Lesson 10: Electrical and RF Safety
Safety comes last, with the RF exposure check every station needs, either an exemption or an evaluation, and the electrical and tower hazards of an HF station.
What you will learn
- G0A RF safety principles, rules, and guidelines; routine station evaluation
- G0B Station safety: electrical shock, grounding, fusing, interlocks, and wiring; antenna and tower safety
1. Read
- RF exposure and your station: The rules that apply to amateursHelps with G0A
- RF exposure and your station: Maximum permissible exposureHelps with G0A
- RF exposure and your station: What changes your exposureHelps with G0A
- RF exposure and your station: How to evaluate your stationHelps with G0A
- Electrical and antenna safety: How electric shock harms youHelps with G0B
- Electrical and antenna safety: Fuses, breakers and GFCIsHelps with G0B
- Electrical and antenna safety: Grounding and bondingHelps with G0B
- Electrical and antenna safety: Towers, masts and power linesHelps with G0B
- Putting up antennas: Plan around power lines firstHelps with G0B
- Putting up antennas: Lightning protection where the coax comes inHelps with G0B
- Building your own gear: Power supply safetyHelps with G0B
- All 25 G0 questions with their answers and explanationsEvery group, with the rule or source behind each answer
2. Explore
- RF exposure evaluator
Compare FM with SSB voice at the same power. The lower duty factor of SSB lowers the average power density, so a lower duty cycle permits more power.
This is exam question G0A07.
3. Practice
Practice one group at a time. A group is ready when you have answered every one of its questions and learned at least 80 percent of them; a question counts as learned when your last three answers to it were correct. To review quickly, go through this lesson’s questions as flashcards.
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