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Re: [TowerTalk] Temporary Guy Wire Material?????

To: "'Roger \(K8RI\)'" <K8RI-on-TowerTalk@tm.net>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Temporary Guy Wire Material?????
From: "Dick Green WC1M" <wc1m@msn.com>
Reply-to: wc1m@msn.com
Date: Sun, 12 Apr 2009 13:42:25 -0400
List-post: <towertalk@contesting.com">mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
Rohn 55 is a little different in several respects. 

First, at 100 lbs per section, it's a lot harder for two people to lift two
or three sections onto a pier pin. Second, after the first set of permanent
guys is installed in a pier pin installation, Rohn 55 is rigid enough to
climb at least three sections without temporary guys.

To deal with the weight of the first three sections, I decided to put them
up one section at a time, using two sets of temporary steel guys from an
AB-577 mast. This also had the advantage of letting me get used to using the
gin pole and maneuvering the sections into place, coordinating with the
ground man working the winch, etc., being just 10 feet off the ground on the
first section (still dangerous, but not as scary as learning how to do it
while being 30 feet up!) 

We lifted the bottom section onto the pier pin with the temporary guys in
place, tensioned the guys, I climbed to the top, we lifted the second
section in place, I climbed to the top of the second section, hooked the
second set of temporary guys to it, climbed back down and tensioned the
second set of guys (the ground man could have done that, but I wanted to
tension each set of guys myself -- after all, it was my life at stake!) At
that point the structure was pretty rigid. Then I climbed to the top of the
second section, we lifted the third section into place, I climbed down and
removed the bottom set of guys from the first section, carried them to the
top of the top of the third section, climbed back down, and tensioned that
set of guys. Finally, I climbed to the top of the third section, we lifted
the fourth section into place, I attached the permanent guys to the guy
bracket that had been pre-installed about three feet from the bottom of the
fourth section, then I climbed back down and tightened the first set of
permanent guys (per Rohn spec, my permanent guys are at 33', 63' and 95'.)

>From that point on, we were able to lift up to four sections into place (one
at a time, of course) without using temporary guys. I'll admit that it got
kinda scary lifting the fourth section into place and climbing up a few more
feet to attach the next set of permanent guys, especially at the 90-foot
level. But again, Rohn 55 is quite rigid and it wasn't so bad. Once the
first set of permanent guys was properly tensioned, I had complete
confidence in the rigidity of the three tube-and-sleeve connections and six
7/16" galvanized bolts holding them together. At the top of the third
section, these joints had to withstand only the torque of the 100 lb section
riding up to the top of the gin pole, and my weight. Needless to say, we
didn't proceed if there was any appreciable breeze at all.

YMMV. This is only what I did, not a recommendation for what you should do.

73, Dick WC1M

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Roger (K8RI) [mailto:K8RI-on-TowerTalk@tm.net]
> Sent: Saturday, April 11, 2009 11:01 PM
> Cc: towertalk
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Temporary Guy Wire Material?????
> 
> Accidents happen with temporary or permanent guys.
> 
> I use 3/16" wire rope on 45G at least to 100 feet.  "Every section" is
> guyed until I reach a permanent guy point. I then install the permanent
> guys and remove the temporary ones. The procedure is repeated up to the
> next permanent set where they are installed and the temp guys below
> there are removed.  The guys are attached to the top of each section and
> inspected before it is brought up. That section is bolted on and the
> guys are tensioned before I climb that section. That means at most I
> have three temporary sets of guys under me and the sections are solid
> enough to climb without guys.
> 
> Were I to work on a tower using a pier pin, I would not use temp guys on
> the sections up to the first permanent guys. That would be stood in
> place and guyed "permanently" before climbing. I'd use temp guys above
> that point.
> 
> There are many who say, "get a crane and hoist it into place". This too
> is not a job for an inexperienced tower jockey. Even a one piece lift
> comes with hazards, let alone putting sections together "up there" when
> a crane is lowering them into place.  Even those sections go up with
> guys in place unless you are working on a "big" tower where their gin
> poles are larger than our towers.  Then comes the fun of getting the
> antennas in place.
> 
> To me, "as a rule" when you get past 60 feet you are in territory for
> the experienced and even they make mistakes. 2 or 3 good sized guys can
> stand a 40 footer up complete with medium tri-bander and rotator. It
> takes a crew to do the same with 50 feet.  (I've done both). 60 feet was
> Gin pole territory.
> 
> Speaking of the crane.  Think about sitting up there at a 100 or more
> with a crane swinging a several hundred pound antenna over to you let
> alone a big monobander.   An unexpected gust of wind and that antenna
> could clean you off that tower a slick as a sneeze cleans...well, you
> get the idea.  You have to be in the proper place, at the proper time
> with good communications with the crane operator. Besides being cleaned
> off the tower there is the possibility of become a sandwich between the
> tower and antenna. Climbing down with even minor broken bones doesn't
> really appeal to me.
> 
> Most times we just go ahead and do these things without realizing what
> can happen.  When I was a *lot* younger things were done a lot
> different.  Ever ride "the ball"?  I never though much about it, but
> when I went to work for a corporation we ran into a situation where that
> would have saved a lot of time.  I had a safety line to clip onto the
> cable even if I slipped.  HOWEVER my boss who almost suffered apoplexy
> at the though of me riding the ball up only 40 feet,  explained the
> situation rather pointedly and in simple words that were easily
> understandable.  I didn't think much about it. He didn't think much of
> it!<:-)) Now days I wouldn't think much of it either. OTOH back then I
> thought it was fun. Amazing how age does that.
> 
> 73
> 
> Roger (K8RI)  It's amazing how many of us actually did survive to "old
age".
> 


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