a bit of a new angle on some of our constant perils than can be appreciated by veterans, too.

Ham Radio is not a dangerous hobby by a long shot, and I doubt if any ham ever came to the hobby just seeking thrills from risking his or her neck! But, there are some things that need constant attention in order to keep all one's digits intact and the old ticker ticking away. Here, with a different slant on the labels, are some cautions that are universal to being a ham.

First, Mother Nature Doesn't Know You're A Good Guy . . . and bolts of electricity from the sky occur at random, striking antennas as well as trees, poles, buildings, and the occasional pro golfer (just ask Lee Trevino).

There's an old adage that says, "If you're spending $100 on your station, spend $99 on the antenna and $1 on the radio". It's all about getting the most "bang" for your buck. There should be a sub-adage, though, that says, "and spend a good chunk of your $99 on lightning protection in case you get a bang you don't want.

There are lots of good articles on this site and in the ham magazine archives on lightning preparations, so read up before you put up. Basically, the best protection comes down to really adequate grounding, isolation, static protection and disconnection. Even though my station is well grounded and I have taken good precautions, I always disconnect my antennas at the shack end before storms or if I think there's a better than average chance of lightning. I also disconnect them if I'm going to be away so that if a storm comes up I won't have to sit and stew about what might be happening back at my shack. Word of warning, though: A direct strike can course through even the best protection and come in on your feedline. Make sure to have a neighbor or relative check on things if there's been a "big one" in the neighborhood and you're out of town or otherwise occupied.

Second, Gravity Never Takes A Day Off . . . and anything that is up in the air will be relentlessly attempting to come back down. The allies of gravity are wind, water, ice, and time.

While you are allocating that critical ninety-nine bucks, put some of it into the best hardware you can buy, reading and obeying the manuals of tower, mast/pole, and antenna manufacturers. Often, wire and aluminum in the air fall harmlessly, but the goal is to prevent downfalls of airborne equipment just in case there's something valuable (like your new pickup or worse, your head, underneath!).

Some good rules to follow (in addition to the requirements of manufacturers) are:

Third, The Power Company Can Make "Lightning" For You . . . fortunately, its pretty easy to see this potential peril - keep your eyes open!

Some hams will be lucky enough to have both underground power and no CC&R's (read that "antenna restrictions") and will be pretty safe from both. However, the sad news is that there's still plenty of good old AC power coming in overhead for most of us. This means that anything going "up" has the potential to touch it. And, if it does, you'll learn the real meaning of "potential" as voltage translates into amps and watts via your mishandled mast, antenna or wire. If you're lucky you'll get sparks and maybe burns. If you're unlucky you'll be on the next list of silent keys (deceased hams). Always assume you'll be unlucky.

Before you attempt anything that will move metal into the air, take a really good look around the whole area. Never, never count on a "near miss" to work out in your favor - "close" can get you zapped! (See K5END's excellent article "Deadly Misunderstandings About Power Lines") Bite the bullet and pay an electrician or the power company to make a temporary line move for you, or relocate your "raising" if you can.

A final word: When stringing cable or line in the attic, though walls, or under the house, watch out for AC lines, too. Even though it's likely to be "only" 120-240 volts with a circuit breaker or fuse on it, it can still mess up your day.

Fourth, When You're On The Air, You Can Make Lightning, Too . . . This will be of the RF variety (radio frequency) and it has the power to do harm as well as good.

If you're newly licensed, there were questions on your exam about radio frequency energy and its effects at various power levels, frequencies, and distances. Take this stuff seriously, even if all you're going to do is hook your little HT or portable to a higher gain antenna. RF energy can burn, maim and even kill if the situation is right.

Lower power levels at most of the frequencies we hams use are generally safe, but it pays to check your situation. Any time you're stepping up power or antenna gain, re-calculate your radiation! Never point a "live" directional antenna directly at anyone, even at low power. Treat connected antennas like loaded guns - they are going to fire "energy".

Even if you've done your homework and your power and frequency and distance are safe for everyone around, there's some other stuff to be aware of:

Fifth, Ohm's Law Is Still Valid (V=IR for the more advanced reader) . . . a "potential" (voltage) will make current flow through YOU when the situation permits (you can suddenly be a conductor, and I don't mean the kind that used to work on trains).

Back in the "boat anchor" days (tube-type radios) all of us hams had a really healthy respect for the transformers, rectifier circuits, B+ lines, and everything else "under the hood" of our gear. As a technician for Uncle Sam and, later, Motorola, I learned to work on these circuits with one hand (watches and rings removed) while the other was tucked behind my back. I always tried to know what was "hot" and treated everything as "hot" until proven it wasn't.

More modern equipment, particularly transceivers and receivers made in the last couple of decades, is usually lower-voltage and relatively safer than older gear. However, that doesn't mean it can't "bite". Even a so-called 12-volt (usually 13.8 or so in reality) "low voltage" hook-up can pack a lot of power if there's delivery capability (high current) involved.

I think it is still a great idea to work on electrical circuits and connections without watches and rings! Yes, if your wedding band spans a couple of lines on a 12 volt printed circuit board it is likely you won't feel anything and may not even see the sparks. However, if there's more current carrying ability (like across the output terminals of a power supply) or if you're working on AC (house current) input circuits (higher potential), that same ring can wind up "welded" to something while your finger is in it! It won't feel good, and your ability to get away from the pain may be limited.

Sixth, Newton's Laws Of Motion Haven't Been Repealed, Either (for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, yada, yada, yada and et cetera) . . . which means, when mobile, you and your radio stuff need to be strapped in. Fast stops, or worse getting hit by another vehicle can dislodge "missiles" of many types.

I'm no physicist, but if I were I'm sure I could grab my slide rule (oops . . . I mean my pocket calculator) and inform you how much an unattached, five-pound radio will hurt you when it has been doing seventy on the freeway and suddenly, you are in its way and are no longer doing seventy but it is. Ouch!

Think about the stuff outside your car, too. Magnet-mount antennas are great, but if the antennas are big and heavy, the magnets need to be big and heavy, too. Mount antennas and brackets solidly, on the theory that they will detach themselves, ultimately, if you don't show them who is boss.

Funny story related to this one: I once knew a ham, years ago, who managed to get a 160 meter station into his Volkswagen bus. The huge antenna and loading coil, mounted on a big spring on the roof, would "oscillate" whenever he stopped. If he stopped suddenly, the weight of this thing would really rock the boat (causing the VW to look like it was doing the hula) and his "whip" antenna did exactly as its name implied! Luckily, it never hit anyone.

Wrapping It Up . . . all good advice comes to an end.

Are there other perils and dangers? You bet! These are just the ones I thought about for this article. So, keep your thinking cap on whenever lightning, power lines, RF energy, gravity, momentum or voltage potentials are involved.

I don't want to discourage anyone from tinkering with their equipment, raising a skyhook, or enjoying the warm thrills of those great old boat anchors! Rather, I just want all my fellow hams, and especially the new ones, to play it cautious and be there to carve the next Thanksgiving turkey.

It is easy to enjoy being a ham, safely -- even when you're working with some of the things I've mentioned that are, let's face it, the higher risk activities in our hobby.

73

N1OU

Author's footnote: I wrote this article quite a while ago and decided not to publish it because, quite frankly, I'm sick of all the anonymous flamers and trolls that inhabit eHam. However, Sunday, July 13, two people were killed in Kansas City because an antenna they were putting up touched a power line. So, flame away guys. If I can encourage anyone to be just a little bit more thoughtful when dealing with some ham "hazards" it will be worth it.

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