BigJohn:

As a guess, I would say the real problem would be from insulation creepage and flashover ratings. To get an idea, take some binoculars and check out the number of "skirts" and overall length of an insulator on your backyard power pole, then compare that to the clearances from the probe tip to your hand! Most probes are severely lacking in that respect.

As for the power-limited requirement, perhaps a power-limited circuit of a given kV doesn't have the "oomph" to create a flashover/puncture insulation like a utility circuit?

Any one from the utility side got any ideas? [Linked Image]

Stupid should be painful.