Safety First

Safety should be the highest priority item an amateur radio operator instills to his hobby. Most of us know better than to stick our hands inside a live HF power amplifier or climb a tower without a safety belt. However when it comes to mobile operation we seemingly forget the dangers involved. In a recent OpEd article (April 2004 issue of QST) I wrote the following words: It is distracting enough to talk on amateur radio and drive without adding further distraction caused by poor installation practices. It is up to us amateurs to set a safe operating environment level, as free of distraction as possible. This is the essence of this article.

I've been operating mobile for over 30 years with a great deal of that time traveling the highways and byways of the mountain west. I averaged over 40 hours each week behind the wheel and mitigated these hours operating the HF bands. I DXed, county hunted, rag chewed, and mostly listened. I wore out about a dozen cars, and not once did I temporarily mount a rig or antenna. Company cars and personal cars alike, I drilled holes and installed ballmounts, screwed down mounting brackets, and hid the wiring all in the name of safety.

I like the readers of this article to recall the part of their high school physics class which dealt with energy. More specifically, the formula for kinetic energy which is 1/2(m*v2), where m equals the mass and v equals the velocity. For example, a 2-pound object traveling 8.8 feet per second (10 mph) will have a kinetic energy of 77+ foot-pounds. Then there is the law of Conservation of Energy, which deals with the change of kinetic energy to potential energy and back again. Using the above 10 mph example, a 2 pound object laying on the top of your car has a potential energy of 77+ foot-pounds. If your car stopped instantly and we ignore any friction losses, all of the potential energy turns into kinetic energy. In any case, I wouldn't want to be hit on the head with the object!

I used the 2 pound example above for two reasons; this is about the weight of the average remote head (face plate), or that of a VHF mag mounted antenna. Let's assume we're merrily traveling down the highway at 60 mph. At this speed the potential energy of our example becomes 7,744 foot-pounds. All of this potential energy would not become kinetic energy in the event of crash because other factors must be considered. For example, the mag mount does have some adherence to the car body, there is friction, and there are deceleration components as well. But don't kid yourself! If you have a crash while driving 60 mph, that mag mount will dislodge itself and most likely will snap its coax cable allowing the antenna to become a missile with enough kinetic energy to maim and kill! This is true of a remote head as well when we trade magnetic lines of force for the tensile strength of Velcro.

As I inferred above, it is difficult if not impossible to determine the actual kinetic energy of any object without knowing all of the factors involved. In some crashes nearly all of the potential energy will become kinetic, and others just a fraction. The point here is, even 77 foot-pounds can kill.

There is another aspect of safety which most amateurs miss, and that is the distraction factor. Improperly positioned and/or mounted devices can cause an inordinate amount of distraction. Distraction can be described as the length of time your eyes are off the road and/or controls of the vehicle. At 60 mph (88 feet per second) the average vehicle needs 144 feet to come to a stop (102 feet for some sports cars to 208 feet for some loaded 8 passenger vans) and you have used over half of it due to distraction. You may not be paying attention, but our lawmakers are!

Early this year, the NHTSA (National Highway traffic Safety Administration) amended its rules to require reporting of the use of telematics in any vehicle involved in a crash (the word crash is now used in place of accident as crashes are seldom accidents). Telematics is their term for radios, FAX machines, computers, cell phones, etc. installed or in use in a vehicle. The most prevalent of these is of course is cell phones. This fact has spawned a rash of new laws against telematic use.

Go to this site http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/ncsl/Index.cfm and select 'Distracted Driving' from the right-hand popup, and push the button. While most of the listings cover cell phone use, a closer look at the individual laws just might make your blood boil. And the real spotlight is yet to come. The first annual telematic use report is about 9 to 12 months away, but preliminary data indicate an extraordinary high incidence of telematic use in crashes. Incidentally, amateur radio is one of the sub headings.

One of the easiest ways to avoid distraction is to properly mount your equipment in your vehicle. This means Velcro, bungie cords, rubber bands, and other temporary means are not only verboten, they're hazardous to driver and passengers alike. You can add mag mounts and many other temporary schemes to this list.

It is difficult to address every mobile mounting scenario as each piece of equipment and each type of vehicle is different. However, one can list a set of guide lines which should be considered regardless of the telematic or the vehicle in question. Just for brevity I'll use the words rig and car.

1). The rig should be located so it is clear of all the controls yet is easy to operate and view from the driver's seat. This is not always easy to accomplish. In my own car, I mounted the rig face plate along side of the center console just to the right of my right leg using a home brewed bracket made from DIY aluminum purchased from Home Depot. I can get to the rig controls easily and the mic can be stored in the lower dash cubby hole and out of the way when not in use.

