Ham Radio Attic Antenna Safety

Remote rf switch control box in the shack chooses which antenna is operational in the attic.

Ham radio attic antenna safety.

First is safety with less than 100 watts what do i need to know about health and fire hazard. Years ago back in high school i had a slinky dipole in my parents attic. Other pertinate information and articles from using diodes and resistors to control current and useable information about antennas are listed there. You would have to do something stupid to set the attic on fire with a ham radio antenna.

I ve read some of the hf 10m homebrew constructions and they seem do able for me but. Have 2 story home with ample attic above for antenna or can put antenna against house and not extending above roof. Even if it is mostly used by ham radio operators to solve problems while transmitting the mfj 931 should also work for a receive only purpose. The mfj 931 could potentially be used a tuned counterpoise for your attic shortwave antenna.

You will need a peak in your attic that is tall enough for the antenna to fit. Slinkys are made from spring steel very far from being a good antenna material. Although amateur radio is basically a safe activity in recent years there has been considerable discussion and concern about the possible hazards of electromagnetic radiation emr including both rf energy and power frequency 50 60 hz electromagnetic fields. The only concern with attic mounted antennas is the space available to you for mounting.

Other than the safety rfi issues discussed here the other important point to remember is that an attic antenna particularly for hf is not in the clear like an outside antenna. Falling through the roof is a much more likely scenario. Attic antennas can work better than you might think some of mine work as well as their outside counterparts no i m not comparing to a 150ft tower big yagis. Safety of indoor antennas.

Consult any ham radio operator about h f. If the top of the antenna touches the walls or roof the performance may be affected slightly. Before i take the leap particularly into hf i need to learn more about antennas in the house. Also the height of attic antennas is usually lower than.

Attic antennas can be significantly affected by attic wiring and hvac ducting. Consult any arrl handbook for faqs about antennas. It is theoretically possible to create a fire in the attic from your ham radio antenna but the conditions required for that to work require purpose and luck making this not a realistic concern for the typical attic farmer. To tune this antenna to resonance i would climb up in the attic short out turns of the slinky.