How do I keep my station and myself safe?
Lightning and electricity can both be dangerous. The rules here are short and worth following.
Lightning
- Ground antenna and rotator cables when the station is not in use. This protects against nearby lightning.
- To protect equipment from voltage induced in power lines by nearby lightning, disconnect all equipment after use, by unplugging it or using the main disconnect switch.
- For proper lightning protection, all station equipment should be grounded.
What to ground to
- A convenient indoor grounding point is a metallic cold-water pipe. Never a natural gas pipe.
- A driven ground rod should be copper or copper-clad steel.
Electric shock
To protect against electric shock, connect the chassis of each piece of equipment to a good ground.
You now know
- Ground antenna and rotator cables when the station is not in use, and disconnect all equipment after use.
- Ground all station equipment; use a cold-water pipe indoors, never a gas pipe.
- A driven ground rod is copper or copper-clad steel.
- Connect each chassis to a good ground to guard against electric shock.