When I entered the radio world as an AM band DXer back in the early 1960s, I knew nothing about radio safety.

Over the years, I learned the hard way. Luckily, those safety lessons were not the results of life threatening encounters and I have no scars, although I can show you a screwdriver I own that was chewed up by a close encounter with 220 volts ac.

Today, I have an appreciation of the safety issues in Amateur Radio; whenever I do something where safety is a concern, I step back and plan what I am going to do before I do it. And if I am in unfamiliar waters, I will research the safety issues involved before I go forward.

With that in mind, I have collected some useful links that address the safety issues that you may deal with when you use, install, and maintain Amateur Radio equipment.

Antenna and Tower Safety
Antenna & Tower Safety Tips, courtesy of Universal Radio, Inc.
Ham Radio Operators Outdoor Safety, presented by Sothern California Edison
On Remotes: Look Up and Live by Andy Funk, KB7UV
Tower Safety by Chriss Scherer from Radio Magazine Online

Electrical Safety
Electrical Safety from the ARRL

Grounding
Grounding Systems for Amateur Radio Stations by John Wendt, WA6BFH, courtesy of The Tech Bench Elmers Amateur Radio Society, KF6GDJ

Lightning Safety
Lightning Protection from the ARRL
NWS Lightning Safety and Awareness from the National Weather Service

Mobile Safety
Safe Mobile Operation from Alan Applegate's, K0BG, excellent Web site for mobile Amateur Radio operators

RF Safety
Amateur Radio RF Safety Calculator, courtesy of the University of Texas Amateur Radio Club, N5XU
Radio Frequency Safety, presented by the Federal Communications Commission
RF Exposure Regulations News from the ARRL

Until next time, keep on surfin' safely!

Editor's note: From firsthand experience, Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU, has learned to respect the many safety concerns in Amateur Radio. To communicate with Stan, send him e-mail or add comments to his blog. By the way, every installment of Surfin' is indexed here, so go look it up.

Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU
Contributing Editor