Mike,
The best advice if you're not comfortable is DON'T CLIMB. I strongly
encourage you to take that advice.
However I will relate my story.
I'd had some very minor experience climbing 40 to 50 feet and I was
terrified. In 2004, at the age of 40, I decided I wanted an 80 foot
tower. I knew that was going to be a problem. I honestly didn't know
if I was going to be able to do it.
I put up 20 feet of tower, properly guyed. Two to three times every
day, weather permitting, I climbed it, strapped on, hung out for a
bit, then came down. I was reasonably comfortable at 20 feet so I
only did this for a few days. Then I added another 10 feet and
continued the daily routine. I was somewhat less comfortable at 30
feet but gradually got used to it. I think I spent about two weeks
with that height. Then 40 feet, 50, 60, and so on until I was
climbing my new 80 foot tower. It took the better part of that
summer. I still wasn't entirely comfortable but I continued to climb
periodically after the tower was finished. During this process I
also found that doing a light upper and lower body workout three or
four times a week helped me feel more at ease and confident on the
tower.
13 years later, now 53, I have a 100 foot tower and an 80 foot tower
at home (the latter to be removed and replaced by 105 feet of
stronger stuff next month), a 105 foot repeater tower I installed
and maintain for the club's repeater site, and I did all the
climbing to install and populate a friend's 70 foot tower. I haven't
felt uncomfortable climbing in several years except maybe 10 feet up
a mast once or twice. It has become routine. Barring unforeseeable
health changes, I expect to be climbing for many years to come.
If you are going to climb, I suggest you use good safety equipment.
I just recently upgraded from a simple old style waist belt with
positioning lanyards to a DBI Sala Exofit tower harness with fall
arrest lanyard and of course positioning lanyard(s). I really like
the new harness!
73,
Paul N1BUG
On 08/06/2017 06:07 PM, Mike Ricketts wrote:
Hello all,
I was finally able to get my tower upright. It's 50' and 54' to the top of
the mast, freestanding. Nothing big by many of your standards, but it's a
city lot, so have some limitations.
My problem is that I'm having difficulty climbing it. I used to climb, when
I was younger and a little less wise (teens), but it's been about 25 years
since I've done it. I'm still plenty young enough to do this physically,
but just can't seem to get myself up high enough to be useful.
I can easily pay someone to come out and do the work to get the antennas
and stuff up there, which is fine. However, i feel that I should at least
be able to do some of my own work for maintenance and such, and not always
paying someone to climb it for me.
Do any of you climbers have any advice that could possibly help me get over
this thing in my head?
73,
Mike ND9G
--
Paul
N1BUG 160m-2m DXCC Honor Roll
WI2XTC 2200m-630m Experimental license
FN55mf ME Piscataquis County
http://www.n1bug.com
http://www.aurorasentry.com
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