Ham Radio General Class Test 2026 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

Receiving an RF burn while touching your equipment during transmission indicates that the grounding system is not effectively returning the RF energy to the ground. When the ground wire has high impedance at the frequency you are transmitting on, it acts as if it is not providing a proper ground. This impedance can cause the RF energy to build up on the equipment enclosure, leading to the sensation of an RF burn upon contact.

In HF bands, the characteristics of the grounding system are critical. If the path to ground doesn’t allow for efficient energy dissipation due to high impedance, it can result in unwanted RF voltages appearing on the chassis of the equipment. This phenomenon can be exacerbated if the ground wire is too long or of insufficient gauge, both of which can increase the impedance.

The other options don't adequately explain the occurrence of the RF burn. For example, if flat braid is used (in the first option), while it may present some impedance characteristics, it does not inherently cause RF burns if properly designed. Similarly, insulated wire (the second option) would be inappropriate for grounding, but its potential could not cause a burn unless it’s conveying RF directly; still, the burn is primarily due to inadequately grounded systems. Lastly, while a resonant ground