Safety, interference and compliance

Staying safe, and keeping your signal from causing (or suffering) trouble.

Safety

The hazards of the hobby, and how to manage them.

RF exposureHeating effects and safe distances.Electrical safetyShock, fusing and wiring.Tower and climbing safetyFalling is the real hazard.Lightning safetyStaying alive during storms.Battery and fire safetyLithium, lead-acid and what burns.Soldering and chemical safetyFumes, heat and lead.Grounding and bondingShock, lightning and RF grounds.

Interference and EMC

Who is interfering with whom, and how to fix it.

RFI and EMI overviewSources and paths of interference.Receiver overload and intermodulationWhen strong signals cause trouble.Harmonics and spurious emissionsCleaning up your transmitter.Interference to consumer electronicsYour signal in their stereo.Power-line and switching noiseTracking down noise on the band.Filters and ferrites for RFITreating the problem.Common-mode current and ground loopsThe hidden path.