This year I am completely redoing all of my antennas; that includes re-cabling
my
crank-up towers.
I have re-cabled them before (while in the vertical position) without issue.
I have always used crank-ups – well, at least since 1967; prior to that I used
Rohn #6.
I always use lots of safety precautions: I always lower the tower almost all
the way and
then I use steel angle iron and/or a 2x4 at the base of the crank-up
(telescoping section).
I double check the cables to confirm that they are slack, meaning that the
section is being
supported by the blocking mechanism I installed. I always have a spotter, just
in case.
And, I remove my wedding ring before putting on my workman’s gloves.
Yesterday, I was working on the tower nearest to the house. My plan was to
replace the
cabling on the inner-most section (the others having been already replaced at
the end of
last year).
I lowered the tower, I “blocked” the bottom of the section, I lowered it a bit
more and
confirmed slack on all the cables. I had already removed my ring; it was
sitting on the
kitchen window sill.
A couple weeks ago at work, I had slipped on a water spill and did a split on
the down.
My right leg and hip still are not feeling great, so I instead of just climbing
the tower,
which is all zigzags at an angle, no horizontal rods to stand on, I used a
ladder.
My wife was my spotter.
First, I removed the bolt holding the bottom of the cable from the tower. It
was rusted,
but came out surprisingly easily; I didn’t even use liquid wrench. And, the
cable was now
freely dangling.
I went up the ladder. I noticed something weird. A little 99 cent carabineer
that was used
hold a pulley (for wire antennas) seemed to be in funny position. I tried to
move it, but it
was frozen in place and for no obvious reason. Gee, that’s weird, I thought.
I reached
to move it, but I couldn’t. That was bizarre. So I yanked on it (don’t ask me
why I was
so concerned with it, I don’t know). And then it happened.
The next thing I know, the inner section is telescoping down. I am watching
the zigzags
flash by as if illuminated by a strobe light. Then it stops. My left hand is
in a lot of pain.
I yell down, “I need help,” but I have no idea what is wrong yet or what can be
done to
resolve it. I look around at the tower, trying to figure everything out. I
see my left hand
in-between sections. I notice that the pulley is now wedged in between
sections and realize
that it is holding the inner-most section “up.” I am not sure exactly what
happened next,
but I think that I used my right hand to pull the inner section up enough to
free my
left hand. I could never have normally done that with one hand.
Anyhow, my left hand is now free and I am leaning against the tower. My left
hand is in
lots of pain. A quick look confirms that my hand is still attached to my arm
and it appears
that all of my fingers are also still there. My wife is asking what she can
do. I know that
she can’t do anything to get me down, so I tell her to get lots of ice. She
says she will as
soon as I get down.
I don’t know how long I was on the tower after that, but I knew that I really
had to
GET DOWN NOW. So I mentally make the decision to JUST GET DOWN and to ignore
any pain that might occur on the way down. I “test” my left hand and I see my
fingers move. Good enough.
I start the descent. When I reach the ground, I am soaking wet with sweat (air
temp is
around 60F). My face and head feel like I just got out of the shower. The
sweat is
pouring off of me in streams. Then, instantly, I find my hand covered in ice,
which
strangely feels really good.
I go inside and sit for a while. I do some inspection. My right hand is “cut
up” a bit,
but not much. My left hand has no skin abrasions at all; but the entire hand
is already
puffy and I have lots of pain at the base of my thumb and most of my index
finger;
but my entire hand feels “crushed.” I sit there and I notice that I am shaking
all over.
The ice is working well and the pain is quickly being masked. We rush off to
get some
X-rays. Two hours later (it took 8 minutes to get there) and I am happy to
learn that
only one small bone (end of index finger) is broken (crushed). My left hand is
really big
and I can see areas of internal hemorrhage through the skin. My wife drives me
home
and I contemplate, “How am I going to get these antennas up in time now?”
As I sit at home, looking at five (5) fully assembled antennas strew about the
yard,
I start thinking about everything. I get up and check the “house” tower. I
forgot
to “block” in the inner-most section. I was able to “confirm” that is was okay
to
work on because the cable was slack, but now it is clear that the 99 cent
carabineer
was doing all of the holding.
I am very happy that I remembered to take my wedding ring off or I’d probably
be short
at least one finger. I am very lucky that my hand is still attached. I am
lucky that the
pulley wedged where it did, when it did or things might be a lot worse. I am
very lucky
that used a ladder (I HATE using a ladder) or I might not have feet or toes
now. I am l
ucky that I found the strength to lift up an entire steel section of tower with
one hand.
I am lucky that only one tiny bone is broken. I am lucky to have been lucky.
Now, let’s see how much antenna work I can get today!
de Doug KR2Q
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