Proven Ways to Kill yourself with Amateur Radio!

Towers. 

• Climb without a harness. 

• Climb with a lanyard that does not have double latching safety hooks.

• Climb with a belt, not a harness. 

• Don't bother with arresting gear - it just gets in your way when you are going for style points when you fall.

• Climb temporary field day towers. 

• Climb towers without inspecting them first.

• Don't wear a helmet when your are climbing.

• Don't wear a hard hat when you are on the ground crew.

• Using a lanyard when climbing or descending is for sissies.  Real men free-climb.

• Don't inspect your climbing harness and rigging prior to climbing.

• Climb a telescoping tower when it is extended.  This is a particularly good way to give yourself a manicure down to about the third knuckle....

Electrical.

• Don't ground your station

• Disable safety interlocks when you work on your amplifier

• Cross polarity on electrical connections

Handheld radio

• Don't secure your batteries in an insulated container.  They start nifty fires when they short out against metal objects.

• Be sure that you have the antenna directly in front of your eyes when you are talking so you are properly injecting RF into your brainpan.  Speaker microphones are for sissies.

Mobile.

• Install your radio in a secret location that requires you to take your eyes off the road when you change frequencies

• Install your radio in a location where it is nice and easy to wrap the microphone cord around the steering wheel when making sudden turns.

• Mount your radio in plain sight on the dashboard.  This makes it easier for thieves to check it out, and also will cook the radio in the sun so you can go buy a new one. It also increases the chances that you will smack it with your head in an accident.

• Don't secure your mobile radio so in an accident it can become a metal projectile