I recall at the age of 15, I grabbed a 1.5 kv (I used qrp in those days), 1
amp power supply. It picked me up and threw me 12 feet across the room,
causing me to knock the sliding doors off my closet. I sat there dazed and
resolved that would never happen again. Fortunately, it has not in 40
years. I do however go through a ritual of shorting things out
religiously - always more than once.
Had I done that twice, I think I would have adopted Larry's approach without
hesitation. Might even have considered solid state finals.
But, just the other day, while out for Field Day, I was operating one of the
rigs at 4 am. I was using my wonderful old Johnson Matchstick and could not
read the frequency label on the remote tuning head. So, I grabbed the
little box with my fingers on the back and thumb on the front and got zapped
with the 160 volts dc used to run the motor. Needless to say, when I got
home I installed an insulating panel on the back.
There is a little bit of luck to survive to a ripe old age when you have a
lot of hobbies!
73, Colin K7FM
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