Contrary to popular belief mounting a rig on top of the dash in plain sight is not such a good idea from a distraction standpoint or injury one to say nothing of the theft issues.

2). All brackets should be securely affixed to the various surfaces inside of the car. With proper planning the requisite mounting screws can either use existing attachment points or placed where they're not easily seen. On my previous car, I used two screws, which secured the AM/FM radio frame and center console together to secure a home brew bracket. In turn my IC-706 faceplate was bolted to that bracket.

3). Depending on the year, make, and model of car you own, one or more SRS units (supplemental restraint system commonly called air bags which they're not) will be installed. All rig controls, mounting brackets, mic and power cables should be clear of the SRS. In my OpEd article, I sited an instance where the rig faceplate was mounted atop the drivers SRS, smack dab in the center of the steering wheel. Imagine what sort of smack he'd get if the SRS went off?

4). All wiring should be properly sized, fused, and affixed to eliminate interference with in-car wiring and controls, and out of the way to avoid abrasion, shorts and tripping hazards. Avoid using splices and electrical tape. Never use existing circuits for power even though they appear adequate. In other words, always wire directly to the battery with proper fusing in both leads at the battery end.

The accessory sockets which are replacing cigarette lighter sockets these days are never wired adequately for use by rigs? -- No matter how they are fused! And don't do what was recently suggested in QST; modify a mini-fuse to tap power from the electrical system. If you want to have a real rude awakening, induce enough RF into the SRS circuitry to set it off while you're doing 65 mph down the interstate!

5). How many of you have used one of these phrases or ones like it. My wife won't let me drill a hole in our new car. It's a lease car. I'll get docked thousands when I trade it in. I can't speak for you, but I bought and paid for my car and the one my wife drives. If I decide to drill a hole, even in hers, I will.

I don't lease cars and unless you can write off the expense of a lease car to business, you shouldn't either especially if you drive over 20,000 miles a year.

I just recently traded my old (1998) car for a new one. I covered the holes in the trunk and quarter panel with rubber plugs I purchased from Radio Shack. Not one word was said about them. Car dealers are much more concerned with overall appearance and mileage. A neat and clean installation is of less concern than a trunk lid all scratched up from using a mag mount. Drill the hole and do it correctly.

6). Clean up your operating practices. Just about every modern rig out there has multiple memories and typically more than you'll ever use or at least remember. If you're like me, and the majority of hams out there, your favorite frequencies can easily be stored with room to spare. The Icom IC-706 is no exception. Whether it be a repeater or HF frequencies, modes, tones, filters, power out, and a variety of other parameters, they're as easy to change as pushing a button on the mic once they're stored in memory. For those parameters you can't store, familiarize yourself sufficiently with the various menus so you can change any of them while in motion without having to take your eyes off of the road.

7). Stick to your best operating mode. Operating CW while driving requires a good memory, good coordination, and above average dexterity. If you can't copy 20 wpm solid in your head, or remember the call and name of the guy you're tapping code with, don't try it! Using FM is much easier as everyone is "59", you usually know the guy you're talking to, and all of the controls are set and forget for the most part.

If you're a logging freak, buy a small voice recorder. The newer solid state ones will record several hours worth of data and they're cheap. I saw one recently at Wal-Mart for $29 which boasted 4 hours of recording in the low fidelity mode which is more than adequate for any mobile logging function.

8). If it is legal in your area, use a headset with just one earphone so you can still hear traffic noise, sirens, and the like. Make sure it's comfortable for long-term use, and that the mic is compatible with your rig. The Heil I used originally was too hot for the rig it was designed for, so I modified a Pacific Plantronics unit, which I like much better. Make sure the cords do not interfere with your driving.

If possible use VOX rather than PTT. The use of VOX requires a good noise canceling mic and few mobile mics fit this parameter. For several years I used a visor-mounted mic from a Motorola M500 cell phone with good success until it died. I'd like to find another some day. Perhaps this is one item Mr. Bob Heil can address.

9). Traffic conditions should dictate whether you operate, listen, or turn off the rig. No contact you've ever made or will make is worth risking a crash for and the consequences, which follow. If you decide that contact is more important, pull off the road on to a side street to finish your contact.

10). If you're one of those folks who wish to refute or rebuke what I've suggested because crashes caused by distraction only happen to the other guy, remember this; to the other guy, YOU'RE the other guy!

Alan Applegate, K0BG